File transfer between 2 newbies

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sinus Logarithme
  • Start date Start date
S

Sinus Logarithme

A friend of mine wishes to copy a large file from my
computer. It seems that I am the less ignorant of the 2, so
I'll be asking the questions...

What is the simplest way to do it ? VPN, FTP, other ?

I run win2000pro and he runs winxp.
I am on DSL, he's faster.

Would someone care to guide us through the process ? I can't
even find the IP address of my computer.

Or maybe this isn't the right newsgroup ? In that case,
please tell me which is.
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
A friend of mine wishes to copy a large file from my
computer. It seems that I am the less ignorant of the 2, so
I'll be asking the questions...

What is the simplest way to do it ? VPN, FTP, other ?
Click to expand...

A VPN is not a transfer method, but a way to setup
the network between you two.

You need a connection -- either a direct cable (serial,
ethernet, etc.) or an Internetwork (through the internet).

If you have trouble setting up an internetwork connection,
the VPN MIGHT be necessary (or irrelevant.)

FTP is a file transfer program -- both a server side
component and a client side component.

This means one of you would have to run FTP Server
(say the one in XP IIS) and the other would have to
run an FTP client (the built in command line or one
such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP32 which are both
downloadable from places like Downloads.com or
TuCow.com.)
I run win2000pro and he runs winxp.
I am on DSL, he's faster.
Click to expand...

Not extremely relevant except that it seems you
both have a reasonably fast IP network.

Can you ping each other? By name, or maybe
just by number?

ping TheOtherMachine

ping IP.of.Other.Machine

(like ping 200.12.5.7)

This is only going to work if one of you has
a public address (or some mapping you probably
don't know how to setup.)

Would someone care to guide us through the process ? I can't
even find the IP address of my computer.
Click to expand...

Command line: Ipconfig or better: IPconfig /all

Unless you are running Win9x which uses a similarly
name GUI program: IPcnfg or something.
Or maybe this isn't the right newsgroup ? In that case,
please tell me which is.
Click to expand...

You're doing fine -- if you get the answers you need.

We'll try.

First thing to do is to find the IP addresses of the
two machines and determine if either of them is
a public address. You will likely do better if the
one that is to be the "server" has a public IP
address.
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
A friend of mine wishes to copy a large file from my
computer. It seems that I am the less ignorant of the 2, so
I'll be asking the questions...

What is the simplest way to do it ? VPN, FTP, other ?
Click to expand...

if not bigger then 100MB you could use http://www.dropload.com/
 
Thank you for your prompt reply.

I live in Montreal, and my friend lives in Toronto (let's
call him Rudy). So it will have to be done through the
internet.
ipconfig /all gives me the following IP address:
192.168.2.10
But I got something different at http://www.whatismyip.com/
: 65.93.226.181

Rudy tried to ping me at both addresses: the request timed
out.
I pinged him at his address: no result.

I see no reason why Rudy or myself would have something as
particular as a public address, we don't have businesses.
But I might miss something here.

I've installed the Filezilla Server (ftp) yesterday, but I
don't know how to configure it. Rudy will probably use
ws_ftp32. I've had some experience with this program, it
will make things easier.

I have done a lot of browsing since yesterday. From what
I've read, I gathered that my IP address is variable, and
that it might be a good thing to use a (free) dynamic DNS
service. Does such a program run independently on my
computer, or does it have to work in conjunction with a
company's site and resources ?

Thank you for caring.
 
Thanks for the info, I put it in my bookmarks. Still, I wish
to establish an ftp link with Rudy.
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
Thank you for your prompt reply.

I live in Montreal, and my friend lives in Toronto (let's
call him Rudy). So it will have to be done through the
internet.
ipconfig /all gives me the following IP address:
192.168.2.10
Click to expand...

open your browser and http://192.168.2.1 to read the dsl's status page. Ask
Rudy to connect to that ip.

<snip>
 
I did it and it worked for me, but not for Rudy. I think the
firewalls might be the cause.
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
Thanks for the info, I put it in my bookmarks. Still, I wish
to establish an ftp link with Rudy.
Click to expand...

Ok, then one of you must run an FTP server.

And you must have a public IP address (probably you
do on the OUTSIDE of the DSL router.)

The one that runs the FTP server must have a (DSL)
Router that allows for "Mapping" it's external
address on Port 21 to the internal address of the FTP
server on Port 21 (your FTP service.)

"Mapping" may be called something slightly different
in the docs of your little router -- service definitions,
port definitions, or anything that implies that incoming
traffic requests on the external router address will
be mapped or sent to an internal address on that same
or a different port number. (It can be different but
keep it simple by mapping 21 to 21.)

Then the other person uses any modern FTP client
to connect to the external address of the router as
if it were an FTP server.
 
I am not sure what a router is. The only thing I have is a
Speadstream dsl modem given to me by my isp.

