[X4U] Connecting to FTP server

Doug McNutt douglist at macnauchtan.com
Tue Feb 17 16:41:10 PST 2009


I forgot about another option in my last post.

What I really do these days is to use scp which is a part of the ssh 
(secure shell) protocol.

My web host, pair.com, allows me to login using ssh and I can set up 
a certificate which provides a public and a private cryptographic 
key. I can login using ssh and add my public key to 
$HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys on the host. After that I can use scp in a 
Terminal window or in a BBEdit worksheet to transfer files. No 
passwords or other login procedures are required. With worksheets I 
can create lines that remain as long as I want. All I have to do is 
select a line I have previously used and poke the ENTER key. It's 
pretty much just like I once did in MPW on OS 9..

I can even keep the ssh upload line in an html file as a comment. 
Select and copy the comment line and use the Execute in Shell service 
and all is done.

Newer versions of curl support sftp, an alternate to scp, which 
applies when the destination doesn't support the UNIX commands like 
scp, think Windoze. The cryptographic public and private keys are 
used. Once you go through the learning curve things get really easy.

-- 

--> From the U S of A, the only socialist country that refuses to admit it. <--


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