Chapter 10: File Transfer

Overview

I remember when building a local network was an expensive enterprise, obtaining Internet access was even more expensive, and files had to be exchanged using diskettes. If anyone remembers those times, I am sure those are not fond memories. Diskettes would constantly become corrupted and data they contained would be lost. It was all right if the distance between the source and the destination of the data being transferred was short: You could make another trip. But having to do this over a great distance had a negative effect on the emotional state of the carrier.

Even now, some computers are equipped with 3.5-inch floppy drives , because no cheaper alternative for transferring small volumes of data has been offered yet. But it is difficult to imagine an office not equipped with a full-fledged local network. In some companies, all computers must be connected to the local network. With computers connected into a local network, the need to equip them with floppy disk drives is no longer there, and the latter are simply removed from the machines. If you are itching to ask why, because one never knows when a floppy might come in handy, you have forgotten the main principle of security: There should be nothing unnecessary. This applies not only to software but also to computer hardware.

A floppy disk drive is a hole, through which information can be taken off the computer without any hacking skills but by simply obtaining the physical access to the machine. I know one company whose local network was isolated, and they used to think that this made it impervious. Despite all this seeming security, they lost secret trade information and subsequently their market. And all because of little pieces of plastic that cannot be detected by metal detectors. That's right, floppy disks. Only then were floppy disk drives removed from all of their computers.

Local networks make it possible to get rid of extra hardware and transfer the data more rapidly and reliably. All you have to do is configure the necessary protocols properly and use the network medium to its full capacity.

Currently, the most popular file exchange protocol is FTP. Even though it was developed some time ago, it is remains widely used. Granted, some of its capabilities are not quite up to par for modern requirements.