I have two computers, a Linux and a BSD box, behind a Linksys firewalled router. Want to transfer individual files or directories of files between them. Transfers to be done within the LAN. Windows is not involved, and will never want remote (WAN) access. If security is an issue, I can just switch off the cable modem during transfer.

Both machines can ping each other by IPaddress and by hostname. I have installed gftp on both boxes, but cannot connect from either machine to the other.

Thanks for any help.

Have you checked if your firewall is blocking port 21 (ftp)?

The BSD box has no firewall installed. Following some Google instructions, I thought I had switched off the SuSe firewall, but in looking at chkconfig, I see it's still running. Can't figure out how to turn it off.

Is it based on iptables? Try

iptables -F
iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT
iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT

iptables -P returns iptables v1.3.6

Okay, SuSe firewall is turned off, no firewalls running on either computer. Only the router's firewall running. I have tried to connect using hostname as well as ipaddress, but neither machine can connect to the other. When gftp fails to connect, it returns connection refused. It seems to me that permissions need to be setup somehow.

do you have them on the same workgroup or domain...you should be able to ping them even though they are not...you should not have to use an ftp program to do it...if I am understanding this you have two computers on the same network and want to transfer files over the network...if that is right, just use samba...

baldur

Well, live and learn. Neither of these computers is set up as an ftp server, so obviously an ftp client won't be able to connect. Both SuSe and FreeBSD have the vsftpd ftp server software available for installation. Hopefully, it will work within the LAN, and the router's ports, being stealthed, should keep intruders out.

Yes, having the server will help!

As long as you don't forward the WAN port 21 or 20 to the LAN machine runing vsftp, you won't be exposing yourself to the outside world, it will be contained within the LAN.

On the other hand, if either machine has sshd running, you don't even need vsftp, as the program scp is basically secure ftp done through an encrypted ssh session. For example, to transfer something I have on my work laptop to my home desktop, I just issue a command like:

with pre-shared ssh keys, you can avoid being prompted for a password, it just works after you approve it the first time.

And also, baldur_the_god, using samba to share files between *nix computers is ridiculous. Samba is a *nix attempt at windows networking. It works very well to share data with windows users who clearly can't remember even their login passwords, so couldn't possibly remember ftp passwords as well, but there are so many better choices for *nix sharing. Scp, ssh, ftp, nfs, the list goes on an on. What you've basically said is if two Frenchmen meet on the street, rather than conversing in French, they should speak English to one another. Now both men might know English rather well, but you're taking them away from their mother tongue to speak in something not as comfortable.

Peace,
JimBass

Thanks for responding, JimBass.
I found out that switching the cable modem off kills everything. Doesn't work as a security measure. So, with ftp servers running, on each machine, I checked ports 20 & 21 (router) with Shields up, and they were both stealthed.

I'm using gftp for client on both boxes, and vsftpd for server on SuSe. FreeBSD didn't like vsftpd, so I'm using pure-ftpd there, and everything works.

Next learning project will be scp. Thanks again.