Settings for the built-in FTP client
Number of times to retry if FTP server busy
Lets Total Commander retry to connect to an ftp server if the server is busy. Useful for overcrowded ftp servers (anonymous and also with user name/password). Set to 0 if you do not want this function.
Delay between retries (seconds)
Total Commander will wait the given amount of time before starting a connection retry.
Default transfer mode
Determines the upload and download mode for files. On Unix, text (txt, html etc.) files are stored differently than on DOS and Windows. Therefore they need to be copied in a different mode. The "automatic" mode uses the extension to determine which files are considered as text and which as binary.
Open new connections
By default, new connections are always opened in the currently active file panel. This option allows you to change this to either the left or the right window, or to the inactive (target) panel.
Create a log file
Appends the messages shown in the small FTP log window to the given file.
All uploads/downloads in the background
Starts all new transfers in the background by default.
Use passive mode by default
Uses the passive mode for new connections. This is mainly meant to pass firewalls, when no connections from the outside are allowed. When a new connection is configured, its passive mode settings will automatically become the default.
PORT mode: Only use ports from limited range:
This option is useful if you have opened your firewall for a limited number of incoming PORT connections for FTP transfers, e.g. when the server does not support the passive mode. You should use at least 100 ports for each computer, better 1000. Note that you need to use ports between 1024 and 65535.
This option is also used together with the following (external address).
PORT mode: external address (IP/DNS/http):
This option is only necessary for routers which do not contain automatic ftp support. For many routers, this option is not necessary or even counterproductive, because the router itself makes the conversion from the local to the external IP address.
If your router doesn't support the ftp port mode directly, you need to define a port forward on the router for a port range, e.g. ports 10000 to 11000. Then you need to inform Total Commander about these forwarded ports with the above option "Only use ports from limited range".
You can specify one of the following options as the external address:
1. If you have received a static IP address from your access provider, you can enter it directly
2. If you are using the DynDNS.org service, you can enter your DynDNS name here
3. If you have access to a Web server, e.g. at your Internet access provider, you can create a script file on the server which reports your own IP address. Then enter the address of the script file here, e.g. http://www.myservername.com/directory/scriptfile.php
Example script in php: <?php print $_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"]; ?>
Compress during transfer (MODE Z)
Compress files "on the fly" during their transfer if the server supports it. This uses a ZIP-compatible compression method.
Not on LAN Disable MODE Z for servers on the same subnet, or using a private address like 192.168.*.*. Recommended within a company network, where zipping the data would be much slower than sending it uncompressed. You should disable this if you are a teleworker and access your company network over a slow dialup connection.
Auto-resume transfer if no data received for:
If no data is received for more than the specified number of seconds, Total Commander drops the connection, reconnects and resumes the transfer.