How to Start an FTP or SFTP Server in Mac OS X Lion
10:52:00 PM
If
you’ve visited the Sharing Preference panel since upgrading to Mac OS X 10.7
you may have noticed there is no longer the option to enable an FTP server to
share files and folders. It’s unclear why Apple pulled the easy frontend to FTP
sharing, but if you still want to run a local FTP server (or SFTP) in Mac
OS X you can with the help of the command line.
Start the FTP Server in OS X 10.7
·
Launch the Terminal (/Applications/Utilities) and enter the following
command to start the FTP server:
sudo -s launchctl load
-w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist
·
Confirm the FTP server works by typing:
ftp localhost
If you see the familiar FTP
login:
$ ftp localhost
Trying ::1…
Connected to localhost.
220 ::1 FTP server (tnftpd 20100324+GSSAPI) ready.
Name (localhost:Paul):
Trying ::1…
Connected to localhost.
220 ::1 FTP server (tnftpd 20100324+GSSAPI) ready.
Name (localhost:Paul):
You know the server is
running. If you don’t see that, then the server either hasn’t finished starting
yet or you didn’t enter the command properly. You can then FTP
from other Macs via the same ftp command, or by using the “Connect to
Server” option in the Finder.
Enabling the SFTP Server in OS X 10.7
As you probably know, FTP
is unencrypted and as a result as fallen out of favor for security reasons.
Enabling SFTP is actually easier than FTP:
·
Launch System Preferences and go to “Sharing”
·
Click on the checkbox next to “Remote Login” to enable SSH (and SFTP)
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