Thursday, 02 May 2019
Can I run an FTP server myself to share my MP3 files?
You can run FTP server software on your PC, but there are a number of issues:
1) If you’re on a dial-up connection your limited bandwidth will make it deadly slow, even if you only allow something like 3 simultaneous logins.
2) Also, if you are on a dial-up connection, your IP will almost certainly change every time you connect, so you won’t have any permanent address – you’d have to let people know the IP after you logged on, and it would only be good until you logged off (or got kicked off)
3) If you have a cable connection, you’re a bit better off, since you have higher bandwidth and a more or less permanent IP. Quite a lot of people do run FTP servers on desktop PCs with cable connections. But see below…
4) Obviously running an FTP server on your machine is going to severely restrict your own ability to use the machine and to access the net whilst the server is running.
5) Running an FTP server over your connection is probably against your ISP’s terms of service, and you could get your account yanked if they find out.
The alternative is basically to pay for FTP hosting on a commercial server..
