FTP SSH Option

The following blog post applies to users who are receiving a Connection Timeout and/or Connection Refused message when trying to connect to FTP using implicit TLS security via port 990.

The error messages above indicate that your connection is being blocked by a router or computer firewall.  Please note that in order to connect you should ensure that your computer firewall is setup with an exception for your ftp software and/or that you have enabled access to ports 990 and 50000 – 51000.  In addition, many computer setups involve a router or modem which also has a firewall installed and which could also be blocking the required communication.  Please ensure that the above ports are also open on  your router/modem for communication.  Port 990 is FTP and ports 50000 – 51000 are for Passive FTP communication, all must be open.  Port 21 is usually open by default which is why this connection is working even if you cannot get the other to.

We have received many queries from users who are not sure how to open ports on their firewall etc.  To try and make the switch as painless as possible we are working on also adding another connection option called SSH.  SSH is another secure way to connect and transfer files, although it is slower, it has the advantage in that it usually does NOT require the opening of additional ports because it uses port 22 which is usually already opened by default on most computers and routers/modems.  If you are not able to open ports, are unsure how to do it etc, the SSH connection option should be easier to get started with and we recommend waiting for it.  It is not yet available but we are working on adding it and a notice will be posted when it is available, within the next week.

Please direct any questions regarding these changes to our support staff via support request.