Advanced Options
Allows you to customize advanced options for connecting to the FTP server. This dialog can be opened using the Advanced button in the Connect to FTP Server dialog box or Organize Bookmarks dialog box.
Options
- Proxy server
- If you are using a proxy server for access to the FTP server (usually on the Internet), specify settings for this proxy server here. A proxy server is an intermediary between local network (intranet) and the Internet. Choose Default to use settings for the proxy server specified in Configuration/Defaults. If you do not need to use a proxy server, select Not Used. To add settings for a proxy server click the Add button, it opens the Add/Edit Proxy Server dialog box. You can add more settings for proxy servers and later just choose which one to use.
- Target panel path
- If you specify some path here, it will be displayed in inactive (target) panel when you connect to the FTP server. If you do not want to change the current directory in inactive panel, leave this edit box empty.
- Connect to port
- Specify a port where the FTP server waits for connections. It is usually 21 (default FTP server port).
- Server type
- Choose the server type used for parsing of plain text listings received from the FTP server. Choose Autodetect if the plugin should autodetect the appropriate server type. See Getting Lists of Files and Directories from FTP Servers for more information.
- File transfer mode
- Choose the mode for transferring of files. Select Default to use the transfer mode specified in Default file transfer mode section in Configuration/Defaults. See this option also for more information on transfer modes.
- Command for listing
- Specify what command should be used to receive the plain text listing of the current directory from the FTP server. FTP protocol contains two commands for listing: LIST (default) and NLST (name list). Some Unix FTP servers require an option "-a" behind the LIST command to list also hidden files and directories.
- Initial FTP commands
- You may need to send some auxiliary FTP commands to the FTP server whenever you connect to it. Enter the list of such commands here, the list is separated by ';' character (e.g. "CWD []; HELP"). Commands will be send to the FTP server immediately after the successful login. If you do not want to send any command, leave this edit box empty.
- Keep connections alive (prevents server from disconnecting you due to no activity)
- When checked, the FTP client tries to keep its connections alive. It means that if the FTP
client is not sending commands or transferring data to/from the FTP server for longer than
specified time, it starts periodical sending auxiliary commands or making auxiliary data
transfers. This should prevent closing the connection by the FTP server due to no activity
or no data transfer (usually after 5 or 10 minutes). Leave this check box in the third state
if you want to use default settings (see Keep connections alive in
Configuration/Defaults). Clear this check box to disable
the keep connections alive feature.
When checked, choose a command which is sent to keep the connection alive (when the connection is not used to communicate with the server nor to send any data). NOOP and PWD commands are not transferring any data. If your FTP server closes connections due to no data transfer, use NLST or LIST commands. We recommend to use the NLST command because it transfers less data (the current path listing containing only filenames). Moreover specify a period of sending keep alive commands and when to stop sending keep alive commands.
- Use passive transfer mode (may help if you are behind firewall or proxy server)
- When checked, data connections are opened in the passive mode. It means that the FTP client opens data connection by connecting to the supplied port on the FTP server. When cleared, data connections are opened in the active mode. It means that the data connection is opened by the FTP server by connecting to the supplied port on the FTP client. This mode is problematic if the FTP client is behind firewall or proxy server because they can block access to the FTP client (if they have not support for FTP protocol). The passive mode is not supported by some FTP servers (only few), you have to use active mode for accessing these FTP servers. Leave this check box in the third state if you want to use default settings (see Use passive transfer mode in Configuration/Defaults).
- Use cache for viewed files and lists of files and directories on server (faster browsing)
- When checked, all viewed files and all path listings (lists of files and directories) from the FTP server are cached. It allows to use these cached files and listings when they are requested next time. Advantage is faster browsing of already visited directories and viewing of already viewed files. Disadvantage is that listings and files could be changed and when they are taken from the cache, they can be out of date. Use the Refresh command to reset cache for the current directory and all its subdirectories (it removes all listings and all viewed files from cache). Cached files are stored in the temporary directory. Cached listings are stored in the memory cache, you can limit the size of this cache, see Size limit for memory cache in Configuration/Advanced. Leave this check box in the third state if you want to use default settings (see Use cache for viewed files and lists of files and directories on server in Configuration/Defaults). Clear this check box if you do not want to use any cache.
- Encrypt control connection with TLS/SSL
Encrypt data connection (file transfers and directory listings) with TLS/SSL - Communication over the FTP protocol uses one control connection to transfer commands and login information.
Then there are several data connections, each is used exactly for one transfer
(in any direction) of one file or directory listing.
The FTP plugin supports secure TLSv1/SSLv3 encryption using the AUTH TLS command specified in the RFC 4217 document. This way of encryption is sometimes called FTPES, i.e. FTP with Explicit SSL, but generally it is called FTPS, i.e. FTP-SSL. If the server supports it (public servers usually don't), the plugin can encrypt the communication. You can choose whether you wish to encrypt the control connection only (to hide your password) or also the data connections (to hide everything). These two check boxes are enabled only on Windows 2000 and later systems because FTPS is not supported on older systems. - Compress data transfers if server supports compression (MODE Z)
- When checked, the plugin attempts to compress all data transfers (downloads and uploads, plus directory listings obtained from the server). No error is reported when the server does not support compression. However, you can check if compression is used: Check the result of the MODE Z command at the end of the Welcome Message or look for MODE Z just before the SYST or first PWD command in the FTP log. Leave this check box in the third state if you want to use default settings (see Compress data transfers if server supports compression (MODE Z) in Configuration/Defaults).