On August 18, Brown closed the port that allows FTP connections to the web server. This means that if you use an FTP client such as WS-FTP, Fetch or a version of Dreamweaver older than MX 2004, you need to change how you transfer your web files.

The alternative is to use a secure client to transfer the files. Examples of this include Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 (Windows | Mac), WinSSH, and MacSFTP. All three of these are available for free download. The links above go directly to the download page. To read more about these applications and their Brown support level, go to software.brown.edu. Anyone who uses Windows or Mac OS 10.3 or newer can use Dreamweaver to securely upload files. Anyone with a version of Mac older than 10.3 will have to use MacSFTP to upload files.

The reason we did this is for better security. When you use a non-secure FTP client, all information is sent across the network in clear-text. Anyone monitoring the network can capture your username and password. When using a SFTP client, such as the ones described above, the username and password are sent in a very difficult to decipher encrypted mode.

Tutorials:

WinSSH

MacSFTP

Dreamweaver MX 2004

Any other questions should be sent to webpublishing@brown.edu.