FTP Client in the File Browser

The FTP client feature makes a remote FTP server available directly in the Ultimate file browser. After a server has been added, it appears under the /ftp entry and can be browsed much like a directory on a USB stick or SD card. Files can be opened, copied from the server, copied to the server, renamed and deleted from the normal file browser menus.

Requirements

The Ultimate needs a working network connection through Ethernet or WiFi. The FTP server must allow passive FTP connections. The connection is plain FTP; it is not FTPS or SFTP, so passwords and file data are not encrypted on the network.

Adding a Server

Open the file browser and navigate to the ftp root entry. Press enter and select context menu item New Host. The form contains the following fields:

Alias

The name that will be shown in the file browser.

Host

The host name or IP address of the FTP server.

Port

The TCP port of the FTP server. The usual FTP port is 21.

User

The user name for the FTP server. For anonymous FTP, use anonymous if the server expects that.

Password

The password for the FTP account.

Path

The start directory on the FTP server, for example / or /pub/c64.

After the host has been added, enter it from the /ftp directory to connect and browse the configured start directory.

Editing or Removing a Server

Select the server entry in the /ftp directory and press F5. Use Edit to change the connection details, or Remove to delete the server entry from the list.

Using Files

Remote directories are listed when they are opened. Files are downloaded to the temporary cache when first opened. This means that opening a large file may take a while before the selected action continues. Once cached, the local temporary copy may be reused.

Copying a file to an FTP directory uploads it to the server. Creating directories, renaming files and deleting files are performed on the remote server.

Configuration File

The server list is stored in /flash/config/ftp_servers. This file is managed by the Ultimate menu and normally does not need to be edited manually. It can be backed up or removed if you want to copy or reset the FTP server list.

Limitations

  • Only plain passive FTP is supported. FTPS and SFTP are different protocols and are not supported.

  • File data is cached in the temporary storage area before it is opened by the file browser.

  • If the remote file changes while an older copy is still cached, the cached copy may be used until the temporary cache is cleaned or replaced.

*Applies to: Ultimate-II+, Ultimate-II+L and all variants of the Ultimate 64, starting from Firmware version 3.15