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Secure Shell and FTP tunneling

Instructions

  • Due to some bugs in the Java applet, it has been removed.  The recommended way to use FTP is now to create a tunnel over SSH.
  • Windows users:
    • If you do not have a Secure Shell (SSH) client on your computer, you can download PuTTY for free.
    • Follow these instructions to set up the tunnel in PuTTY, or locate the tunnel settings in your SSH program.
      • For the destination enter: shell.math.wvu.edu:21
      • The source (listen) port can be anything above 1024, but for the following examples, use: 2121
      • Enter your Math Dept. user name when prompted.
      • Save your session so you don't have to enter this information every time.
  •  Mac OS X / Linux users:
    • Open a terminal
    • Enter the command:  ssh -L 2121:shell.math.wvu.edu:21 USERNAME@shell.math.wvu.edu
      • Replace "USERNAME" with your Math Dept. user name
    • You can save the above command in a shell script so you don't have to type it every time.
  • Enter your Math Department password when prompted.
  • You may now enter Unix shell commands at the "$" prompt if you wish.
  • Leave the SSH terminal open until you are done using FTP.

Using FTP to publish your homepage from Kompozer

  • Follow the above instructions.
  • Start Kompozer
  • Select "Publishing Site Settings" from the "Edit" menu.
    • For Site Name, enter something like "My Homepage"
    • For HTTP address, enter: http://math.wvu.edu/~username , where "username" is your Math Dept. user name.
    • For Publishing Server, enter: ftp://localhost:2121/public_html
    • For username enter your Math Dept. user name.
    • Enter your Math Dept. password, and check the "save password" box.
  • You can now use the "Publish" button to upload pages to your personal website.
    • If you don't have a website yet, first create a new page and save it as "index.html".

Other FTP clients

  • Use localhost or 127.0.0.1 for server
  • Connect to port 2121
  • The root of the server is your home directory, so your website directory is /public_html
  • You will be asked for your username and password, which will be sent over the encrypted SSH tunnel.
  • Note: The files and data your transmit using this method are not encrypted, just your username and password.  For transferring sensitive documents and information you should use SFTP with your Secure Shell client.