Assuming you have an ftp server or have access to one and you want an incompetent person to send you or download files from you and they’re behind a firewall/router/NAT etc.

From experience I’ve found the following usefull (for a quick download file):

1. Firstly download wget for windows
2. Modify the following batch file to your needs:
   @echo.
wget --passive-ftp --tries=0 ftp://username:password@ftp.host.com:21/file.zip
@echo.
3. wrap both files into a zip and email it to them.

Alternatively you can get a bit more complex with the following (should you want the other person to upload a file to you):

1. You first need to know the exact file name that the user wants to send to you … preferably make them name it simple like “file.zip”
2. Modify the following file to your needs:
   
echo open>send.ftp
echo ftp.host.com 21>>send.ftp
echo username>>send.ftp
echo password>>send.ftp
echo quote pasv>>send.ftp
echo hash>>send.ftp
echo send file.zip>>send.ftp
echo quit>>send.ftp
echo exit>>send.ftp
ftp -s:send.ftp
del send.ftp
3. Email, them this batch file and tell them to save it in the same location as the file they want to send you.

This last example generates a send.ftp file with the login commands then executes the command line ftp client refering to the file generated. Then it deletes the send.ftp file for a nice clean action.

Tada, a hastle(ish) free file transfer between an idiot and yourself.

Notes:
username = the username of the ftp account
password = ditto
ftp.host.com = your ftp host
21 = the port number

I’ve chosen to use zip as the file extension as from windows 2000 zip files can opened without a 3rd party application.

posted by a-v0id at 5:55 pm & filed under Geekdom, Windows command line | No Comments »