By Erik Small -

Ipswitch File Transfer launched a brand new file transfer product today – WS_FTP Server Ad Hoc Transfer Module.

This new module eliminates the need for email attachments which burden corporate email servers. IT managers can use WS_FTP Server Ad Hoc Transfer Module to enforce file sharing policies and have full visibility into the company’s file sharing activities.

Ipswitch’s website has been updated with all the details and features of the new module.

The simple benefits are summed up like this:

 1.Complete visibility into all file sharing activities
2.Proactively manage all file sharing interactions, both internal and external to the company, organization or domain
3.Enforce administrator defined policies and rules for sending files to other people
4.Remove the “file attachment” burden from the email server

By Erik Small -

A concise 2-minute overview of Ipswitch’s client + server secure file transfer relationship. This video describes old FTP processes, and how the environment has changed with encrypted transfers and stronger client to server security.

By c-emmons -

The “client-server relationship” is a very common term when it comes to file transfer.. but what exactly is a “client” and what is a “server”?  The networking of a “client-server relationship” involves a distributed application architecture that divides tasks between service providers known as servers and a service requester, or a client.  Clients and servers generally operate over computer networks, such as office LANs or even the Internet.

The server is the more dominant machine in the relationship, being a high-performance host that runs one (or more than one) server applications.  The server applications are what the client “talks to”.  Applicaitons on the client system initiate communication sessions with servers.

Simply put, “client-server” describes the relationship between two computer programs where the client makes request to the server.  This relationship is seen in such tasks as sending emails and accessing the web. Many business applications currently use the client-server model as well as the main Internet application protocols (HTTP, SMTP, telnet etc.)

The simplest type of client-server uses only two systems, a client and a server.  This may also be referred to as “two-tier” and it allows for the sharing of files. Some examples of clients in this relationship would be web browsers, email clients,and online chat clients.  Servers would include web servers, ftp servers, application servers, mail servers, file servers, and most web services.

Client-server architecture enables the responsibilities of a system to be distributed amongst several individual computers. These individual computers  are accessed only through a network so it is easier to maintain and repair or even relocate a server without affecting the clients.  Another benefit exists in that data is stored on servers which generally have greater security than clients. Servers can also control user access and resources.  Client-server technologies are abundant in the world today,  designed to ensure safety and security. One example  of an innovater in this field is Ipswitch – a software company which has been offering FTP software since 1991.  As the field of file transfer continues to grow, so will the need for safe servers and happy clients who together form a healthy, networked relationship.

By Erik Small -

File Transfer Planet discovered this nice review of WS_FTP at www.raakesh.com. One very useful point Raakesh has made is the fact that WS_FTP uses Secure Shell to protect passwords and information during transmission from the FTP client to the FTP server.

Read the full review here:

Review of WS_FTP

Great Review Raakesh — we’re happy to post it here for our file transfer community!

By Hugh Garber -

Ipswitch File Transfer has just released WS_FTP Server version 7.1.

There are a handful of pretty exciting new capabilities that server administrators will certainly appreciate…. But the one that has me the MOST excited is the new ability to run WS_FTP Server in a virtualized environment on the VMWare ESX platform.

Here’s a great quote from the WS_FTP Server 7.1 launch press release on the benefits of virtualization from Kevin Gillis, VP of Product Management for  Ipswitch File Transfer:

“Virtualization has made its way into the mainstream and there is a wide variety of choices for virtualization open to enterprises everywhere. Its numerous benefits include added reliability, increased uptime, easier disaster recovery, server consolidation and a ‘green’ benefit of increased energy efficiency.”

Check out the complete list of new capabilities in the 7.0 and 7.1 releases…. And then give a free 30-day evaluation a whirl.  If this is your first time using a WS_FTP Server secure file transfer solution, I think you will be very pleased with the security, performance and easy administration!

By Erik Small -

A common FTP question in the file transfer community for users that are new to FTP is: What is my user ID and password?

The host administrator (or FTP Server administrator) that you’re connecting to typically generates the User ID and Password. Then the FTP client uses the same User ID and Password to connect to that FTP Server. All passwords are encrypted on the server and the administrator can control the length and character set for passwords.

It’s an easy one, but an important for anyone getting started with a file transfer from client to server.