VPN or FTP

[antyler]

I am trying to figure out the main difference between a VPN and an FTP.

Can someone put it in easy terms to understand for me, as I only have a vague idea of what they are.

I am looking to setup a VPN (i think) that allows me to access my personal files from work.

Also,

what VPN or FTP programs does everyone use, or is a native Windows one recommended?

Thanks for the help!

Tyler.








edit: topic summary

 

[Pabster]

Think of a VPN as a gateway to everything. Not just FTP, but everything.

FTP is a dedicated file-sharing service. You can secure FTP as well, but if you want a rock-solid secure tunnel from point A to point B, the VPN is the choice.

 

[MrChad]

They are completely different technologies.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) establishes a connection between two private networks (LANs) over a public network (WAN / Internet). For instance, at home I can access file and printer shares on other computers on my local network, but I cannot access file and printer shares on my office network. With VPN software, I can connect to my office network and access the same files and printers that are available to me while I'm in the office.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is simply a standard for transferring files over a network. An FTP server manages authentication and what files are available, and users can connect to that server over a specific network port using an FTP client and download files. Whether or not an FTP server is available from a remote network depends on whether the firewalls on both side allow access to the server.

There are a number of options for accessing personal files from home. FolderShare and Hamachi are easy to set up and I believe both work over standard HTTP/HTTPS ports, so there shouldn't be issues with your firewall configuration.

If you want to set up an FTP server, ServU or FileZilla are good options (FileZilla is free). Setup is more complicated. You will need to forward whatever port you're going to use (21 is usually the default) on your home router to the box that will be running the FTP server software. Then you'll need to know your home's cable/DSL modem's public IP address so that you can connect to it from the office.

Hope this helps.

 

[antyler]

Thank you very much. Your answers pretty much simplified what I was thinking about the two.

Thanks for the suggested programs too. Ill give them a look.

Tyler.