Installing and Configuring the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

System Requirements for WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

Requirements for WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

Before installing WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module, you need the following:

• WS_FTP Server, WS_FTP Server with SSH, or WS_FTP Server Corporate, v7.5 or later
• Microsoft® .NET 3.0 Framework

  To install Microsoft .NET 3.0, you need to have Windows® Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Server 2008.

• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.1, 6.0, or 7.0.

The pre-installation checklist in the section, "Installing WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module," describes how to configure the requirements.

Requirements for the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module end user

The end user can use any computer with an operating system that can support the following:

• Broadband connection to the Internet (recommended)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or later on Windows, Mac, and Unix, Safari (Apple) browser (or other Web browser that is CSS2 and HTML 4.01 compliant)
• Enabled Javascript support and Cookie support in the Web browser

Requirements for the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module on Windows 2008 Server

The WS_FTP installer automatically activates certain components in your Windows 2008 installation (in addition to the ones activated by a normal Server install). Before installing WS_FTP Server, you should be sure that these changes conform to your organization's security policies.

The following list shows features activated by the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module install under the IIS7 role. Features shown as indented indicate a nested relationship with the non-indented feature above it.

Common HTTP Features

• Static Content
• Default Document
• Directory Browsing
• HTTP Errors

Application Development

• ASP.NET
• .Net Extensibility
• ISAPI Extensions
• ISAPI Filter

Health and Diagnostics

• HTTP Logging
• Request Monitor

Security

• Request Filtering

Performance

• Static Content Compression

Management Tools

• IIS Management Console

The following list shows the 2008 stand-alone features activated during WS_FTP Server install:

.Net Framework 3.0 Features

• .Net Framework 3.0
• XPS-Viewer
• WCF Activation (HTTP Activation, Non-HTTP Activation)

Remote Server Administration Tools

• Role Administration Tools (Web Server (IIS) Tools)

Windows Process Activation Service

• Process Model
• .Net Environment
• Configuration APIs

Additionally, the Web Transfer Module install process does the following:

• Runs servicemodelreg to install the WCF service model.
• Places the Web Transfer Module and the underlying web service in classic mode application pools.

Also, if HTTPS is not enabled on the site hosting the Web Transfer Module, the install will:

• Create a self-signed certification for the machine hostname
• Grant permissions to EVERYONE to read the folder where the certifications live
• Create an HTTPS binding on the website hosting the Web Transfer Module (if applicable)
• Attache the certificate to the HTTPS binding

Installing the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

If you choose to install WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module, it should be installed on the same computer as WS_FTP Server. This section provides a pre-installation checklist and install procedure for installing WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module.

Pre-installation checklist for installing WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module installs an IIS web application to communicate with the WS_FTP Server database and FTP file system. Before you run the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module installation, you need to install the prerequisite software and configure the WS_FTP Server computer.

• WS_FTP Server, WS_FTP Server with SSH, or WS_FTP Server Corporate, v7.5 or later.

  For the installation requirements and procedure, see the section "Installing and Configuring WS_FTP Server, or refer to the WS_FTP Server Release Notes.

• Make sure Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is installed.

  You can download and install .NET Framework 3.0 from the Microsoft Download Center.

• Make sure Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.1, 6.0, or 7.0 is installed.

  You need the Windows OS disk to install IIS. Go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, then select Add/Remove Windows Components. Select Internet Information Services (or Application Services on Windows 2003), then follow the on-screen instructions.

• On Windows 2008 Server, you must be logged on as the 'Administrator' user (it is not sufficient to simply be part of the 'Administrators' group).
• The Web Transfer Module needs access to the file system on your FTP host or hosts so it can upload and download files. During the Web Transfer Module installation, you will need to specify a Windows user account with permissions to the top folder of each WS_FTP Server host (for each host for which you will enable WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module). We recommend you create a Windows user account for use by the Web Transfer Module.

