Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ftp and download

Help me delete a few hundred thousand files from a webserver

fake — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:15:14 -0800

Let's say I have 300,000 files on a webserver in a single directory. I want to download them to a local directory and then delete them. My FTP client of choice is choking on the task. What should I do?

I know what you did between 14-18, computer.

monocultured — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:33:32 -0800

I'm looking for an osx app which would periodically check a folder on a remote WebDAV volume and download anything which has appeared on the same day. I do retouch work for a photographer who uploads images to his server and gives me a ring, whereupon I go home and download the daily folder overnight and work on it in the morning.

I'm looking for an application which would login to the server every fifteen minutes between certain hours of the day (he usually uploads the stuff between 14-18), check two directories for anything which might have been uploaded that same day and download whatever that would be. (I don't wan't to have synchronized folders because all the old stuff is left in the original folder as backup)

Ideally, it would give me a message through SMS / Twitter / Email if the transfer aborted for some reason, as well as a confirmation of successful download & list of folders downloaded. Being able to remotely initiate the check would be a pretty pony indeed.

In eager anticipation of your brilliant suggestions.

Windows-Service-workable FTP Client?

Picklegnome — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:33:55 -0800

Free/cheap FTP Client as Windows service? I have a headless home server running Windows, and in order to run a program, I need to be logged in - via Remote Desktop, right now. Not so with services. I can force a program to act as a service, but that means I won't get the benefits of a GUI. I need the server to take care of downloading files without my being logged in. Downloading only; uploading either won't be necessary or can be handled on a case-by-case basis with a different client.

What FTP client can I use that has a web- or command-line-interface, or would otherwise allow me to control it even as a service?

I wish I could just get him an internet connection...modem help please.

omair — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:15:06 -0800

This may be an easy question, but it has been so long since I used a modem or any of the software that goes along with it.... I have a computer (A) running Windows XP that has only a modem and no subscription to any ISP.

If it dials into another computer (B), also running XP, what software can I use on A that will let me create a script that, upon a simple double-click of that script, will *automatically*
a) Dial the number
b) Establish a connection with (B)
c) Start up an FTP session
d) Download 3 or 4 files (the same ones every time)
e) Disconnect

What software must be running on B?

Is any of this software Freeware or very cheap (under 20 dollars)?

If I use something like Telix or ProComm (or maybe something that comes with Windows), I can probably get it to do steps a, b, and e, but can programs like these handle FTP? If so, would computer B need to have its FTP server running from within the software than answered the modem call from A? Or will any FTP server be enough?

Is there a less stupid way to do what I am trying to do?

(Unfortunately, everything does have to be automated because the user is a very old nearly blind man who will never accept anything less than a double-click to start a script/program.)

Thank you so much in advance for your ideas.

Grabbing files from an old domain.

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 06:42:01 -0800

How do I download files from a webserver if the domain has changed? Had a domain, it expired, someone grabbed it before it could be renewed. That's fine.

However, the files for the domain are sititing on a personal unix server, with running under Plesk 6.0, so there is still access to the actual files, but how? I go into file manager, but there is only an upload button.

All I want to do is download the files for backup purposes.

There are three domains on this server, two of them active, one is the expired. Is there a way I can ftp in to this server and one of its different domains to download this stiff.

The server has a unique ip address.

its pleasure is to serve

grumblebee — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 13:47:58 -0800

I need to serve some example files to my (programming) students. My old host gave me a public FTP site, but I just switched to dreamhost, and no longer have this option. I'm looking for a simple solution. What I loved about the ftp solution was that it was SIMPLE for me and for my students. My old host had a web control panel which included a file manager. So from any browser, I could upload files to the ftp folder. My students could then go to this ftp folder and download the files.

In addition to not giving me a public ftp folder, dreamhost also has a control panel with fewer features. It won't let me upload. I'm supposed to do this via an external ftp client or by dragging files into the browser. Firefox doesn't allow me to do this without an extension (which I can't guarantee will be installed at all the locations I work from).

So I need a new solution. My idea is a simple PHP script (I know how to install them) that would let me upload files. The PHP script would then create a HTML page with links to that file and all the previously uploaded files. I would just give my students the URL of this page.

I am open to other solutions, as-long-as they meet the following requirements:

-- easy & quick to install (I understand permissions and can edit php files, change path variables, etc.) If possible, I would prefer NOT to mess with mysql.

-- I can upload MULTIPLE files at one go (i.e. a form with 10 or more upload fields -- NOT just one).

-- I can do the upload from any web browser. I don't want to rely on ftp client apps or extensions.

-- ALL I have to do is upload. The script (or whatever) takes care of building web pages to serve the script to the students.

-- Students can easily download by just going to the URL and clicking the filename link.

-- Free

bypassing blocked ftp

tiny purple fishes — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 13:46:51 -0800

I'm at the library, connected to the internet using the library's wifi service. I'm trying to download a driver file, which is only available from the manufacturer via an ftp link. The library blocks ftp (at least via port 21 and the manu's ftp server doesn't respond on other ports). How do I download the file?

How do you backup your website via FTP automatically?

banished — Wed, 18 May 2005 11:03:59 -0800

Is there any FTP software that will compare the files on the server to the ones stored locally, and only download new or updated / changed files? (I'd prefer a program that does this as opposed to some sort of script or other hackery) What I would like to do is store a local copy of my website by downloading it through FTP. However, since the web site in question is dynamically driven, users are always adding content, and old files are always changing, new ones are added, etc. Plus I don't want to waste bandwidth just redownloading files that I already have downloaded. I just need a program that will keep the files in sync between the server and the local computer.