Category Archives: HOWTO

HOWTO: Remove License-Code for Upgrading License

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In order to remove the previously entered license-code from BulletProof FTP Server, please contact us first and have your “Technical-Support Permission-Code” ready for entering.

How to Remove License-Code

  • Start the GUI version of BulletProof FTP Server
  • Click About
  • Hold down Alt+Shift+Ctrl and Left-Click the “License for Use:” box
  • Click “YES” to “REMOVE LICENSE KEY:…” dialog-box
  • Enter the “Technical-Support Permission-Code” and click OK:
  • BulletProof FTP Server will confirm the removal and shutdown the program

    • HOWTO: Remove License Code

    HOWTO: Using Internet Explorer to connect to a FTP-Server

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    Configuring Internet Explorer to be able to connect to BulletProof FTP Server (or any FTP Server) is very easy to do and requires the toggling of two (2) options from:

    Windows Start Button -> Control Panel -> Network & Internet -> Internet Options, click the “Advanced” tab and check “Enable FTP Folder” and “Use Passive FTP”.

    Below are screen-shots for accessing these features in Windows. Please click the small-image to view the full-image.

    HOWTO: Share a UNC Folder via FTP

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    In the latest version of BulletProof FTP Server, you can also offer a UNC Share to your FTP-Clients.. even when the BPFTP Server is running as Windows System-Service!

    This posting builds upon a previous article on how to expose Drive-Letters using “Virtual Folders” in BulletProof FTP Server, by showing how to use UNC Paths as well…

    HOWTO: Using Virtual-Folders to Share Additional Drives/Folders via FTP
    http://blog.builtbp.com/2011/12/howto-using-virtual-folders-to-share-additional-drivesfolders-via-ftp/

    HOWTO: Windows System-Service. Also, please see the extended list of postings related to running BPFTP Server as a Windows System-Service:
    http://blog.builtbp.com/2011/09/howto-windows-system-service/
    http://blog.builtbp.com/category/bpftp-server/windows-system-service/

    HOWTO: Using Virtual-Folders to Share Additional Drives/Folders via FTP

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    BulletProof FTP Server supports the ability to create “Virtual Folders” for your ftp-users to access additional drives, folders and network-shares; allowing your ftp-users access to a wide variety of folder-locations on your local computer, as well as mounted-shares in your network.

    Example Usage:

    • Providing Access to Web-Server documents via FTP
    • Accessing the files on your home-computer from work
    • Allowing telecommuters to update company files, spreadsheets, etc from home
    • Facilitating the transfer of very large files over the internet (too big for email)
    • Trade files between friends and family using their web-browser

    Additional Info:
    TIPS: How to serve your Network-Drives via FTP
    HOWTO: Share a UNC Folder via FTP

    FAQ: Can I Upgrade and retain all my Users, Groups and Settings?

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    Yes!! You can certainly upgrade and retain all of the Users, Groups and Settings that you currently have defined in any version of BulletProof FTP Server.

    In designing the latest version of BulletProof FTP Server, it has been a paramount concern that upgrades from a previous versions are supported 100% for our previous customers. This includes customers running versions: v2.21, v2.3, v2.3.1.26, v2.4, v2.5, v2010, v2011, any version!

    The storage-format for the Users, Groups and Settings is a simple flat-text-file called an INI File. This file format has been around since the earliest days of Windows and we’ve found it to be extremely easy to maintain, edit and backup/restore. The only change over the years has been the location where this file is stored, see below for the location and file-name for these files:
    FAQ: Where does BPFTP Server store the Users, Groups and Settings?

    NOTE: The original files will not be harmed in anyway and you can even run the previous and current version of the software on the same computer without them conflicting.

    Same Computer: Migrating the Users, Groups and Settings from a previous version is very simple and automatically provided when the latest version of BulletProof FTP Server is installed and started for the first time on a machine that currently runs a previous version.

    Automatically Found Previous Version

    Management -> Settings -> Upgrade -> Auto Upgrade

    New Computer: If you are creating a new Windows machine to run the latest version of BulletProof FTP Server; and would like to migrate the Users, Groups and Settings from this previous machine, you would simply copy the *.INI files to location that the new Windows machine can access (USB drive, network share, emailed attachment, etc).

    Management -> Settings -> Upgrade -> Manual Upgrade

    Choose the Directory for the previous INI Files

    FAQ: Where does BPFTP Server store the Users, Groups and Settings?

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    FAQ: Where does BPFTP Server store the Users, Groups and Settings?

