FTP troubleshooting resources | Contribute

FTP (File Transfer Protocol), is a way of moving files from one machine to another. FTP is the most common way to update a website with Contribute. This TechNote discusses the minimum requirements for making an FTP connection with Contribute, and provides tips on how to prevent connection issues and troubleshoot problematic connections.

This TechNote is focused toward helping website administrators with Contribute connections.

For general connection troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting Contribute connection problems (16592).

Prerequisites for connecting to and FTP server with Contribute

To connect to an FTP server with Contribute, make sure that you have the following basic information:

• The site address: Example: http://www.macromedia.com. The site address is the URL which you use to navigate to a site in a browser. When you put a URL address into a browser, the browser looks to the HTTP server for that information.
• The FTP server address: The FTP server address could have an ftp prefix, such as ftp.mywebserver.com. Or, it could look like a standard url, such as www.macromedia.com.
• User name and password: FTP account information which could differ from other server login information
• The location of the web files on the server. Contribute could be able to guess where the site is. However, if Contribute cannot find the site, it's necessary to know the path to the directory where the site exists. (Or, you can browse to the directory using the connection wizard.) For example, /wwwfiles/ means that your website's files are contained in a folder called wwwfiles, which is in the root folder of the website.

For Contribute users to edit and publish web pages, the folder storing the website's pages must have appropriate read, write, and modify privileges. For example, a common issue is when permissions for new files are restricted so that the file cannot be moved. Contribute could appear to function properly the first time a site is edited. However, if rollbacks have been enabled, Contribute fails to update a page because this feature requires that files be moved.

The most accurate way to find out if the server permissions are correct is to test each individual FTP command using the command line. For a detailed description of tests you can perform to test your Server Permissions, see Testing FTP functions using command line

In order for Contribute to connect via FTP, the FTP client within Contribute has to work properly with the FTP server on the website. It is important that both sides understand and respond to all commands properly. Connection errors can occur if both sides do not communicate properly.

The Macromedia Contribute FTPServerChecker enables users to diagnose some problems when a connection cannot be established in Contribute using FTP. The application checks the compatibility between the FTP server and Contribute, then generates a report to help identify issues between the server and Contribute. To get more information and download the application, see FTP Server Checker (19012).

Note: Contribute 3 includes much of this functionality. Therefore, this TechNote benefits customers using Contribute versions earlier than version 3.