  Note that this Windows user account is used differently depending on the WS_FTP Server host settings and the user database configured for that host:

  • If the host uses a Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Active Directory user database, configured to use Windows file permissions, the user account permissions take precedence, and this Windows account is not used.
  • If the host has a host-level impersonation account, which is required if the host Top folder uses a UNC path, the host-level impersonation account takes precedence, and this Windows account is not used.
  • If the host uses the WS_FTP Server or ODBC user database, and the host-level impersonation is not specified, this Windows account is used.

To install WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module:

1. If you received an installation CD, insert it into a drive. If the Welcome screen does not appear, select Start > Run, and enter the drive path followed by launch.exe.

   Example: D:\launch.exe

   - OR -

   If you downloaded the software from our Web site, double-click the executable (.exe) file to begin the installation.

2. On the Pre-installation Checklist screen, read the checklist items. Make sure you have set up the required configuration. Select "I have completed the Pre-installation checklist," then click Next.
3. On the installation Welcome screen, click Next to continue. The License Agreement dialog appears.
4. Read the license agreement. If you agree with its terms, select "I accept the terms of the license agreement," and click Next.

   Next, the Impersonation Account for Web Transfer Module screen opens.

5. Enter a Windows account that has full access to the top folder of the WS_FTP Server host.

   The Web Transfer Module needs a Windows account to use for access to the FTP file system.

   On the WS_FTP Server computer, you should have created a Windows account that has full access to the top directory of the WS_FTP Server host, as described in the pre-installation steps. Use that account username and password here.

   Domain or Server. Enter either the valid Windows domain name of the WS_FTP Server computer, or the Windows computer name.

   User name. Enter the applicable user name for the Windows account.

   Password. Enter the password for the account.

   This account username and password will also appear in the WS_FTP Server Manager, under Home > Modules > Web Access Settings. If necessary, you can modify this account after completing the installation.

6. Choose the appropriate IIS web site for your application. Choose the default web site, unless you have created a dedicated web site for this server, then click Next.

   The installation program also configures the Web Transfer web application to accept SSL connections on port 443. A self-signed certificate is installed. This allows your users to use HTTPS for secure transfers.

   Next, the Destination Folder dialog opens.

7. Click Next to install to the specified folder.

   If you want to install to a different folder, click Change, then browse to the destination folder, or create a new folder, then click OK. You will be returned to the Destination Folder dialog. Click Next.

8. Click Install. The Install Wizard completes the installation. The Setup Wizard Completed dialog opens.
9. Read the notes related to post-installation steps, then click Finish.

   You need to enable web access for users that will use the Web Transfer Client, and provide them the web address to log on, as described in the section, "Configuring WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module."

   If you purchased the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module as an add-on module to WS_FTP Server 7.5, WS_FTP Server 7.5 with SSH, and WS_FTP Server 7.5 Corporate, you need to refresh your WS_FTP Server 7.5, WS_FTP Server 7.5 with SSH, and WS_FTP Server 7.5 Corporate license. To refresh, from the Start menu, select Program Files > Ipswitch WS_FTP Server > Activate or Refresh WS_FTP Server License. If you purchased a WS_FTP Server Corporate license, you do not to refresh your license.

Configuring the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module does not require installation on a user's computer. Your WS_FTP Server users can access the files in their accounts using any browser, and the address (URL) that you provide them.

However, you must administer the following changes in WS_FTP Server 7.5, WS_FTP Server 7.5 with SSH, and WS_FTP Server 7.5 Corporate Manager:

1. From your existing set of WS_FTP Server users, add users to the Web Access list.
   1. Log in to the WS_FTP Server Manager, and select Home > Modules. The Modules page opens.
   2. Select Web Transfer Access.

      The Web Access page shows all eligible users, which is all users on all of your WS_FTP Server hosts.

   3. Add any users to whom you want to provide web access.
2. Roll out Web Transfer Access to your users by providing them the address (URL) that users will use to log on to the Web Transfer Client.

   The address is: http://<local_machine>/thinclient/

   where <local_machine> is the domain name of the computer on which you installed the Web Transfer Client. If you specified a custom port (other than the default port 80) during installation, you need to enter it in the address.

   For example, if the local computer domain name is host1.wsftp.com, then the address your users need to log on to the Web Transfer Client is:

   http://host1.wsftp.com/thinclient/

   You should test this address before sending it out to users.

