The World of FTP
On the Internet, the worldwide computer network of which the UW is a part, 1,200 institutions have developed file archives. These archives--called anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol) archives--are sites where information is published and distributed. When institutions have documents, programs, data, or reports they wish to make available to their local communities and to the network at large, they place these items in their anonymous FTP archives. The archives support special software so users can connect at any time and retrieve a copy of one or more items.
These file archives are called anonymous FTP archives because you log in to an account set up specifically for anonymous users connecting via the network. The anonymous FTP account has limited access to the site. Often, the only things you can do are list the files in the archive and copy files to your computer.
Although anyone can log in as anonymous, FTP archives still request a password. Most FTP archives ask you to enter your email address as the password. Sometimes this information will be checked before you are allowed to access the archive.
The FTP program is on all of the Uniform Access computers. FTP is also part of the UW NCSA Telnet software that connects PCs and Macintosh computers to the UW campus network. The FTP programs for different kinds of computers (Macintosh, PC, Unix) vary, but the basics of all FTP sessions are the same.
Computing & Communications provides two anonymous FTP archives: ftp.u.washington.edu and ftp.cac.washington.edu You can use the ftp.u system to make your own files available to the campus and Internet community. The ftp.cac archive contains information of interest to the UW community and such C&C-supported software as Pine, Mailstrom, and NCSA Telnet.
Other archive sites specialize in specific topics or specific kinds of computers. For example, the University of Maryland stocks its anonymous FTP archive (info.umd.edu) with current economic statistics and data analysis programs. The archive at Stanford (sumex-aim.stanford.edu) is known worldwide for its collection of programs and utilities for Macintosh computers.
Once you start to use anonymous FTP, you may get hooked. It is a powerful tool for collecting information from around the world. As you use FTP, you will discover more and more references to files in different archives--from friends who use the network, in discussions on the mailing lists you belong to, and in the USENET groups you read.
For more information about FTP, refer to The Internet Passport by Jonathan Kochmer and NorthWestNet (see the two previous articles). There is an entire chapter on anonymous FTP with examples, tips, and pointers to FTP sites.