There is a practical limit to the size of files that can attached to emails.
If you are sending or receiving large files you should use File Transfer Protocol (FTP). This will allow you to place files in a folder on your local system and allow them to be safely downloaded by external users, without compromising your general network security.
You can provide open FTP access to a specific folder (sometimes known as anonymous-FTP or guest-FTP), and also provide access to specified folders for specific users.
Using Mailtraq as an FTP server is straightforward, you may also use Mailtraq as an FTP-Proxy (see below).
You must add the Service to those offered by default.
Go to Options | Services - [Add] - FTP ...
You will also need to set your firewall and port-forwarding to allow connections.
Guest Access
You will need to set the FTP Service | Access Control to 'Allow any client to connect' access and in the Server-tab set the 'Root Directory' (the folder in which files are to be placed for remote FTP clients to collect from.)
The FTP folder is safe - users cannot climb up from that folder into the rest of your file structure.
[x] Allow unknown users to login as guests.
Controlled Access
It is common to have separate folders for each of your external users.
You first need to create them as a User within Mailtraq
Options | Users - [Add]
They do not need a mailbox.
When you have finished the wizard, go to the Properties of that User
And at 'Web Homepages / FTP directory'
enter the folder that they will have access to.
then in their 'Privileges' tab, allow them to log in to the FTP server:
[x] Allow Login
[x] Upload/Modify
[x] Use the FTP/Proxy
[x] Login to FTP/Homepage Directory
Your then simply place the files they want to give to that specific user
in that folder.
The customer logs into the Mailtraq FTP service with an FTP client - such as WS-FTP, Cute-FTP or similar
Each customer has a separate folder and their own Username and Password.
They need the User name and password and they will be in that folder.
They will be able to download or upload from there.
FTP-Proxy
The FTP-Proxy service enables FTP clients to access remote FTP servers on the Internet.
Enable this option at the checkbox:
[x] Enable FTP Proxy
The FTP Service will then display an additional tab - Proxy - where you can specify if users require authentication and control the Dial-up settings for non-broadband installations
Configuration Tips
Although the basic configuration of Mailtraq's FTP service is indeed straightforward, FTP itself is quite complex.
Access Control
The Access Control tab gives you tight control over who you allow to access the FTP service.
Firewalls
If you are running a firewall, be aware that the FTP protocol is particularly sensitive to your firewall settings. The FTP protocol allows for connections on a number of ports in both directions. Typical symptoms of a firewall restricting access is when you can logon successfully, but not receive a directory listing. Watch the Mailtraq event log (Actions | View Event log) and see your firewall documentation for more information.
Active and Passive FTP Modes
For Active FTP, port 21 is the control channel and port 20 is the data channel. The control channel is initiated by the FTP client and the data channel is initiated by the FTP server in response to a transfer request from the FTP client.
For Passive FTP, port 21 is the control channel but the FTP server waits for a data connection from the client (using a random, high port number) before transmitting data.
Passive mode is usually employed to traverse firewalls because it avoids having to accept incoming connections on port 20 from remote FTP servers. That is, most firewalls default to accepting outbound connections from their host but default to rejecting inbound connections to their host. Mailtraq's FTP Server and FTP Proxy services handle both active and passive modes. The FTP protocol is defined in RFC959.
Using IE for FTP
Enter the address with the user name and password as "FTP://USERNAME:PASSWORD@WEBSITE.COM"
Accessing mapped drives
Q: Why can I access a local drive and a workgroup PC using UNC but not a mapped network drive or a server using UNC?
A: Because Mailtraq does not have the correct access permissions.
Mailtraq normally runs with the SYSTEM 'user name', which is reserved for services. So although you may have permission from that machine to access those paths, the SYSTEM user may not: adjust its permissions.