About FTP and Shared Hosting

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Plesk Unlimited Hosting: About FTP and Unlimited Hosting

  • What is FTP?

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, UNIX, etc.). For example, after developing the HTML pages for a website on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the Web server using FTP.

FTP includes functions to log onto the network, list directories, and copy files. FTP operations can be performed by typing commands at a command prompt or via an FTP client running under a graphical interface such as Windows.

We highly recommend using an FTP client, such as Filezilla which is available at http://filezilla-project.org/.

As there are many FTP clients out there, the interface for each will differ slightly. The screenshots used in the instructions below are from Filezilla but the basic settings should be the same no matter what FTP client you choose.


  • How does FTP work with my Unlimited Hosting?

FTP is the recommended way to upload the files you have created for your website to our server. In general, FTP, both as a command-line function and as utility, is more reliable than uploading files via your web browser. It is also a useful tool in making files available to friends, family, or clients without sending bulky attachments via email.


  • How do I find the Server Host for XMission's Plesk Unlimited Hosting?

The first thing you'll want to do is log into your Plesk Control Panel at http://plesk01.xmission.com:8443. For more information about logging into your Plesk Control Panel, please see Administration/Logging in.


Once logged in, click on the "Websites & Domains" tab as seen below:

Plesk tabs new.png


Next to your domain name you should see Hosting Settings.

Hosting-settings.png


You will see, Website preview URL in this case stmyl.com.166-70-198-21.plesk03.xmission.com

This will be the host name you use to connect to via FTP.

Plesk preview page2.png


  • How do I connect to XMission's Plesk Unlimited Hosting FTP server via an FTP Client?

As mentioned, every FTP client has a slightly different interface. However, the three pieces below are typically all that is necessary to create an FTP connection:

Host Address = The temporary URL for your site as mentioned in the above step
UserID or Username = username (Your FTP username. For more information on creating and managing FTP users, please see [[)
Password = password (Your FTP password. For more information on creating and managing FTP user passwords, please see [[)
Port = Port # (The default for most FTP client is 21. If you want to use a secure connection use 22.)

For example, using Filezilla, a common connection would look like this, where example.com.198-60-22-66.temphost.xmission.com is the example host and example_user_ftp is the example username:

FTP connect1.png


Once the connection is complete, you will both the local site (your computer or device) and the remote site (the web server):

FTP connect2.png


In most cases, the root folder for your website is going to httpdocs and you will want to upload the files for your website to this directory. This can be done a variety of ways. You can select the files you want to upload, and right click them for uploading options, or you can also simply drag them to the remote site and folder you would like them to be uploaded to.

FTP connect3.png



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