Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.programming > #1252

Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem

Show all headers | View raw

Robert Wessel wrote:

> On Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:22:13 +0000, Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com>
>
>>Domestic users tend to control their own firewalls.  Would they be
>>affected by this?
> 
> 
> Well, sometimes they do.  But doesn't making such a change move this
> out of the range of easy solution for the vast majority of users?
> 
> But FTP ports are commonly blocked by (residential) ISPs, along with
> SMTP and a few others.  You can often ask to get them unblocked.

This isn't a problem.  Port 21 may be the default port for FTP, but FTP 
servers do provide a way to configure.  Regarding the client, it's possible 
to provide URLs to a FTP resources that specify a non-default port.


>>DNS wouldn't be a problem, as domain names aren't exactly necessary.  NAT
>>wouldn't be a bigger problem than it already is.
> 
>
> Given the two channel nature of FTP, NAT is a bigger problem than
> usual.  Most firewalls that support FTP have specific code to deal
> with the data connection.  PASV mode helps, but isn't usually the
> default, and is often disabled on FTP servers.

Firewalls can be configured by the end-user to open the necessary ports.  As 
a last resort, it is also possible to use ports which are already opened but 
attributed to other services. 


> But even the usual problems caused by NAT are bad enough, as it blocks
> all incoming connections by default.  And NAT then imposes an extra
> step to determine what the externally visible IP address is.
> 
> And without some DNS support, the fairly frequent reassignment of IP
> addresses, particularly for residential users, makes using IP
> addresses a challenge.  Remember, this needs to be easy.

I see what you mean.  You have a point with regard to the use of an IP 
address posing a challenge.

Nonetheless, one of the reasons, if not the main reason, that IP addresses 
may pose a challenge to the average user is the lack of familiarity they may 
have with them.  If people don't use them directly then they may have to 
deal with a learning curve.  

Yet, this learning curve isn't particularly steep, if the user only needs to 
know what's his current IP address.  There are multiple ways to do this, 
including a quick google check for "my IP address", which is enough to get 
the IP address of either our device or our current routing device.

Regarding the reliance on DNS to simplify this, registering a domain name is 
a bit more of a challenge than looking up a device's current IP address.


> Perhaps Skype would be a good solution (you can send files during a
> conversation).

As this would require yet another middlemen, this wouldn't be a valid 
option.  Using Skype's ports to transfer files, on the other hand, may be of 
some use.


Rui Maciel

Back to comp.programming | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 17:17 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> - 2012-01-15 18:35 +0100
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 18:07 +0000
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> - 2012-01-15 20:19 +0100
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 19:42 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Willem <willem@toad.stack.nl> - 2012-01-15 19:15 +0000
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-15 20:10 +0000
  Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-18 09:16 -0600
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-19 16:26 +0000
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 14:59 -0600
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-19 21:22 +0000
          Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 15:54 -0600
            Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2012-01-19 22:20 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 17:43 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 04:22 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 23:43 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 12:59 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 02:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 12:45 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 15:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2012-01-21 00:18 +0000
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 16:41 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-20 18:44 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Geoff <geoff@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-20 15:43 -0800
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-20 18:34 -0600
                Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem "Chris Uppal" <chris.uppal@metagnostic.REMOVE-THIS.org> - 2012-01-21 10:21 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 03:59 +0000
            Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 03:44 +0000
              Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2012-01-19 23:41 -0600
    Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2012-01-20 14:07 +1300
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem blp@cs.stanford.edu (Ben Pfaff) - 2012-01-19 18:20 -0800
      Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-01-19 20:33 -0600
        Re: Ideas on solving the file transfer problem Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2012-01-20 04:08 +0000

csiph-web