setting up FTP Server

[Connoisseur]

Hey,
I apologize if this has been posted before but I couldn't find anything on it. Frankly, I'm pretty good when it comes to computer hardware but I'm a n00b when it comes to networking/internet etc. So basically, I'm setting up a private FTP server from my home computer which i'm gonna use to serve some friends and family. I know how to set up the server using my ip, but the only problem is my ip is dynamic (I got cable). I read somewhere that I need to get a DNS address so that a user can just type the address and access my server. Can someone explain this to me (how to obtain this address and how to set up the server to use this address)? Do I need to pay money to get a domain or is there a free way I can get an address? Thanks for the help in advance.

Oh btw, right now I'm using Filezilla Server as the software since it seems to be the only free server around.

 

[Southerner]

You can let them know your ip address each time they connect (www.whatismyip.com works well), or you can register with one of the Dynamic DNS services. You should be able to go to no-ip.com and get yourself set up as connoisseur.no-ip.org for free, using a client that will update your IP address each time your IP changes. DynDNS is more popular, but I don't believe they have a free service any more.

 

[Connoisseur]

Hey thanks a lot. Good to know I don't have to pay for it. Here's another question. I set up an account with no-ip.com and got myself a DNS. The only problem is I can't access my server using this dns. Apparently the DNS is connected to my external IP and for some reason I can't use my external IP to access my server. For hardware, i'm using a Linksys 100mbit cable router. every time I try to connect to the external ip, it just times out. Does any one know how to fix this using Filezilla or any other setting. Besides the router, I currently have no software firewall installed.

 

[ojai00]

You won't be able to access it from the computer that the server is running on. I think it's called loopback something. You'll have to try to access it from another computer on the network, which will connect to the server if you type xxx.no-ip.com. You might also have to open up port 20 and 21 in your router, depending on which port you have the Filezilla server running on. Hope this helps.

 

[TiziteLayinLow]

or you can just pay $35/year and get a domain name.. (whatever.com).. and they will usually give you a free DNS service.. set up your IP.. and i know with my cable (time warner).. my IP only changes at midnight when the DHCP expires the lease.. so as long as I make sure my server is on at midnight it never changes.. which in case i have a router which holds the IP.. in other words its only changed maybe once or twice in 2 years. then you can also use the domain for a website or whatever you want.. which makes it pretty nice.. for instance in your situation you could run IIS webserver on your windows box and make it forward to ftp://familyassword@domain.com:21/ and when they access www.domain.com itll forward them over and make it a nice easy login for them. but thats up to you.

 

[Southerner]

Go ahead and make sure your firewall is set to pass FTP traffic to the correct internal address of the FTP box. That's the first thing.

If you don't have access to a PC outside your network, feel free to PM me a login/password/address for your box and I'll tell you if I can successfully get there.

 

[Connoisseur]

Allright here's what I did. I changed the "listen" port from 21 to 20 and then back again. Didn't do squat. I went to passive mode settings and I typed in my external IP for "Use the following IP" and also my no-ip dns which is connected to the same external ip "amohan.no-ip.com". Nothing's working. It still says "ftp: connect: Unknown error number". I even asked a couple of my friends to try the same ip from outside and they're getting the same error. I don't have a firewall enabled on this computer. If someone could help me out with this, i'd' appreciate it. Once again, I'm using Filezilla server. Thanks for all the input so far.

 

[ojai00]

Are you able to connect when trying your local IP address? Try ftp://127.0.0.1:21 or whatever your computer name is. If you can connect, then maybe your IP blocks FTP traffic through port 21. Hope this helps.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur
Allright here's what I did. I changed the "listen" port from 21 to 20 and then back again. Didn't do squat. I went to passive mode settings and I typed in my external IP for "Use the following IP" and also my no-ip dns which is connected to the same external ip "amohan.no-ip.com". Nothing's working. It still says "ftp: connect: Unknown error number". I even asked a couple of my friends to try the same ip from outside and they're getting the same error. I don't have a firewall enabled on this computer. If someone could help me out with this, i'd' appreciate it. Once again, I'm using Filezilla server. Thanks for all the input so far.

You may not have a firewall on your computer but the router will almost always block the ftp port to the internet. You must enable the port in the router settings first.

 

[Connoisseur]

i'm sorry to be a nub with these these but could you tell me how to enable the port in the router settings? I dunno how to get to the router settings.

 

[ojai00]

Put the router's IP address into IE. Usually, it's http://192.168.2.1 or something like that. Check your router manual or let us know which one you're using. After you get in, you have to go to the Virtual Server settings and forward port 21 to port 21 of your computer. Find out your IP address by typing "ipconfig" in command prompt.

 

[Connoisseur]

i'm using a Linksys 4-port 10/100 cable router (model BEFSR41V3). I just got into router settings. my ip was 192.168.1.1. I went into forwarding and it has multiple boxes.
"External Port" "Protocol TCP" "Protocol UDP" "IP Address" "Enable"
___ to ____ check box check box 192.168.1.___ check box

so what do I put into these boxes and which boxes do I check? I figure I put 21 to 21 for the external port.

 

[ojai00]

21, 21, xxx, TCP. To find what xxx is, you need to go to command prompt and type "ipconfig". You should get your computer's IP address, which is 192.168.1.xxx. Plug that number in. and you should be up and running. You might also have to forward port 20.

 

[Connoisseur]

hey worked like a charm! thanks ojai! Thanks for all your help guys. And sorry for so many questions. Like I said, I didn't really keep up on the networking curve.