While FTP theoretically allows a user to copy a file from any Internet host to any other Internet host, in practice you can't access a remote computer unless you have an account name (userid) and a password for it. To get around this, many system managers have set up a special userid called anonymous that anyone on the Internet can use with FTP--for Anonymous FTP.
Using Anonymous FTP, you can transfer files and retrieve information from a remote machine without actually having an account on it. Your password is usually either guest or your e-mail address.
To conduct an FTP session you need an ftp client program. Fetch is one ftp client for the Macintosh; Anarchie is another.
To start up Fetch, double-click on its icon. In the dialog box that appears you will fill in the name of the host computer to which you want to connect, your username (anonymous), and your password (your e-mail address).
If you don't know the name of the host you want to connect to, at the lower lefthand side of the dialog box you will see a Shortcuts menu that supplies an easy way to connect to one of a list of commonly accessed computers.
When you have finished filling in the information for host name, user name, and password, click OK to connect. Fetch will show you a small black dog icon 'running' to indicate that a connection is being made, and eventually the Anony mous FTP files and directories at the remote host will appear in the lefthand side of the standard Fetch dialog box. You can investigate the contents of directories by double-clicking on folders and looking at the names of their contents.
Before transferring files, unless you know the file type, make sure Automatic is selected from the three file text options (Automatic, Text, Binary) so that Fetch will automatically interpret the file type of files transferred.
To transfer a file from a remote host to your Mac, select (click on) the name of the file in the lefthand window, and click on the Get File button. If you don't like the name Fetch provides, you can give the file a new name under which you want it stored on your computer. You will also choose where to save it on your disk; then click Save.
To get more than one file at a time, hold down the shift key while clicking first on one file and then another with the mouse.
As a file is being transferred to your Mac the cursor will change to a running dog, indicating that a transfer is in progress. When the transfer is complete, your cursor will return to normal.
Click Close Connection before quitting Fetch.
For information on compressed files, see the Gopher handout in this Geometry Forum series.
mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu:/pub/info-mac/vir/ oswego.oswego.edu:/pub/mac/virus/ plaza.aarnet.edu.au:/micros/mac/info-mac/vir/
A full address might look like this: oswego.oswego.edu:/pub/mac/virus/disinfectant-35.hqx
The name Archie was chosen because it sounds like the word "archive." Computers called Archie servers have been set up throughout the Internet to help you find Anonymous FTP hosts that carry files you want. To find a file, all you need to do is tell Archie what you're looking for; Archie will display the name of each remote host that has the file and show you how to get there or get the file for you.
To open Anarchie, double-click on its icon. If Anarchie's Preferences are set to open automatically to Bookmarks, you will see a window with common choices of sites from which useful Macintosh files can be retrieved. If not, a search dialog box will appear and you'll be asked to enter a word or string for your search. (If you've finished one search and wish to start another, choose Archie from the File menu.)
In the dialog box, the Server is the Archie server to query. A pop-up menu lists most of the known Archie servers; if one doesn't seem to be responding, choose another.
In the Search field you will specify what you want to find; you can search by exact match if you know the name of the file you want, or by substring match; Archie will find the names of files that contain the word you specify.
When you've specified the word or words you wish to search on, click Search and wait; you'll see a window showing the word you specified and a guestimate of how long your search may take (it doesn't usually take 15 minutes!). When a search is complete, matches will appear in a window. To directly access a found item, you can double-click on any item in the list that is returned.
If you know the address of the FTP server where a file is located, for example
For Macintosh users, directories called /mac or /info-mac are good places to explore in many ftp archives.
As with TurboGopher, you can make Bookmarks of your own for sites that you find you would like to be able to return to without having to remember them or reenter the address.
For information on compressed files, see the Gopher handout in this Geometry Forum series.