# Allowing users to FTP download with password?



## gbsothere (Jan 17, 2007)

I apologize if I've posted to the wrong place.  

A friend has a syndicated radio program and stations want to be able to download each week's show (mp3 format) via ftp.  I built his very simple site for him and uploaded it (Fetch) easily enough.  But with his recent request concerning ftp download, I am stumped.  Must I purchase some sort of software or is there some scripting that will allow me to assign a username/password to each week's mp3 show, thus allowing the stations to click the emailed link provided and arrive at a log in window taking them on to the mp3?  Also, will such downloading eliminate the need for .zip files?

Please forgive my ignorance.  I am, very clearly, a novice.

Thank you.


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## Pardus (Jan 17, 2007)

Do you have ssh or telnet access on the server? If so, connect to the server using a free app like TelnetLauncher or Fugu. 

From the command prompt, change to the directory you want to protect using the cd command, then type:

webprotect prot

This will create the needed files to protect your directory.

4) After you protect the directory, type:

webprotect add user

where user is the name of a user you want to give access to that part of your site. The program will ask you for a password.

This process will create two files in your directory: .htaccess and .htpasswd. These files contain the information necessary to protect that directory. If you delete one or both of them, you will disable or remove the protection effects from that directory.


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## gbsothere (Jan 17, 2007)

Pardus said:


> Do you have ssh or telnet access on the server?



Pardus, his server is GoDaddy (I don't know why) and I wasn't sure so I went to their customer service section and in their FAQ, I found this (cut and paste):

*Can I use SSH to connect to my shared hosting account?*
Last Updated: December 1, 2006 6:37 PM


*For security reasons, we do not allow SSH (or Telnet) connections to our hosting servers.*

I apologize again for being so ignorant about this sort of thing.  I've never done anything more with Fetch than simply upload web sites. I didn't even know ftp password-allowed downloads were possible.  There's your clear indication of just how big a novice you're dealing with.


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## Natobasso (Jan 17, 2007)

Sounds like your friend needs to open an iTunes podcasting station. It's the best way to store files where the most people can find and download them, and you can upgrade your bandwidth usage as the popularity grows.

More here:
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,68185,00.html


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## gbsothere (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks!  I'll pass this link on to him and maybe that'll make things a lot less complicated for him.  I know it will, for me!


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