Chapter 17. Secure File Transfer

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Choosing a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Client

• Peer-to-Peer File Transfer

• Building an FTP Server

• Configuring xinetd for Secure File Transfer

• Configuring Secure File Transfer Servers

In the early days of the Internet, one of the really cool things about it was the capability to transfer files and programs from one computer to another. Using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), anyone with a modem could connect with and download massive repositories of text files, shareware and freeware applications. People still use FTP all the time, although it is often obscured through the many graphical FTP clients. As you learned in Chapter 3, "Installing SUSE Linux," you can even install SUSE Linux with the help of FTP.

FTP's ease of use comes with a hidden price, however. FTP is not a secure protocol. Virus-laden files and other malware can be easily uploaded to FTP servers and spread across the Net. Unencrypted passwords and email addresses can pass through the network to be harvested by spammers and others with bad intent.

Fortunately, you can use new, more secure applications to get the benefits of FTP in a more secure environment. The Secure Shell (SSH) includes sftp, a more secure FTP client, and scp, the Secure Copy client. Both programs make file transfer safer and are still easy to use.

Another way of moving files around the Internet is by means of peer-to-peer technologies such as BitTorrent and Gnutella. These technologies are apparently as controversial as they are popular, but they use very simple methods of moving data across the network.

This chapter will look closely at file transfer software available in SUSE Linux, using FTP and peer-to-peer technologies. You'll also learn about creating a secure FTP server with SUSE Linux.

The next section discusses FTP clients, and the server information is discussed later.