FTP Problems

andrewlondonandrewlondon
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Hi,



Just wondering if anyone out there is having the same problem or has had the same problem or knows how to fix the problem.



I'm trying to connect to my hosting companies server via ftp and every ftp client i try tells me that it can't establish a data connection. I've used transmit, viacom and cute ftp. None of them work. I connect from my windows macine with no problems at all. All my machines are going through a router and there isnt any restrictions on that. I'm thinking it is related to the OSX firewall. Does it block outbound ftp traffic as well as incoming?



If anyone can shed some light on this id be very happy.



Thanks

Andrew

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    jwink3101jwink3101 Posts: 739member
    I fyou are unsure about the firewall, disable it, test FTP, and go from there. It can be disabled from the sharing section of System Prefs.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    andrewlondonandrewlondon Posts: 83member
    Has anyone else had this problem when the firewall is turned on?
  • Reply 3 of 8
    andrewlondonandrewlondon Posts: 83member
    Ok ok...



    a couple of things, i dont think it is the firewall that is causing the problems because i disabled it and it still isnt connecting. All the settings are the same as on the pc and it still isnt working. This is a major problem becuase i need access to my host via ftp to upload my website.



    I'm not having a dig at anyone in particular but if this was a windows problem i'd have lots of people in the apple community telling me to get a decent operating system blah blah blah... but seeing as the problem is with an apple its as if youre expected to live with it just so you can have the pleasure of using an apple product.



    Having problems with something simple like connecting to a server over ftp is laughable.



    /rant over
  • Reply 4 of 8
    talksense101talksense101 Posts: 1,738member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by AndrewLondon

    Ok ok...



    a couple of things, i dont think it is the firewall that is causing the problems because i disabled it and it still isnt connecting. All the settings are the same as on the pc and it still isnt working. This is a major problem becuase i need access to my host via ftp to upload my website.



    I'm not having a dig at anyone in particular but if this was a windows problem i'd have lots of people in the apple community telling me to get a decent operating system blah blah blah... but seeing as the problem is with an apple its as if youre expected to live with it just so you can have the pleasure of using an apple product.



    Having problems with something simple like connecting to a server over ftp is laughable.



    /rant over



    If OS-X was designed by a bunch of morons who don't know how to implement a f!#@@! TCP-IP stack, I would agree with you. However, it runs on Free BSD / Darwin which has been around for about 15 years and BSD sockets are the basis for most modern TCP-IP stacks including Windows.



    Your observation that you are not able to FTP to a server has nothing to do with the ability of the operating system. Giving generic information on a message board without sufficient detail on your setup and taking potshots on the community doesn't take much work, does it? Your inability to use a product doesn't mean the product is faulty.



    /rant off



    Try doing a telnet on port 21 to your host from your Mac. Make sure you are able to ping it first. Also check your DNS settings, gateway etc. Use the command line FTP command to verify connectivity. Did you mess around with the command line firewall command? Go to version tracker and download a firewall configuration utility to verify if someone changed settings on the command line. Check to see if there are no monitoring programs preventing FTP access.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    andrewlondonandrewlondon Posts: 83member
    Your post is very interesting and quite right. One thing i will point out is that this is a mac that has come straight out of the box. I am able to connect to various ftp servers out of the box on all the windows machines ive ever used. My point was that if i had come on here and said i can't seem to connect to any ftp servers from my windows box i would be told what a pile of crap it is and that i should get a mac.



    I've tried telnet and it connects to the server. My DNS and gateway settings are correct. I can't connect to the server over ftp using the command line. I've tried this with the firewall on AND off and it still doesnt happen. What is strange is that i can ping the server.



    I've tried a number of ftp clients and all the settings are correct.



    *Update* I've just restarted and have just deleted and reinstalled transmit and it sems to connect now it just doesn't seem to want to list any files, it times out and says "Can't open data connection - error 160". I have no idea what this means and can't find anything in the help file.



    Oh the joy.
  • Reply 6 of 8
    talksense101talksense101 Posts: 1,738member
    Did you try telnet with ports 21 and 20? Is traceroute what you expect? http://www.networknewz.com/2003/0922.html



    There is a powerful snoop software called Ethereal that can capture and analyze network packets. It works under X11 on OS-X. Install FINK and then install Ethereal. It is invaluable in trouble shooting any network problem.



    I understand your frusturation, but lets fix the issue. There is sure as hell no problem with the FTP or TCP-IP implementation on OS-X.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    andrewlondonandrewlondon Posts: 83member
    Right, i finally got around to fitting the new hard disk i got for the iMac. I reinstalled OSX and FTP seems to be working now. No idea what was going on there.



    Thanks for your help everyone.



    Oh and thanks for the links talksense i found some interesting stuff.



    Thanks again.
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