Dirk Johnson
815212232
Assignment #2
FTP Server Configuration
COP 3350: Systems Admin and Programming
10/20/23
Introduction
The purpose of this assignment is to showcase my skills in setting up, configuring, connecting
to, and utilizing an FTP server. These tasks have been completed using a RedHat Linux operating
system on a virtual machine environment (Virtual Box).
Task Details
1. The first task required was to ensure I had vsftpd installed in my operating system. I
made sure this package was installed using the command #yum install vsftpd. This
would allow me to download the package if it was not already installed. Since it was
already installed from the class where we learned about FTP, I got the following
message stating that I already had the package installed.
2. The next step was to start the FTP server. This was done using the command #systemctl
start vsftpd. This command starts the FTP server, and to ensure that it did just that I
used the command #systemctl status vsftpd, to check the status of the FTP server. If the
first command worked as intended, the server will have an active status. Attached is the
screenshot of the start and status check commands and the resulting prompts.
3. For this task we had the option to edit the vsftpd configuration file. However, I did not
find that this was necessary for my simple usage of the FTP server.
4. This task required me to create a directory, files, and adjust the permissions of said files
for the purpose of testing the transfer of the server. This was done using the command
#mkdir (directory name), #touch (file name) (file name), and #chmod. These commands
allowed me to make a directory, 3 files in that directory, and change the permissions of
the files to make it to where FTP users only had read/write permissions. Attached is the
screenshot showing these commands in action.
5. This step required me to create a new user account and password specifically for the
use of this FTP server. I achieved this by using the commands #adduser (username) and
#passwd (username).
6. The penultimate task was to test a local connection to the FTP server. This would show
that not only the FTP server was setup and configured correctly but that I was ready for
the next task of actually transferring files across the server. I tested a local connection to
the FTP server by logging into the new user account we made in the last task and using
the command #ftp 10.0.2.15, to log into the server. I determined I had to use the IP
address by using the command #ifconfig, to determine the IP of the current account I
was on. After using the #ftp 10.0.2.15, command I was prompted by the FTP server for
my username which was just my account username and then for my account password
which was also just my user account password. After I had been verified by the server, I
was allowed to connect.
7. The final, and hardest, task was to test the server for what it is meant to do, file
transfer. This took several steps. The first step was to create a file on the client machine
to test the client – server transfer. I did this by using the command #mkdir and #touch
to create a directory with a file in it specifically for this one task. Next, I tested the server
– client transfer by using the command #get (file name) to transfer the 3 files I made
earlier in the server machines directory to the client machine. Next, I used the command
#put to transfer the file I just made on the client machine to the server machine. I then
checked if the files transferred properly by using the #ls command to see what files
were in each directory.
Summary and Conclusion
In conclusion, this assignment helped me practice and ensure my skills regarding FTP
servers was up to the standard that it should be for the class. I feel as though I completed each
task more than adequately and showed that I have a good understanding of the material and
am able to replicate the commands on my own.