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WS-FTP Instructions

•Creating Session Profiles
•Connecting
•The Main Window
•Changing Directories
•ASCII or Binary?
•Retrieving Files
•Sending Files
•Exiting WSFTP

Create a session profile

Open WS FTP by double-clicking on its icon or pulling it up from the Start Menu. The Session Profile dialog box will appear on top of the WS FTP window. Similar to a bookmark on a web browser, a session profile acts as a shortcut to a system account that you have previously accessed. Profiles can remember your userID, password, and the system you wish to access.

Creating the profile

Note: This step only needs to be done once for each profile (each FTP site). If you do not wish to save the session, you will have to reenter the information each time you open WS FTP. You should only save a session if you are the only user of your computer.

1. Enter the name of the FTP location you would like to connect to (such as www or secureweb) in the Profile Name box.
2. Enter the FTP location (such as or www.jmu.edu or secureweb.jmu.edu) in the Host Name box[NOTE: Educ.jmu.edu(formerly Peregrin) no longer uses FTP].
3. Enter your userID in the UserID box(same as your e-ID for www, your e-ID dash your site for secureweb.jmu.edu).
   Note: If the FTP site you chose is an anonymous site, check the Anonymous Login box by clicking on it. You do not need to enter a userID or Password if your location is an anonymous site.
4. Enter your password, if required, in the Password box. (Your system password in FTP is the same as the password you use to access that system using any other method.)
5. Click the Advanced tab and make sure that the Passive transfers checkbox is checked ON(www and secureweb only support passive mode ftp transfers).

Steps 5 & 6:
You should only save the session (your password) if you are the ONLY user on that computer. In computer labs, for example, do not save your password or session. If you do not save your password, skip steps 5 & 6 and move to step 7.)

Click in the Save Password checkbox. Click Save Click OK.

Establishing a Connection

Once a session profile has been created and saved, you only have to open a FTP connection and access that profile session. Remember that a saved session contains all the information needed to access a remote system. If you have not saved a session in the past, you must complete all the initial steps to access a remote system (see Starting WS FTP).

1. Open WS FTP
2. From the Profile Name dialog box, select the session you wish to enter
3. Click OK

You will now be connected to the remote system you selected.

The Main Window

There are two sides to the main window, the local system (on the left) and the remote system (on the right).

The upper boxes display drives and directories available on each system, and the lower boxes list files withinin that displayed drive or directory.

Changing Directories

Changing directories on either your local drive (left side of the window) or the remote system (right side):

In the directory boxes, double-click the name of the directory or drive you would like to enter. Clicking on the double-dots (..) will take you up a directory level.

You can also click on the ChgDir button on either side and type the path you would like to enter.

ASCII vs. Binary (Transfer Mode)

There are two types of transfer options: ASCII, for text transfers, and Binary, for executable programs, images, and other larger files. Click one of the two radio buttons on the bottom of the WS FTP window to designate which transfer option you want.

Checking the "Auto" box will cause WS_FTP to automatically use the transfer option which will best suit your needs.

Retrieving a file from the remote system

When you retrieve a file from a remote system, you move it from that system to a file on your local directory.

1. To retrieve a file from the remote system
2. Highlight the filename in the remote system file box.
3. Choose the directory on your local system (your PC) in which you'd like to place the file you are retrieving.
   Click on the left arrow button between the local system group of controls and the remote system group of controls.

Sending a file to a remote system

This procedure is much like you did to retrieve a file, but the file will move in the opposite direction.

1. Highlight the filename in the local system file box.
2. Choose the directory on the remote system in which you'd like to place the file.
3. Click on the right arrow button between the local system box and the remote system box.

Note: The arrow boxes between the remote and local groups of controls indicate the direction of file transfer.

Exiting FTP or Closing a session

To exit WS FTP, click on the Exit button.

To close the connection with one FTP site but to open another, click on the Close button. The WS FTP window will remain open. Create a new session or open a session profile.