Problem uploading files using FTP. Remotely and Locally problem I guess

shelbytll

Hi,
when i was doing testing on my own workstation (own webserver and FTP server), everything is working fine. But when I upload the scripts to the live server and I test it, it is not working fine.

The problem is regarding FTP. I would like to use FTP to upload files to the remote server. So when I was coding and testing on my own workstation, everything seems fine because all the files are LOCAL. So on the live server, when I try to upload a text file, it did not work and I guess most probably is because the server think that the file is in it's harddisk.

upload.php

submitupload.php

$clientfile = $_POST["doc"]; // let say it is C:/test.txt
$conn_id = ftp_connect("192.168.42.111");
$login_result = ftp_login($conn_id, "myname", "mypwd");
if (!$conn_id or !$login_result) {
print "Wrong Password or FTP Server not Up";
exit;
}
ftp_put($conn_id, "./webapp/test.txt",$clientfile , FTP_BINARY) or die ("err"); // it stopped here

But when I change the $clientfile to some file that exist in the server C: drive, it worked.

Please tell me how do I solve this?

Weedpacket

Can you give an example of a file that is not working - one that does not "exist in the server C: drive"?

Don't you mean the client's drive? In which case, if the file doesn't exist, what do you expect it to upload?

If you do mean the server, why are you trying to use an ftp client on another machine to "upload" a file that is already there?

shelbytll

Hi, for example there is a ServerA and a ClientB machines. So ClientB wanted to upload a test.txt file to ServerA. And the method use is FTP, not the usual HTTP upload.

So what code do I use? Ftp_put()? I tried ftp_put() and it didn't work. The code was: ftp_put($ftpconn, "./dump/test.txt", "C:/test.txt")

C:/test.txt resides in ClientB machine. So i was trying to upload that file to a folder call dump that is relative to the web application folder of the ServerA.

Hope you understand what I meant.
My ultimate aim is to use FTP to upload files to ServerA.

Thanks

matt_4013

You can't do that. You'll have to upload your file using a http request, because to use the FTP functions the file already has to be on the server. What you're talking about would have to be done client-side using javascript, or maybe a java applet, if it's even possible, I'm not sure that it is.

shelbytll

oh....
Then what about when we use command prompt(cmd) to ftp to server and put files into server?
If that's is possible, why not web based. So does that mean this is a limitation of web based in terms of this "using ftp to upload to server" thing?

matt_4013

It's a security thing. If you could use a function on a server to upload a file from a client, you could in theory FORCE said user to upload any file you liked. For example, their password databases, personal details, email archives, ANYTHING. Now, unless you can use JavaScript, maybe Java, or some VBScripting to emulate an ftp client from a form, then you wont be able to do what you're attempting.

The reason it worked on your local computer was because the client and the server were the same machine, so it was essentially just moving the file.

Sorry, but that's the way it is!
Hope that helps,
Matt 🙂

Weedpacket

The problem is that ftp_put is running on machine A, where the script is, not machine B where you are.

So what's happening is that you're trying to use an ftp client on machine A to upload a file to an ftp server also on machine A - machine B is out of the loop completely.

shelbytll

Hi is there anyone that can help me around with this? Such as places to download such program or how should I go about doing it?

The thing is, we do not want to use HTTP to upload because we think that it is much slower compared to using FTP. Those files can range up to 90M! So we are rather determine to use FTP instead of HTTP.

There will be a sub folder under the FTP root for every registered user. This sub folder will be the dump area where user upload their very big size files and then being move into a proper "data" folder with attributes inserted into database.

Any suggestions to my problem?

So the first step is how to make ftp_put run on ClientB. A java program?

Weedpacket

Sounds like what you are looking for is an ftp client. Those things are common enough - ftp has been around a lot longer than http, after all. Free, commercial, some ISPs bundle them free when you sign up, IE can be used as an ftp client to upload files...