Chapter 9 Extending the Web Environment

At a Glance

Instructors notes
Chapter Objectives Instructor Notes Discussion Topics Quick Quizzes Key Terms

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Understand File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services Install and configure FTP server in Windows Install and configure FTP server in Linux Understand News servers Configure remote access to a server Understand streaming media servers Understand e-commerce software

INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Understand File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services FTP is used to transfer files from a server to a client (download) and transfer files from a client to a server (upload). The FTP client software exists in browsers for downloading. There are also command-line ftp clients in both Windows and Linux. You can also use GUI clients. FTP server can operate as anonymous servers or it can require a valid logon. Typically, FTP servers are anonymous. In such a case, they are used for downloading only. FTP servers not secure, user names and passwords are not sent encrypted. The client connects to port 21 (control port). Port 20 (data port) is used to tell the client which unprivileged port to use for data transfer. This describes passive mode FTP, the most common type. Communicating with FTP Command Description Example ftp host Initiates a connection to FTP ftp 192.168.0.100 server open host Once the FTP client has been open 192.168.0.100 started, opens a connection close Closes the connection but does not close exit the FTP client quit or bye Closes the connection and exits bye the FTP client ls filenames Displays filenames, and can use ls *.rpm wildcards dir filenames Displays the long listing of files dir *.rpm and their properties, such as the size and date the file was created binary Transfer files in binary mode binary

ascii

Transfer files in text mode

ascii

get filename Downloads a single file

get test.rpm

put filename Uploads a single file

put testapp.zip

Mget filenames mput filenames prompt no

Downloads multiple files. Used with wildcards Uploads multiple files Used with wildcards

mget sendmail*.rpm

mput *.tif

Stops prompting for each file prompt no when used before you use mget or mput Starts prompting prompt

prompt

hash

Displays a hash symbol as files are being downloaded

hash

cd directory Moves to another directory on the cd /software FTP server lcd directory Moves to another directory on the lcd /docs client; pwd Displays the current directory on pwd the server Finds very brief help on FTP commands; if used without a reference to a command, it will give you a list of commands available help mget

help command

Install and Configure Windows FTP Server In Windows, the FTP server is a Windows component and part of IIS. You configure FTP through Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Install FTP in Linux wu-ftpd FTP server developed by Washington University Once the rpm is installed, you enable FTP in a similar way that you enable POP3 and other daemons that depend on xinetd:
chkconfig wu-ftpd on

Restart xinetd service to recognize change

service xinetd restart

The /etc/ftpaccess file is the main configuration file By default, users with IDs less than or equal to 99 are not allowed They are for system users and daemons Because the ftp user is a system user, you have to allow it with
allow-uid ftp allow-gid ftp

Limit user to a maximum of five failed logons before a disconnect

loginfails 5

Check for password that conforms to e-mail address

passwd-check rfc822 warn

Set up user classes

class all real,guest,anonymous * class local real 192.168.0.0/24

Set limits for class

file-limit out 25 anonymous file-limit in 10 local byte-limit out 2000000 anonymous

Configure messages To receive notice that a readme file exists at login or any current working directory (cwd)
readme README* login readme README* cwd=*

To display a message when a user logs on or moves to a directory

message /welcome.msg login message .message cwd=* banner /etc/banner.txt

To create a banner message when client connects

QUICK QUIZ
1. True/False. Although browsers recognize HTTP, they do not recognize FTP. Answer: False 2. True/False. Typically, FTP servers require users to logon. Answer: False 3. What ports does FTP use? Answer: 20 and 21. 4. What is the FTP command to initiate a connection to an FTP server? Answer: ftp host 5. What is the FTP command to display filenames? Answer: ls or dir

Understanding News servers

News servers allow threaded discussions. You post messages in a newsgroup. A newsgroup focuses on a single topic. There are more than 40,000 public newsgroups. There are hundreds of gigabytes of information generated per day. News servers can be set up for use within an organization. Configuring telnet in Linux By default, telnet is installed but not enabled. You enable it with:
chkconfig telnet on service xinetd restart

Telnet should not be used in a non-secure environment such as over the Internet because user names and passwords are not encrypted. The ssh utility is a secure replacement (described in Chapter 10) Telnet and Windows Telnet is not popular in Windows because telnet is text-based and Windows relies on a GUI. However, there are many command-line utilities that can be used, especially in Windows Server 2003. Before Windows, Microsoft networking depended on a single command net with many options. Some command-line utilities: cacls can be used to alter permissions netsh starts a networking shell which allows you to configure and display many networkrelated items In Windows Server 2003, there are command-line utilities to: Display errors in system log Manage network monitor and performance Defragment a drive Shut down a server Terminal Services in Windows Terminal services gives you GUI-based access to a server. It can be used for remote administration or running applications remotely. In Windows 2000, you select remote administration on installation. In Windows Server 2003, it is installed already and you have to enable it. Client software is included in Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP but you have to install client software for Windows 2000. Understanding Streaming Media Services Streaming media services are used to transfer video and audio. By default, UDP is used. However, TCP and HTTP can be used because of firewall issues in some organizations. No single standard exists as is true with SMTP, HTTP, POP3, and others. There are two of broadcast methods: unicast each packet is sent individually to each client. This is slow but users can start the stream at any time. multicast each packet is sent to many clients. Fast, but it is like a TV program. It starts at a specific time.

Helix Universal Server from Real Networks is popular. It recognizes both Real Networks protocols (RTSP, PNA) and the Microsoft protocol (MMS). It is a commercial product that you have to purchase. Windows Media Services is a Windows component that is included with the operating system. It creates a folder called \ASFRoot to store Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) files. Understanding E-Commerce Servers An e-commerce server can be as simple as a product list and a shopping cart. However, it can be as complex as amazon.com or dell.com. Microsoft Commerce Server is an addon to IIS that is available at an extra cost. It incorporates a number of features required for a typical e-commerce site and is highly customizable.

QUICK QUIZ
1. True/False. To limit the number of files that someone can transfer in a single session in Linux ftp, you would use the file-limit command. Answer: True 2. True/False. Because Windows uses a GUI interface and not a command-line, there is no telnet server available for Windows 3. To limit the number of simultaneous anonymous users in the Linux ftp server, you would use what command? Answer: Limit 4. What is the Linux command to enable telnet? Answer: chkconfig telnet on 5. In Windows, what command creates a network shell that allows you to configure and display dozens of network-related items? Answer: netsh

Discussion Topics
1. What types of files should you put on an FTP server? What types of files should you not put on an FTP server? 2. Which multimedia server would you use, Helix or Windows Media Services? 3. How would you use command-line utilities remotely?

Key Terms
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A Web service that allows users to upload and download files. Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) A protocol used in News servers to create threaded discussions in a newsgroup. newsgroup A group that shares an interest in information on a specific topic, such as comp.os.linux.security, a newsgroup devoted to Linux security issues, or alt.volkswagen.beetle, a newsgroup for Volkswagen Beetle owners and fans. threaded discussion Allows you to post messages in a newsgroup and have others respond.