FTP Problem, Need help.

[DanF]

I recently took a windows hosting package with JodoHost.com and have encountered a serious problem. JodoHost has disabled PASV FTP transfers. The only other way I can connect is via PORT mode but that just jams up in the middle of a connection attempt. I use a router, could that be the problem? I disable both my firewall and proxy before connecting.

This problem is frustrating me now :( Everything has been great so far until this problem cropped up. Is it normal for hosts to disable PASV mode?

[jasonl813]

I believe most hosts allow passive transfers. That is the only way I can upload to our servers though our firewall router. Our FTP configuration has never been changed from default. We run ProFTPd as the FTP server on our servers though. Do you know what your host is using?

[DanF]

I don't know why they have disabled PASV mode, seems ridiculous. I do recall that on their signup page, they referred to it "as part of their security policy". I don't understand how though. Even IE is configured to access via PASV!

[jasonl813]

It does seem odd.

[JodoHost]

DanF, if you had used the ticket system we could have solved your problem in hours

Firstly, PORT FTP has no problem workin through routers but there is a specific issue with a NAT router, are you using a NAT routter?

And for the record, switching to PORT FTP is very simple. All you have to do is uncheck the "Passive Mode" option in your FTP client. Another thing you have to make sure is that you are not behind a proxy server.

2 of our win boxes were hacked 60 days before implementation of this policy. We brought in a respected security company to audit our security and they determined that all that all intrusions happened on higher ports (between 1000 to 5000). These are the ports that Passive FTP uses to connect. We thus followed their advice and blocked these ports and haven't had a single intrusion since

[Curtis H.]

Originally posted by JodoHost
DanF, if you had used the ticket system we could have solved your problem in hours
Now there's an idea. :confused2

[DanF]

oh, I'm sorry.. i thought this was more of a general question

Yes, this is a NAT router. I tried connecting directly and it worked. So now I can't FTP with my NAT router? :(

[JodoHost]

Many of our customers have varied experiences with a NAT router, I suggest you read this:
http://support.jodohost.com/showthread.php?t=279

[DanF]

I tried yorri's suggestion.. didn't work. Just can't connect. I don't know what to do now. Isn't there anyway you can allow PASV FTP?

[JodoHost]

I really don't know how to help you on this Dan. You say that you can connect without any problems if you don't use the router so I'm guessing the problem is with your router. I think you might want to do some of your own research on your particular NAT router and see if there is anyway you can connect via your ISP assigned IP instead of an IP assigned by your computer (which I suspect is the problem) You can also try BulletProof FTP and FlashFXP which allow you to specify an IP address. Unfortunately, they both are Shareware.

No, we can't reverse our Passive FTP policy. I don't know if you realize this but we take security and stability very seriously. Click on the "Hosting Assured" logo on our site and view our uptime stats. Then compare our uptime stats with other windows hosting companies at findmyhosting.com (like fluidhosting.com for example). Tell me how the results compare. Many people may say that we are just lucky to have not experienced any serious problems but the way we see it, we see it as a result of time and money we have invested in the quest for better security and stability

If you can't solve this problem and hate using the Web FTP interface, I suggest you look for a new host. I'd be happy to assist you in your search. You can get a complete refund under our money back guarantee.

[DanF]

I fixed it!
I don't know exactly what I did, I was just playing around with some settings and then restarted the router and my computer. connects great!

Thank you so much for your time and help :)