This content is written for the more advanced user. It assumes that you are comfortable with the command line and have a relatively good knowledge of Linux terminology. It is probably not necessary to using Fedora as a desktop user, but can help a desktop user expand his or her knowledge base and face more complicated troubleshooting issues.
Fedora includes several programs for transferring files between different computers on the same network (or on the Internet). On of the most common methods is called the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). There are several graphical programs available to use FTP, including FileZilla and gFTP. You can also use the command line utilities ftp, lftp, and sftp.
FTP is insecure
If you are transferring files over a public network (such as the Internet), you may not want to use FTP. FTP transfers can be easily intercepted, and FTP data is not encrypted. For more security, use SFTP, which encrypts your data over SSH.
8.2.1. Using FileZilla
FileZilla is an application that allows you to transfer files over FTP using a simple graphical interface. Like many FTP applications, it has two important panes: a file browser for your local machine, and a file browser for the remote machine. This way, you can browse to a file on a remote server and drag-and-drop it to a folder on your local host.
If you don't need to send a file, but only retrieve it, you can use Firefox, Konqueror, and many other web browsers. Just browse to the ftp server in the address bar, and make sure to specify that you want to use FTP. Generically, you would type ftp://ftp.server.com, where ftp.server.com is the address of the FTP server.
8.2.1.1. Connecting to a server
To connect to an FTP server in FileZilla, you must add the server to your Site Manager. You can open the Site Manager dialog in three ways:
Click on File > Site Manager
Click the first icon to the left on the tool bar
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S
When the Site Manager dialog is open, click the New Site button. The first thing FileZilla will want to know is the name that you want to use to refer to this server. There will be a text entry box under My Sites on the left side of the dialog. Here, type whatever name you want to use to refer to the new server. This name doesn't have any technical implications; choose something convenient for you.
On the right side of the dialog box, you will need to enter the following information:
Host
This is the address of the server. If the server has a URL (such as ftp.server.com), you can type it in here. Otherwise, you'll need to type in the IP address. An IP address is of the form A.B.C.D, where A, B, C, and D are integer values between 0 and 255 (inclusive). The server you are connecting to should provide you with this information.
Port
You only need to fill in a value for this field if the server does not use the default (port 21 for FTP, port 22 for SFTP).
Servertype
Here, you can choose FTP, SFTP, FTPS, or FTPES. Only FTP and SFTP will be discussed here.
Logontype
This field allows you to choose how you will authenticate with the server. This information should be provided by the server you are trying to connect to.
User, Password, Account
These fields will only be active if you user certain Logontypes. If they are active, you should use them for your username, password, and account on the remote server.
Comments
This field has no technical relevance. It may be convenient for you to make a note of something about the server here.
When you have filled out the fields, click OK to close the Site Manager or Connect to close the Site Manager and then connect to the FTP server immediately. Clicking Cancel will ignore any changes you made to the Site Manager and close the dialog.
To connect to a server later on that you have already added to Site Manager, simply open the Site Manager, click on the server you want to connect to, and click Connect.
8.2.1.2. Transferring files
If you connect to a server successfully, you should see some status messages appear in the top pane indicating that you have connected to the remote server. The right-hand file browser pane should also display the contents of the remote directory you connected to.
To transfer a file, simply drag-and-drop it from one file browser into the folder of the other file browser. You can also select a file in one pane, a folder in the other, and click the appropriate arrow button to transfer the file.
