25.4  FTP on WinRoute's proxy server

Proxy server in WinRoute, version 6.0.2 and later (see chapter 8.4  Proxy server), supports FTP. When using this method of accessing FTP servers, it is necessary to keep in mind specific issues regarding usage of the proxy technology and parameters of WinRoute's proxy server.

  1. It is necessary that the FTP client allows configuration of the proxy server. This condition is met for example by web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox/SeaMonkey, Opera, etc.), Total Commander (originally Windows Commander), CuteFTP, etc.

    Terminal FTP clients (such as the ftp command in Windows or Linux) do not allow configuration of the proxy server. For this reason, they cannot be used for our purposes.

  2. To connect to FTP servers, the proxy server uses the passive FTP mode. If FTP server is protected by a firewall which does not support FTP (this is not a problem of WinRoute), it is not possible to use proxy to connect to the server.

  3. Setting of FTP mode in the client is irrelevant for usage of the proxy server. Only one network connection used by the FTP protocol is always established between a client and the proxy server.

Note: It is recommended to use FTP over proxy server only in cases where it is not possible to connect directly to the Internet (see chapter 8.4  Proxy server).

Example of a client configuration: web browser

Web browsers allow to set the proxy server either globally or for individual protocols. In our example, configuration of Internet Explorer 6.0 focused (configuration of any other browsers is almost identical).

  1. In the browser's main menu, select Tools → Internet Options, open the Connections tab and click on the LAN Settings option.

  2. Enable the Use a proxy server for your LAN option and enter the IP address and port of the proxy server. IP address of the proxy server is the address of the WinRoute's host interface which is connected to the local network; the default port of the proxy server is 3128 (for details, refer to chapter 8.4  Proxy server). It is also recommended to enable the Bypass proxy server for local addresses option — using proxy server for local addresses would slow down traffic and overburden WinRoute.

    Configuring proxy server in Internet Explorer 6.0

    Figure 25.5. Configuring proxy server in Internet Explorer 6.0


Hint

To configure web browsers, you can use a configuration script or the automatic detection of configuration. For details, see chapter 8.4  Proxy server.

Note: Web browsers used as FTP clients enable only to download files. Uploads to FTP server via web browsers are not supported.

Example of a client configuration: Total Commander

Total Commander allows either single connections to FTP server (by the Net → FTP - New Connection option available in the main menu) or creating a bookmark for repeated connections (Net → FTP - Connect). The proxy server must be configured individually for each FTP connection (or for each bookmark).

  1. In the FTP: connection details dialog, enable the Use firewall (proxy server) option and click Change.

  2. In the Firewall settings dialog box, select HTTP Proxy with FTP support. In the Host name textbox, enter the proxy server's IP address and port (separated by a colon, e.g. 192.168.1.1:3128). The User name and Password entries are optional (WinRoute does not use this information).

    Setting proxy server for FTP in Total Commander

    Figure 25.6. Setting proxy server for FTP in Total Commander


Hint

The defined proxy server is indexed and saved to the list of proxy servers automatically. Later, whenever you are creating other FTP connections, you can simply select a corresponding proxy server in the list.