RFtp PRO What Is

What Is ...

• FTP?
• An FTP server?
• An FTP client?
• A proxy server?
• MD5?
• An MD5 checksum?
• An RFtp Shortcut?
• A Shell extension?
• A License-ID?
• License-DATA?

FTP?

FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It is a "protocol" (or "set of rules") which describes how to tell an FTP server to do things like give directory listings or upload and download files.

Note that you would usually have an FTP client (like RFtp PRO) actually doing the communicating with an FTP server (and worrying about those "rules")!

An FTP server?

An FTP server manages (controls access to) a set of files and directories. Depending on the access rights of the currently connected user, it can offer directory listings, upload and download files, and perform maintenance services including creating, renaming, and deleting files and directories.

An FTP client?

An FTP client communicates with (talks to) an FTP server on behalf of a user, assembling and transmitting the commands for displaying directories, transferring files, and maintenance operations.

In addition, it should present these transactions (and their results) in the context of a "friendly" and familiar user interface.

A proxy server?

An FTP proxy server "sits between" an FTP client and an FTP server. Its job (usually for reasons of security and/or performance) is to pass requests from the client to the server and return the results back to the client.

MD5?

MD5 (for Message Digest 5) is an "algorithm" (set of rules) for producing a 128-bit value from any ordered stream of characters (like a text message) handed to it. What makes it useful is that it is extremely unlikely to get the same MD5 value from different input streams.

This makes it quite useful for detecting transmission failures (or tampering) when receiving messages or data: compute the MD5 value for the received information, and if it doesn't match the known MD5 value (supplied by the sender), then the two streams are not the same... which probably means that something is wrong!

An MD5 checksum?

An MD5 checksum (also known as a message digest, signature, or hash) is the 128-bit value computed by the MD5 algorithm. It is typically represented by a [printable] 32-character string of hexadecimal (base 16) digits, and is easily displayed on Web sites, embedded in data files, and appended to messages for verification purposes.

As an example, the MD5 checksum for "This is a message." is "bd0e17c22869ebd3190d6e27648e77d4". To compute the MD5 checksum for any file on your system, look here.

An RFtp Shortcut?

An RFtp Shortcut is a filesystem object which stores an FTP server name and directory, as well as some control settings for RFtp PRO.

The two most common uses for RFtp Shortcuts are either for quick access to often-used FTP servers (just double-click an RFtp Shortcut on your desktop or in an Explorer window), or for the automatic uploading of files to an FTP server (drag one or more files and drop them onto an RFtp Shortcut).

To see how to create an RFtp Shortcut yourself, look here; to see more about RFtp Shortcuts and what you can do with them, this is the place.

A Shell extension?

A Shell extension is a library module which extends the capabilities of the Windows "Shell" (here referring to the display and management of objects in the Windows Explorer programs and the system desktop). A Shell extension may implement the support for a specific object type (like the RFtp Shortcut), or add features and functions to all files and folders... the "RFtpSX2.dll" Shell extension included with RFtp PRO does both.

A License-ID?

A License-ID is a text string generated by us and emailed to RFtp Professional licensees. It is used authorize the downloading of updates, and in the case of Version 3 and later of the product, to unlock the one-time creation of your License-DATA block.

Prior to Version 3, License-ID strings looked like "F2-" followed by 8 letters. As part of changes to make them easier to create and deliver to you in a timely manner (really!), they became "F3-" followed by 32 letters broken up into five dash-separated groups.

License-DATA?

A License-DATA block (or "chunk") is composed of 3 lines of funny-looking text (technically, this representation is known as base64 encoding). Containing encrypted information about your license, it is needed to successfully complete an RFtp PRO installation.

Fine print: due both to the length and unfamiliar appearance of a License-DATA block, it is strongly advised that you save it from our site and supply it to the installer using only "copy-and-paste" operations, rather than trying to transcribe it manually. Also, the License-DATA block ends after the "=" - it does not include any further characters or line-endings!