How To Set Ftp Server In Windows 7

Earlier, I had written a post on how to turn your computer into a Windows file sharing server using a couple of unlike programs. If you're looking for a quick way to share the files on your local figurer with friends or family, this is an like shooting fish in a barrel way to do so.

Notwithstanding, if you're looking to setup your own FTP server in Windows using IIS, y'all can practice so, simply it requires more than technical knowledge. Of course, it too gives your more granular control over sharing and security, so information technology'southward better for anyone who has a little computer know-how. Plus, IIS is all about running websites, so if yous want to run a couple of websites along with an FTP server, then IIS is the best selection.

It's also worth noting that different versions of IIS come with each flavor of Windows and they all take slightly different feature sets. IIS 5.0 came with Windows 2000 and 5.i came with Windows XP Professional. IIS 6 was for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional person 64-flake. IIS 7 was a complete rewrite of IIS and was included with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista.

IIS seven.5 was released forth with Windows 7, IIS 8 released with Windows 8 and IIS 8.5 released with Windows 8.one. It'south best to apply IIS 7.5 or higher if possible as they back up the most features and accept better operation.

Setup and Configure an FTP Server in IIS

The showtime matter you'll need to setup your ain FTP server in Windows is to brand sure you have Internet Information Services (IIS) installed. Call back, IIS only comes with Pro, Professional person, Ultimate or Enterprise versions of Windows.

In Windows Vista and earlier, click on Start, Command Console and go to Add/Remove Programs. And then click on Add together/Remove Windows Components. For Windows 7 and higher, click on Programs and Features from Control Panel so click on Turn Windows features on or off.

In the components wizard, curl downwardly until yous meet IIS in the list and check it off. Earlier you lot click Next though, make sure yous click on Details then chequeFile Transfer Protocol (FTP) Service.

For Windows seven and upwards, go ahead and click on the box side by side to Internet Information Services and FTP Server. You also demand to make sure you lot cheque the Web Management Tools box otherwise you lot won't be able to manage IIS from Administrative Tools later. For FTP, you need to check the FTP Service box otherwise you won't accept the option to create an FTP server.

Click OK and then click Adjacent. Windows will go ahead and install the necessary IIS files along with the FTP service. You lot may be asked to insert your Windows XP or Windows Vista disc at this bespeak. You shouldn't need a disc for Windows vii or higher.

Setup and configure IIS for FTP

Once IIS has been installed, you lot may have to restart your computer. At present nosotros want to get ahead and open the IIS configuration panel to set up the FTP server. So go to Start, then Control Panel and click on Administrative Tools. You should now run into an icon for Net Information Services.

When you open up IIS in Vista or earlier for the beginning fourth dimension, you'll only see your figurer name in the left hand menu. Become ahead and click the + symbol next to the computer name and yous'll see a couple of options like Web Sites, FTP Sites, etc. We're interested in FTP Sites, so expand that out likewise. You should meet Default FTP Site, click on it.

You lot'll observe afterwards you click on the default FTP site that there are a couple of buttons at the pinnacle that look like VCR buttons: Play, Cease, and Pause. If the Play button is greyed out, that ways the FTP server is agile. Your FTP server is now upwardly and running! You can actually connect to it via your FTP client software. I use SmartFTP, but you lot can apply whatsoever you like best.

For Windows 7 and higher, you'll see a dissimilar look to IIS. Firstly, there is no play button or anything like that. Also, you'll see a bunch of configuration options right on the habitation screen for authentication, SSL settings, directory browsing, etc.

To start the FTP server hither, you take to correct-click on Sites and so choose Add FTP Site.

This opens the FTP wizard where you start by giving your FTP site a name and choosing the physical location for the files.

Next, you lot have to configure the bindings and SSL. Bindings are basically what IP addresses you desire the FTP site to apply. You can leave it at All Unassigned if you lot don't program on running any other website. Keep the Start FTP site automatically box checked and cull No SSL unless yous empathize certificates.

Lastly, yous take to setup authentication and potency. Y'all take to choose whether you want Anonymous or Basic authentication or both. For dominance, you choose from All Users, Anonymous users or specific users.

Yous tin can actually access the FTP server locally by opening Explorer and typing in ftp://localhost. If all worked well, yous should see the folder load with no errors.

