FTP Client/Server Considerations

FTP consists of two parts: the Client and the Server.

The distinction between FTP client and FTP server is from the viewpoint of where the FTP commands are initiated, not from the viewpoint of where the data resides.

Transfer Modes in FTP

ASCII is used by the rest of the world (stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

• Use if you want to purposely translate your data to ASCII - for example when the target system is a PC or a UNIX machine
  

EBCDIC is used nearly exclusively in IBM machines (stands for Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code)

• Use if you want to purposely maintain EBCDIC Coding - for example when the target system is an IBM 390 or IBM i

BINARY

• Use if you want to preserve the original content of the file and ensure NO translation takes place in the transfer of data. For example when transferring a *SAVF or a graphic image.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. As the name suggests, FTP is used to transfer files between computers (client and server) on a network.

FTP uses a client-server architecture. Users provide authentication using a sign-in protocol, usually a username and password, however some FTP servers may be configured to accept anonymous FTP logins where you don't need to identify yourself before accessing files. Most often, FTP is secured with SSL/TLS.

How to FTP 
Files can be transferred between two computers using FTP software. The user's computer is called the local host machine and is connected to the Internet. The second machine, called the remote host, is also running FTP software and connected to the Internet.

•     The local host machine connects to the remote host's IP address.
•     The user would enter a username/password (or use anonymous).
•     FTP software may have a GUI, allowing users to drag and drop files between the remote and local host. If not, a series of FTP commands are used to log in to the remote host and transfer files between the machines.

Timeline of IBM i

Here is a visual timeline of IBM i

Click on the image for the large version.
Right click for download options.

Source: Angus the IT Chap

Timeline of System i

Here is a visual timeline of System i

Click on the image for the large version.
Right click for download options.

Source: Angus the IT Chap