Fetch (Macintosh FTP)

Fetch is a program for transferring files. Fetch uses the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and therefore allows a networked computer to transfer files with any machine connected to the network that supports FTP.

Get Started

1. Double-click the Fetch icon to start the program. If there is no icon on your hard drive, call the Help Desk (231-8685, Option 1).

   

2. A new connection window will open with the title of New Connection...

   

3. To connect to a remote system (your e-mail account or other system) enter the following....
   • Host - enter your host system, such as abacus.nodak.edu
   • User id - enter your login, such as jdoe
   • Password - enter your password, which will show as bullets on the screen
   • Directory - this can be left blank (The directory information can be entered in, only if you know exactly what directory the file you wish to download is located. (ie. mail/) It is not necessary for anything to be entered in this field.)

   : Some host systems allow you to FTP without a login on their system. For anonymous logins, use "anonymous" for the User ID and your e-mail address (i.e. firstname.lastname@ndsu.nodak.edu) for the Password.

   

Connecting

1. Make sure the above information is entered correctly, then click on the Connect button or press return.
2. A remote system window will appear displaying a list of files on the remote system.

   

Changing Directories

1. You can change folders or directories by clicking on the directory folder icon listed in the remote system window.
2. To go to a previous directory, you can click on the arrow directly above the list of the files.

Downloading

Downloading is retrieving a file from a remote system to put on your local computer.

1. Change to the directory where the file you wish to download is located.
2. Double-click on the filename or highlight the filename and click the "Get File..." button.

   

3. Change to the directory where the you wish to place the file to be downloaded.

   Fetch has three buttons that control the way a file is retrieved: they are titled Automatic, Text, and Binary. By default, Automatic is chosen and this setting will be the right one most of the time. Sometimes, this may not work. Listed below is a definition of each setting:

   • Fetch tries to interpret the name of the file you are getting.
   • is a text file (or a BinHex file, which is one kind of text file).
   • for binary (i.e. non-text) files.

Uploading

Uploading is copying a file from your local computer to a remote system.

1. Change to the directory where the file you wish to upload will be placed.
2. Click on the "Put File..." button.

   

3. Then click on "Open" or you can double-click on the file and it will be uploaded.

1. You can do each file individually, or you can go to the Remote pull down menu and select "Put Files and Folders..."

   

2. A window will open where you select each file to be uploaded and click the Add button or if you wish to upload all of them, click on the Add All button.

   

3. Once you have finished adding the files to be uploaded, click Done and the files will be uploaded.

Disconnecting

When you have finished uploading/downloading your files, go to the File menu and choose "Close" to disconnect from the system and "Quit" to exit Fetch completely.