Can't connect to FTP anywhere except from localhost

Question

Hi All,
FTP is timing out/refusing connections when I try to connect to the server from anywhere on my network. It works just fine when you connect on the actual server itself. I've tried temporarily disabling the firewall, but this didn't help. Any ideas where to start?

Answer 1

My standard ftp answer...
ftp gets "interesting" around the network firewalls commonly present in modern network environments. To allow ftp to work, you have to open up the documented ports (20, 21) and the [ephemeral port ranges required by ftp|http://64.223.189.234/node/530] end-to-end, and (above and beyond the botnet hammering that will occur when you open up 20 and 21) the network security folks tend to be loathe to open up the (huge) ranges of IP ports expected and required by ftp. It is quite common for an intervening network firewall to block some or all of the ftp ports and ftp traffic, either on the server, on the server network, on the client network, or on the client end.
Any of which could easily cause your lack of response from your ftp server.
Once you open up the firewall on one or both ends, try both active and passive-mode ftp connections, too.
My preference (for this and for other security-relevant reasons) is the use of sftp. Not ftp.