    The Users, Groups and Settings for BulletProof FTP Server are stored in simple flat-text-files called INI Files. These files have not changed over previous versions, however the location for these files has changed slightly to reflect Microsoft’s suggestions for security and reliability:

    Version Default Storage-Location File Names
    v2013 %LOCALAPPDATA%\BulletProof Software\BulletProof FTP Server\2013\ bpftpserver.ini
    bpftpserver-ui.ini
    bpftpserver-users.ini
    bpftpserver-groups.ini
    v2011 %LOCALAPPDATA%\BulletProof Software\BulletProof FTP Server\2011\ bpftpserver.ini
    bpftpserver-ui.ini
    bpftpserver-users.ini
    bpftpserver-groups.ini
    v2010 %LOCALAPPDATA%\BulletProof Software\BulletProof FTP Server\2010\ bpftpserver.ini
    bpftpserver-ui.ini
    bpftpserver-users.ini
    bpftpserver-groups.ini
    v2.3.1.26 %ProgramFiles%\BulletProof FTP Server 2.3.1.26\ ftpsrv.ini
    users.ini
    groups.ini
    v2.3 %ProgramFiles%\BulletProof FTP Server 2.3\ ftpsrv.ini
    users.ini
    groups.ini
    v2.21 %ProgramFiles%\BPFTP Server\ ftpsrv.ini
    users.ini
    groups.ini

    TIPS: How to serve your Network-Drives via FTP

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    BulletProof FTP Server has the ability to serve files on your Mapped Network Drive via FTP. But you will need to add some special parameters to make sure that the credentials for the mapped drive are saved and the connection is toggled as persistent.

    This is best done via the command-line (CLI) using the NET.EXE USE command.

    Take the following example:

    c:> %SystemRoot%\system32\net.exe use h: \\myserver\myshare /user:myusername /persistent:yes

    In this example we are mapping drive-letter “H:” to a computer named “myserver” with a share-name of “myshare”, where the credentials needed to login to the machine are specified as “myusername” (if you were part of a domain, it would be “mydomain\myuser). The “/persistent:yes” instructs Windows to reconnect the drive at login.

    Full Docs on the NET.EXE USE command:
    http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/net_use.mspx?mfr=true

    Microsoft Windows, by default, disconnect network-drives after X minutes of inactivity. Remapping the drive is done quickly and usually without any interruption. However if you have any problems, it’s recommended that you increase the default 600 seconds (10 minutes) to a larger number:
    Mapped Drive Connection to Network Share May Be Lost

    HOWTO: Overridding the Storage-Path for Settings, Users and Groups

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    The latest version of BulletProof FTP Server (by default) stores everything related to the program’s operation, including “Settings, Users and Groups” in the non-roaming, local user storage location %LOCALAPPDATA%. This allows for a constant, microsoft certified location for the storage of files and settings related to a program. This path is user-specific, in that, it is private to the OS-USER that you use to login to Windows. In some environments, you may want to change this location to something that complies with your own standards .. or perhaps you would like to run the SERVICE as a different user than the GUI.

    Starting with BulletProof FTP Server v2010 (including later versions), the path for storing the “Settings, Users and Groups” was changed as a result of security improvements to Windows (starting with Vista). Previously, the BulletProof FTP Server stored everything in the “Installation-Directory” for the software. However, with the development of User-Access-Control (UAC) in Windows Vista/2008, the storage-path for these files were redirected to the Virtual Store. This redirection of file-writes to now protected paths, such as the %ProgramFiles%, proved to be very cumbersome of difficult for our customers to manage. For this reason, we embraced the new location Microsoft has specified and developed the ability to OVERRIDE it for customers that wanted to retain control of this location.

    Table-Listing of Storage-Locations over the past several versions of BulletProof FTP Server:
    Q: Can I backup the Settings, Users and Groups?

    In the following example, you are stepped through the process of “Overriding the Storage-Path” in the program and the subsequent process that BulletProof FTP Server goes through to migrate the files containing the “Settings, Users and Groups”. Please note, this process can also be used to restore a backed up copy of your files.

    HOWTO: Windows System-Service

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    BulletProof FTP Server 2011 can also run as a Windows System-Sevice, allowing you to serve up ftp-content from your computer without having to login to the system. This is a very handy feature for businesses that rely upon a FTP-Server to communicate with customers, receive files from automated processes or just-plain access your HOME computer from WORK.

    Setting up Windows System-Service Support is very easy, but it does mean a little-bit of leg work on your end to satisfy Microsoft Windows’ security.

    Click on a thumbnail to expand the image and see more information and instructions.