FTP Process for Transferring Files

With FTP, everyone puts files on the server, as Keith did at Step 1 in the figure. Later, users can connect to the FTP server and get the files, as Conner did in Step 2. Also, if Conner didn't know the name of the file or in what directory it was stored, he might not find it, so Keith might have had to tell him where it was through some other means.

Also note that Conner connects to the Internet using ISP2, whereas the FTP server sits inside Fredsco's enterprise network. Unlike e-mail protocols, FTP does not call for files to be distributed among various servers. One user simply puts the file on the server so that others can log in to the same server and get copies of the files.