Manage FTP connections
Managing FTP connections applies only to forward proxy configurations.
Caching Proxy requests for FTP URLs to the appropriate FTP server, but it cannot be used to proxy requests from an FTP client. It can support only the FTP requests received from an HTTP client by using the ftp:// protocol scheme.
Only the GET, PUT, and DELETE methods are supported for requests for FTP files. Only the GET method is supported for requests for FTP directory listings. By default, PUT and DELETE are disabled in Caching Proxy.
Protect FTP files
If you have enabled the PUT method for FTP file uploading or the DELETE method for FTP file deletion, you need to define FTP proxy protection for at least PUT and DELETE requests, to prevent unauthorized file updating at your FTP server.
To protect the proxying of FTP requests, in the Configuration and Administration forms, select Server Configuration –> Document Protection. To create a protection setup for FTP file requests, include ftp:// at the beginning of the request template. For example, to protect files in a directory that is named exams, use the template ftp://exams/*.
Manage FTP server login
If there is not a user ID or password specified in the request URL, the Caching Proxy attempts to log in to the requested FTP server anonymously by using the user ID ANONYMOUS. Many FTP servers require an email address as the password for anonymous FTP. If the FTP server asks for a password for the anonymous login, Caching Proxy sends the email address that is specified by the WebmasterEmail directive in the configuration file.
To set the webmaster email address in the Configuration and Administration forms, select Server Configuration –> System Management–> SNMP MIB. The email address can also be set by using the WebmasterEmail directive.
ftp://userid:password@ftpserverhost/
If you do not want to specify the password for the FTP user ID in the request URL, users can enter only the user ID in the URL: ftp:// userid @ ftpserverhost . Caching Proxy first attempts to log in to the FTP server with the specified user ID and no password. If the login is unsuccessful without a password, then the browser prompts for the password associated with the specified user ID.
For logins other than anonymous, at least the user ID must be specified in the URL. If the user ID is not specified, then anonymous login is attempted and the client is not prompted for the user ID.
Manage FTP directory paths
- If absolute path names are set: ftp://user1:user1pw@FTPhost/export/home/user1/test/test1.exe
- If relative path names are set: ftp://user1:user1pw@FTPhost/test/test1.exe
If relative FTP URL paths are set, users can still specify an absolute path name by using the convention of escaping the initial slash character (/) with %2F to indicate the root directory. For example, if user1, whose working directory is /export/home/user1, wants to access a file in user2's working directory, /export/home/user2, the request ftp://user1:user1pw@FTPhost/%2Fexport/home/user2/ file is interpreted correctly as a URL relative to the root directory / (that is, as an absolute path name), even if relative FTP URL path names have been chosen.
To specify how FTP URLs are to be interpreted, in the Configuration and Administration forms, select Proxy Configuration –> Proxy Performance. In the lower portion of the form, under FTP URL paths should be:, select absolute paths to specify the server's root directory or relative paths to specify the user's working directory as the start of the path.
This setting can also be changed in the proxy configuration file.
Manage FTP chaining
If you are chaining multiple web proxy servers together, you can specify that requests that contain FTP URLs to be sent to a chained web proxy server rather than directly to the FTP server. To specify a chained proxy server for FTP requests, in the Configuration and Administration forms, select Proxy Configuration –> Proxy Chaining and Non-Proxy Domains. The http:// protocol scheme is used to specify the URL of the chained proxy, even when chaining requests for an ftp:// protocol scheme.