If you have an FTP program, you can practice the same thing. Open the FTP customer software and type in localhost as the host name and choose Anonymous for the login. Connect and you should now see the folder.

Ok, so now we got the site up and running! At present where do y'all drib the data y'all desire to share? In IIS, the default FTP site is actually located in C:\Inetpub\ftproot. You can dump information in at that place, but what if y'all already have data located somewhere else and don't want to move it to inetpub?

In Windows 7 and college, you tin can pick any location you lot want via the wizard, but it's nonetheless only i folder. If yous desire to add more folders to the FTP site, you lot take to add virtual directories. For now, but open up the ftproot directory and dump some files into information technology.

Now refresh your FTP client and you lot should now see your files listed! So you at present have an up and running FTP server on your local computer. So how would y'all connect from another calculator on the local network?

In order to do this, you'll accept to open up upwardly the Windows Firewall to allow FTP connections to your calculator; otherwise all external computers will be blocked. You can do this by going to Start, Control Panel, clicking on Windows Firewall and then clicking on the Advanced Tab.

Under the Network Connexion Settings section, make certain all of the connections are checked in the left listing and so click on the Settings button. You'll now be able to open sure ports on your reckoner based on the service your computer is providing. Since nosotros are hosting our own FTP server, we desire to check off FTP Server.

A little popup window volition appear with some settings that you tin can change, merely leave information technology equally information technology is and click OK. Click OK again at the main Windows Firewall window.

In Windows 7 and college, the process is different for opening the firewall port. Open up Windows Firewall from the Command Console and then click on Advanced Settings on the left hand side. Then click on Inbound Rules and curlicue downwards till y'all come across FTP Server (FTP Traffic-In), right click on information technology and choose Enable Dominion.

Then click on Outbound Rules and practise the same thing for FTP Server (FTP Traffic-Out). You take now opened upward the firewall for FTP connections. Now try to connect to your FTP site from a unlike calculator on your network. You'll need to go the IP address of the calculator first before you can connect into it from a dissimilar computer.

Go to Start, click Run and type in CMD. Type IPCONFIG and jot down the number for IP Address:

In your FTP client on the other computer, blazon in the IP Address yous only wrote downward and connect anonymously. You should now be able to see all of your files just like you did on the FTP customer that was on the local computer. Again, you can too go to Explorer and merely type in FTP:\\ipaddress to connect.

Now that the FTP site is working, you can add as many folders every bit you like for FTP purposes. In this way, when a user connects, they specify a path that will connect to 1 specific folder.

Back in IIS, right click on Default FTP Site and choose New, and and then Virtual Directory.

In Windows seven, you lot right-click on the site name and choose Add Virtual Directory.

When yous create a virtual directory in IIS, y'all're basically going to create an alias that points to a folder on the local difficult bulldoze. So in the magician, the commencement thing you lot'll exist asked is for a alias name. Make is something unproblematic and useful like "WordDocs" or "FreeMovies", etc.

Click Adjacent and now browse to the path where y'all desire the alias to refer to. Then if yous have a agglomeration of movies y'all want to share, browse to that folder.

Click Next and choose whether you want it equally Read access only or Read and Write access. If you simply desire to share files, check Read. If you lot desire people to be able to upload files to your computer, cull Read and Write.

Click Next and then click Finish! Now you'll see your new virtual directory below the default FTP site. In Windows seven and up, the process is reduced to one dialog shown beneath:

You tin can connect to y'all using your FTP client by putting in the Path field "/Test" or "/NameOfFolder". In Explorer, you would merely type in ftp://ipaddress/aliasname.

Now you lot'll only see the files that are in the folder that we created the alias for.

That'due south about it! You can create equally many folders as you similar! The only affair other thing that you would need to practise is to give out your public IP address to anyone who is connecting from outside of your internal network. If you want users to connect from anywhere in the globe, you'll have to requite them your public IP address, which you can find out by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/.

Finally, you'll demand to frontward the FTP port on your router to your local reckoner that is hosting the FTP server. Port Forrard is a keen site to bear witness yous how to forward ports on your router to computers on your abode network. You should too read my other posts on port forwarding and dynamic DNS:

What is Port Forwarding?

Setup Dynamic DNS for Remote Access

This is definitely a lot of info with a bunch of steps; if you have any questions about all of this, post a annotate! Enjoy!

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Source: https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/setup-ftp-server-in-windows-iis/

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