Home Web Hosting XtraHost Help and Support - FTP

Publishing with FTP

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a process by which files are transferred from your computer's hard drive to the Xtra web server. You can create and maintain your web site on your own computer and then upload it to the XtraHost web server when you are ready.

Some web site design programs incorporate FTP into their functionality. However, if you do not use such software, or your software does not have an FTP function, you will need to download, install and use a separate FTP client to upload your files.

There are many different FTP clients that you can use. However, if you do not have a preference for any particular FTP client, or you are unsure how to use an FTP client, Xtra recommends that you click here and download WS-FTP (Windows 95/98/NT) from Xtra. This software is Shareware which means you can use it free of charge for a short period of time in order to evaluate it, but to continue using it you will need to pay a registration fee to the author. Registration details can be found under the "About" menu.

When you have installed and run WS_FTP the first thing you will see is the Session Properties window. You need to create a Profile with the information needed to connect to your web site. Once you have created a Profile for your web site, the program will remember it, so you only need to configure it once.

To create a new Profile, click the "New" button and enter a Profile Name in the top field. Next enter home.xtra.co.nz in the "Host Name/Address" field. Then enter your Xtra Login ID and your XtraHost password in the "User ID" and "Password" fields. Select "Automatic Detect" for your "Host Type" as illustrated below.

All other fields can be left blank. Click "Apply". You are now ready to connect to the web server. Click "OK" to continue.

When you connect to the web server you will connect directly to the home (root) directory of your XtraHost account. WS_FTP will display a split screen where files on the left hand side are the files on your computer's hard drive, and those on the right are the web pages or files in your XtraHost account.

You can transfer files directly to your home directory, or you can create subdirectories. To transfer a file, simply select the file or folder you want to upload from your computer, and click the right arrow button.