   You can also launch the Web Transfer Client from the WS_FTP Server program group (Programs > Ipswitch WS_FTP Server > WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Client.)

   If you add a user to the default host (specified in Server > Server Settings > System Details), the user will log onto the Web Transfer Client using their WS_FTP server user name and password. If you add a user to a host that is not the default host, the user must log onto the Web Transfer Client using the host name, host separator, and username and password; for example: user2@host2.domain.com

Secure Transfer via HTTPS

For secure transfer, the Web Transfer Client is installed with SSL capability, which runs on port 443. The installation creates an SSL certificate which is used when the user connects via HTTPS. You can enable secure transfer by changing the address used to log on to the Web Transfer Client to use HTTPS, for example: https://host1.wsftp.com/thinclient/login.aspx

If you specified a custom port (other than the default port 443) during installation, you need to enter it in the address.

Increase IIS 7.0 MaxAllowedContentLength

If your server is running IIS 7.0, users may not be able to upload file larger than 30 megabytes, receiving the following error:

HTTP Error 404.13 - CONTENT_LENGTH_TOO_LARGE

To correct this problem:

1. Open the following file with notepad: %windir%\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationhost.config .
2. In this file, locate the <requestFiltering> node.
3. Add a value that matches the size of the Content-Length header that the client sends as part of the request. By default, the value of the maxAllowedContentLength property is 30000000 (The value is in bytes, so the above value is about 30 MB.). Increase this number so that it will match the largest file size that you expect users to upload.

   For example, modify the following:

   <requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength ="30000000" />

   to increase the value to 1073741824, which equals 1 GB:

   <requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength ="1000000000" />

4. Save the ApplicationHost.config file.

Uninstalling the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module

1. In the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs.
2. Select Ipswitch WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Client, then click Change/Remove and follow the onscreen prompts to uninstall.

WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module Notes

• If WS_FTP Server is configured to use 256 bit encryption or higher, and when attempting to login via the WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module you see the message "Invalid Username or Password", be sure that the browser can connect using the level of encryption you choose (For instance, browsers capable of 256-bit encryption are not commonly available at the time of this writing).
• When using the Firefox browser on an Apple Mac computer, note that the browser does not implement the proper Tab order on the Login page (login.aspx).
• Both WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Module and Internet Information Services (IIS) have limits on the size of file that can be uploaded. When a user tries to upload a file that is larger than the Web Transfer Client's maximum upload size, the Web Transfer Client displays an error message at the top of the main page (Transfer.aspx).

  If the upload exceeds the IIS maximum upload size, the browser displays a page error and does not return to the Web Transfer Client page.

  Though we cannot change the browser behavior, both of these upload values can be set in the web.config file (C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WebClients\ThinClient\Web.config).

  When you save changes to the Web.config file, all active WS_FTP Server Web Transfer Client sessions will be reset, which means that any user logged on via the Web Transfer Client will be returned to the Logon page, and will have to log on again.

  • Web Transfer Client maximum upload size is set in the <appSettings> section:

    <add key="MaxUploadSize" value="50"/>

    The value is in MB, so the maximum upload size for the Web Transfer Client is 50 MB.

  • IIS maximum upload size is set in the <httpRuntime> section:

    <httpRuntime maxRequestLength="2097151"/>

    The value is in KB, so the maximum upload size is 2 GB.

  The IIS limit can also be set in other locations, namely machine.config, and IIS metabase, though we recommend using the web.config settings.

• Internet Explorer 6 and 7 do not allow underscores in a web address (URL). Make sure the web address for logging into the Web Transfer Module does not have an underscore in any part of the address; for example:

  http://my_domain/thinclient/

• Be aware that browser security settings can influence the download count shown in logs. For example, if the Internet Explorer security setting 'Automatic prompting for file downloads' is not enabled, when Web Transfer Client user selects to download a file, Internet Explorer will pop up the following message and it will add 1 to the download count:
  'To help protect your security, IE blocked this site from downloading files to your computer. Click here for options.'