While setting up SFTP is easier, and far more secure, there are times when good ol' FTP is the only thing that'll work. This is often the case with legacy software, as is the case with an old IP260 I am setting up in a lab. My primary purpose for it is to set up Check Point's IPSO 4.2 and R65 (the newest stuff an IP260 can handle). While these both are far long end-of-life and are no longer officially supported by Check Point, there are still setups out with this (believe it or not). So what to do? If you have a Windows (ewww...) box, setting up Filezilla Server is a piece of cake. But what about Linux or the Raspberry Pi? While Filezilla is absolutely available for Linux (and the Pi), it is a bit more difficult to configure. Enter: vsftp: Very Small FTP. This is applicable for just about any Debian (and derivatives, including Raspbian for the Pi). Here's how to set it up and get a (very) basic config going:
To start, get CLI access to your device.
Install vsftp with the following command:
# sudo apt-get install vsftpd
Edit the config file:
# sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf
Look for the following lines:
#local_enable=YES
#write_enable=YES
Change them to this:
local_enable=YES
write_enable=YES
(Note the lack of # at the start of the line)
To disable Anonymous FTP access (strongly suggested), cahnge this line:
anonymous_enable=YES
to
anonymous_enable=NO
Restart the vsftp daemon to make the new config take effect:
# sudo service vsftpd restart
And Done! You now have a (very) basic FTP server. Be aware that FTP is not encrypted, and anything transferred can be viewed easily by anyone snooping in on your network. Username and password are the same for your SSH session, and any/all users set up on the device will be able to log in as well. In a future article, we'll go over how to allow some users to access the entire filesystem, and lock others to their home directories.