When I connect to http://192.168.2.1/ I get this:
Connection Information
IP Address: 65.93.227.90
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.255
DNS Server Address #1: 206.47.244.91
DNS Server Address #2: 206.47.244.60
Modem IP Address: 192.168.2.1

And when I issue ipconfig/all I get:
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Herb, did you miss my reply to your first message ? (3rd in
thread)
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
I am not sure what a router is. The only thing I have is a
Click to expand...

It's a device that routes (or directs) traffic based on the IP
address (or other network protocols but the Internet is all
IP so let's keep it simple.)

Most such routers for home use also "translate" addresses
so you can use multiple machines (at home) with private
range address and it will translate to and from the legal
addresses on the Internet.

Speadstream dsl modem given to me by my isp.
Click to expand...

This is likely a router - but some people have only connectivity
devices and so have the public address on their own machine
(not the router) -- this is more common with cable-modems
and not DSL however.
When I connect to http://192.168.2.1/ I get this:
Connection Information
IP Address: 65.93.227.90
Click to expand...

That's the public address of your router -- If I understand
your correctly.

This is the address you will need your friend to use to connect
to you -- and it may change on other days, after power outages,
or when restarting the device SINCE it uses DHCP to obtain that
address.

[The importance of that is that if you guys get this to work and
then try it again next week you may have to look up this address
again.]

Now, you will have to read the SpeedStream manual and find
out if it does "port mapping" (although it may not be called
exactly that). Maybe: service mapping, service definition,
or any other combination of words that sounds like it will map
an incoming address on the OUTSIDE to an internal Server
and service on the inside.

If it doesn't do that -- most do -- then you have to try to see
if your friend can be the server on the other side.
Herb, did you miss my reply to your first message ? (3rd in
thread)
Click to expand...

I transferred my answer to this part of the thread.
 
We've abandonned the project. It seems too difficult. Thank
you all for your time.


Herb said:
Sinus Logarithme said:
I am not sure what a router is. The only thing I have is a
Click to expand...

It's a device that routes (or directs) traffic based on the IP
address (or other network protocols but the Internet is all
IP so let's keep it simple.)

Most such routers for home use also "translate" addresses
so you can use multiple machines (at home) with private
range address and it will translate to and from the legal
addresses on the Internet.
Speadstream dsl modem given to me by my isp.
Click to expand...

This is likely a router - but some people have only connectivity
devices and so have the public address on their own machine
(not the router) -- this is more common with cable-modems
and not DSL however.
When I connect to http://192.168.2.1/ I get this:
Connection Information
IP Address: 65.93.227.90
Click to expand...

That's the public address of your router -- If I understand
your correctly.

This is the address you will need your friend to use to connect
to you -- and it may change on other days, after power outages,
or when restarting the device SINCE it uses DHCP to obtain that
address.

[The importance of that is that if you guys get this to work and
then try it again next week you may have to look up this address
again.]

Now, you will have to read the SpeedStream manual and find
out if it does "port mapping" (although it may not be called
exactly that). Maybe: service mapping, service definition,
or any other combination of words that sounds like it will map
an incoming address on the OUTSIDE to an internal Server
and service on the inside.

If it doesn't do that -- most do -- then you have to try to see
if your friend can be the server on the other side.
Herb, did you miss my reply to your first message ? (3rd in
thread)
Click to expand...

I transferred my answer to this part of the thread.

--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]
Click to expand...
 
Sinus Logarithme said:
We've abandonned the project. It seems too difficult. Thank
you all for your time.
Click to expand...

It's not a trivial problem. The solutions themselves are
not difficult, but the logistics are tedious.

The principles however are worth the trouble to learn, because
they might be used in many other projects.

--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]



Herb said:
Sinus Logarithme said:
I am not sure what a router is. The only thing I have is a
Click to expand...

It's a device that routes (or directs) traffic based on the IP
address (or other network protocols but the Internet is all
IP so let's keep it simple.)

Most such routers for home use also "translate" addresses
so you can use multiple machines (at home) with private
range address and it will translate to and from the legal
addresses on the Internet.
Speadstream dsl modem given to me by my isp.
Click to expand...

This is likely a router - but some people have only connectivity
devices and so have the public address on their own machine
(not the router) -- this is more common with cable-modems
and not DSL however.
When I connect to http://192.168.2.1/ I get this:
Connection Information
IP Address: 65.93.227.90
Click to expand...

That's the public address of your router -- If I understand
your correctly.

This is the address you will need your friend to use to connect
to you -- and it may change on other days, after power outages,
or when restarting the device SINCE it uses DHCP to obtain that
address.

[The importance of that is that if you guys get this to work and
then try it again next week you may have to look up this address
again.]

Now, you will have to read the SpeedStream manual and find
out if it does "port mapping" (although it may not be called
exactly that). Maybe: service mapping, service definition,
or any other combination of words that sounds like it will map
an incoming address on the OUTSIDE to an internal Server
and service on the inside.

If it doesn't do that -- most do -- then you have to try to see
if your friend can be the server on the other side.
Herb, did you miss my reply to your first message ? (3rd in
thread)
Click to expand...

I transferred my answer to this part of the thread.

--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top