Frequently Asked Questions
This page should help answer almost any question you may have, please select from the list below what you would like to know.

How can I buy Ocean FTP Server?
How do I configure my router and firewall for Ocean FTP Server?
How do I access my FTP server using a web browser?
How do group access rights affect all associated accounts?
I can log in to my FTP account but cannot upload files, what am I doing wrong?
I can log in to my FTP account but cannot see any of my files, what am I doing wrong?
Why can't I log in to my account?
What is an anonymous account and how do I create one?
How do you setup accounts to access shared folders on other computers?

How can I buy Ocean FTP Server?
You can buy Ocean FTP Server via our site with almost any major credit/debit card or by check. We use a company called SWReg which allows us to accept payments online, over the phone, by fax or by post. For our pricing page... click here.

How do I configure my router and firewall for Ocean FTP Server?
If your server is behind a firewall or router you will need to allow the relevant ports for the FTP server through. The ports that must be configured for firewalls and routers include port 21 (standard FTP port) and port 990 (for implicit SSL). If you have changed these default port values on your FTP server then you should forward your port values instead. When FTP clients are using PASV mode for files transfers, the FTP server needs to be able to open additional ports. Therefore you must also forward ports 1024 - 5000 through any firewalls and routers. If you have enabled and set a PASV port range for the FTP server (see the General Settings page for more information), then you will need to forward those port values instead. If the FTP server is behind a router then it is always a good idea to enter the routers IP into the FTP server. This will ensure that PASV mode transfers are negotiated to the correct IP for 'over the Internet' transfers.

How do I access my FTP server using a web browser?
If you want to access your FTP server from any location using a web browser, there are several ways in which you can do this:

• Enter ftp://yourdomain.com. This will prompt for a user name and password if there is no anonymous account.
• Enter ftp://user@yourdomain.com. This will prompt for just the password.
• Enter ftp://user:password@yourdomain.com. This will give direct access to your account. However, this method shows your password in the browser title and may remain in your last visited links. This is not recommended for security reasons.

How do group access rights affect all associated accounts?
If a group enables the 'File Read' access right, this only means that all associated accounts are allowed to enable 'File Read'. If an account doesn't enable 'File Read' then any users of that account will not be able to download files. If a group doesn't enable 'File Read', then any account which attempts to enable 'File Read' will be ignored and users of that account will still not be able to download files. Only if both the account and group enable 'File Read' will downloading be permitted.

I can log in to my FTP account but cannot upload any files, what am I doing wrong?
If you manage to login but are restricted from access to writing, creating folders or similar then you most likely have some access restrictions placed on either your account settings or group settings (if the account belongs to a group). Check these settings to make sure that you have enabled adequate access. The default setting for an account or group is for file and folder read access only. Be aware of the implications of how group access rights overrule account access rights as explained in the previous question.

I can log in to my FTP account but I cannot see any of my files, what am I doing wrong?
The first and most obvious thing to check is that there are actually files in your account. If this is not the problem, you should also check that you have set a root folder for the account. However, the most common cause of this problem is a router or firewall. FTP connections use two individual connections; one for commands and the other for data (such as files and directory listings.) If the data connection is blocked by a router or firewall, then you will not be able to view the contents of any folder. Please read the routers and firewalls question for more details.

Why can't I log in to my FTP account?
First double check that your client settings match your server account settings. Please read about Setting Up an FTP Client for more details on this. If your settings are fine then it is one of several possible setup problems:

• You may have incorrectly configured your Domain Name Server (DNS) settings. Check that your domain name correctly points to your server's IP address.
• You may have incorrectly configured your router or firewall. Please read the routers and firewalls question for more details.
• You may have Antivirus software running on your server which is disrupting your FTP connections. It is recommended not to use client type Antivirus software on a server for conflict reasons like this.

What is an anonymous account and how do I create one?
Most FTP servers (especially public servers) usually have an account created called anonymous. This allows a user to login into an FTP server without the need for a password (usually to access some free downloads). Ocean FTP Server supports anonymous accounts by simply allowing you to create an account like any other but by calling the account 'anonymous'. All accounts that are created in Ocean FTP Server must have a password set. However, in the case of the anonymous account this is not required. However, it is still possible for you to set a password for the anonymous account (to prevent normal public access).

How do you setup accounts to access shared folders on other computers?
If you are not running Ocean FTP Server as an NT Service then this is very simple. It can be achieved by specifying the shared folder in the same place where you would normally specify a local directory path. However, the shared folder cannot be accessed via a mapped drive and so you must use the full path name (e.g. \\pc1\shared).

If you are running the software as an NT Service then the procedure is the same as above but with an additional step. By default an NT Service runs under a default account which has no access permissions to shared folders on other computers. To gain this permission you will need to change the account which the NT Service runs under. This can be done by entering the Administration Tools and then opening the Services option dialog. Once opened, you can adjust the properties of the 'Ocean FTP Server' service and set a different account. For the changes to take effect you must restart the Ocean FTP Server NT Service. Please note that the only problem with changing the account is that you will no longer have the system tray icon for Ocean FTP Server when running the NT Service.