Introduction
As the use of computers is on the rise, the understanding of networks and how they interact with computers becomes a necessity for its end users. One of the pieces that allow the interaction of computers and networks is the protocol. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a protocol is essentially a set of rules that define how computers communicate with other computers over a network (Merriam-Webster). There are many protocols that presently exist (e.g. HyperText Transfer Protocol, Internet Protocol), but one of the most useful protocols to users who have the desire of sharing files with one another may just be the File Transfer Protocol, or FTP. This paper is designed to explain the history behind the FTP, its purpose, how it is used, and why it is useful to this group of users.
The History of FTP
FTP was first developed back in the early 1970s for indirectly accessing computers on a network (TCP/IP Guide). To access a computer over a network indirectly means to acquire files or data from a remotely hosted computer and placing them onto a local file system, or to place files from a locally hosted file system onto a remotely hosted computer. The initial version of FTP was first published in Request for Comments (RFC), a series of memos designed for explaining methods or research that applies to computer networking (Wikipedia). While this protocol has undergone a few revisions over the decades since its original development, its main purpose remains the same.
How FTP Works
There are four primary components in order to make FTP work: the FTP client, the FTP server, the control connection and a data connection between the two (DeskShare). This way, the operating systems and file system types do not need t...
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About. “How to Set up Dreamweaver to Transfer Files.” Accessed June 17, 2011. http://webdesign.about.com/od/dreamweaverhowtos/ig/Set-Up-FTP-in-Dreamweaver/.
DeskShare. “Understanding How FTP Works.”Accessed June 17, 2011. http://www.deskshare.com/Resources/articles/ftp-how-to.aspx.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “Protocol.” Accessed June 17, 2011. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protocol.
Open-Site. “Request for Comment (RFC) 114 A File Transfer Protocol.” Last updated October 1, 2007. http://open-site.org/Computers/Internet/Technology/Specifications/Request_For_Comments/RFC_114.
The TCP/IP Guide. “FTP Overview, History and Standards.” Last updated September 20, 2005. http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_FTPOverviewHistoryandStandards.htm.
Wikipedia. “Request for Comments.” Last updated May 1, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_for_Comments.
The method of communication over the FCIC II / CJ Net network is the same standard that has been used on the Internet, TCP/IP.
The fundamental reason why security protocols are implemented in networks is simple – to protect data as it traverses the network. The mechanism associated with protecting data on its travels is called cryptography. This particular mechanism employs algorithms which encrypt data so that hackers are prevented from easily intercepting the data. Cryptography operates in tandem with a group of protocols which help to control the passing of data between network devices. Therefore, security protocols are a vital component in networks in order to increase data security and without them security would be compromised (Linn, 2014).
NFS was first introduced by Sun Microsystems in the early 1980s and was quickly adopted as de facto standard for sharing files and printers between UNIX system. This standard was extended to include PCs and became the basis for must transparent file and print connectivity software solutions . Examples of using NFS
Peer-to-peer is a communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session. Other models with which it might be contrasted include the client/server model and the master/slave model. In some cases, peer-to-peer communications is implemented by giving each communication node both server and client capabilities. In recent usage, peer-to-peer has come to describe applications in which users can use the Internet to exchange files with each other directly or through a mediating server.
Sending data through the internet efficiently has always posed many problems. The two major technologies used, Ethernet and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), have done an admirable job of porting data, voice and video from one point to another. However, they both fall short in differing areas; neither has been able to present the "complete" package to become the single, dominant player in the internet market. They both have dominant areas they cover. Ethernet has dominated the LAN side, while ATM covers the WAN (backbone). This paper will compare the two technologies and determine which has a hand-up in the data trafficking world.
Since the process begins at the seventh level, the Application level, it will be detailed first. As its name implies, this Application level supports applications, but it also supports other end-user processes. User authentication and privacy on the network is consid...
TCP/IP is a network model which enables the communication across the Internet. The most fundamental protocol on which the Internet is built. This is made up of the 2 common networking protocols, TCP, for Transmission Control Protocol, and IP, for Internet Protocol. TCP maintains and handles packet flow linking the systems and IP protocol has the ability to handle the routing of packets. However The TCP/IP stack consists of 5 layers first being application layer, the transport layer, then the network layer, the link layer and finally the physical layer. The assignment focuses on the three middle layers and is divided into five parts. Firstly explaining how the TCP and UDP the most vital protocols needed to deliver and communicate.
Network Operating Systems, abbreviated NOS, are programs that are designed to work with numerous computers on a network, allowing for communication amongst them, but “the term network operating system, however, is generally reserved for software that enhances a basic operating system by adding networking features” [5]. The NOS provides structure to the network as it controls the hardware and software within a network. The network operating system allows for the ability to include all the components of the network and allow several users to share files with one another through the network regardless of their physical location [1]. There are two main types of network operating systems, and there are several different operating systems to choose from, each one working differently. A network operating system usually contains a menu-based administration interface. From this interface, the administrator of the network can achieve a number of tasks. “He or she uses the interface to format hard drives, set up security permissions, and establish log-in information for each user. An administrator can also use the interface of a network operating system to identify shared printers and configure the system to automatically back up data on a scheduled basis” [2].
Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a substitute network design to the conventional client-server architecture. P2P networks utilize a decentralised model in which each system, act as a peer, and serve as a client with its own layer of server functionality. A companion plays the role of a client and a server in the meantime. That is, the node can send calls to other nodes, and at the same time respond to approaching calls from other companions in the system. It is different from the traditional client-server model where a client can just send requests to a server and then wait for the server’s response.
It keeps track of the shared copies of data by maintaining a chain of directory pointers hence called chained directories protocol.
2. To transfer files from one computer to another (the files may be text, images, audio, video, etc.).
There also enhancement in FTP technology which are Trivial Fail Transfer Protocol (TFTP) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP/FTPS). The TFTP are designed for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) with minimal overheads. Each message is an independent UDP datagram. It always used to bootstrap workstation and network devices. There are two types of transfer mode being use in TFTP namely Netascii for text files transferring and Octet for binary files transferring. While SFTP/FTPS allows clients to request the FTP session being encrypted using cryptographic tools such as Transport Layer Security (TSL) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) so that commands and data contains passwords and sensitive information is prevented from being transmitted openly over the network.
In a client server network data is shared to a centralized server. It gives each member different privileges. The administrator controls the users access to files on the network Some primary operating systems for a client server have been UNIX based operating systems, Windows Server, and Netware . They are used in large networks for corporations. The reason for this is because they are more secure and have many features. They all grant the ability to configure and update the software. Server based can also operating systems can interact with sensors in the hardware to find issues like overheati...
UNIX has enjoyed a long, exclusive history, but Microsoft is trying to establish Windows NT as the premier Web server and replace UNIX’s dominant position as the Internet’s operating system. Although the Internet was originally developed around UNIX, some companies who design software for the Internet are becoming reluctant to embrace UNIX for this purpose. A major reason for moving to NT instead of UNIX is that the UNIX operating system is expensive, whereas Microsoft Windows NT is affordable to everyday users. The other major advantage of Microsoft Windows NT is significantly easier to install and maintain. Also, UNIX requires additional utility software such as NetWare, which is already built in to Microsoft Windows NT. The cost of replacing that hardware is a strong consideration for most companies considering a switch to Microsoft Windows NT. Other users are not so quick to jump on the NT bandwagon.