FTP server issue

Peter_1985 2,526

Hi,
I added the relevant role and feature on Win 2019 server but I've issue below to FTP server. Any help?

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-22T13:58:21.907+00:00

Any help?

It is impossible to help you based on some popup error message that we have no idea what you did to generate it. We also have no idea how you configured FTP folder access, user authentication, firewall rules, network topology, just everything. If you don't provide specific details, we could only guess what your problem is.

Start by reviewing the many sites that document FTP setup instructions. Do basic problem determination to validate network connectivity.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=windows+server+configure+ftp
Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-22T15:33:44.227+00:00

Hi MotoX,
I did do the steps below to enable FTP server on Win server 2019. What should be enabled to resolve the current problem?

https://xpertstec.com/how-to-install-the-ftp-server-in-windows-server-2019/

7 answers

Limitless Technology 39,376 Reputation points

2021-12-22T14:01:04.94+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985

Disable firewall and antivirus software temporarily to make sure your access would not be blocked.
According to the error message, I suspect the issue might be caused by your access right. Make sure you have the access privilege.

Opening Ports in the Firewall
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/sql/sql-server-2008/ms345310(v=sql.100)?redirectedfrom=MSDN

Enabling Protocols
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/sql/sql-server-2008/ms345306(v=sql.100)

Hope this resolves your Query!!

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MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-22T15:45:20.277+00:00

What should be enabled to resolve the current problem?

You first have to figure out what the problem is before anyone can tell you how to fix it.

Do you honestly think that forum users somehow "know" what might be wrong with your DNS/Network/Servers/permissions/firewalls, based on a popup that simply says; "unable to connect"??? That's not how this works. You have to do basic the problem determination. We can't access your systems to do that for you.

Open command prompt, run ftp.exe, try to connect to the server. Do you get a login prompt? Start there.
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Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-23T02:59:20.957+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

Please use cmd to test what error you met. Open cmd and enter command ftp, then open xxx.xxx.xx.xxx (open ftp IP). It will ask you for user name and password. If you enter the correct account but connect failed. It will return error code and message. Please show the code and message.

When I followed the link to test ftp, it returned 503 error that I don't have permission. I checked the link again and found an issue.

At this part How to add FTP virtual directory and add permission, it asks you to disable inheritance and add FTP_GROUP account. I'm not sure how your server set permission, but when you follow this step, you need to make sure that the FTP_GROUP account has permission to read or write root folder. Otherwise it cannot read sub folder even you have set its permission. That means( in the case of link), account jamil should have permission read or write( full control better) to folder FTP and jamil.

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Bruce Zhang
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Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-23T04:02:19.32+00:00

Hi,
I get "Connection refused" by the way, like cmd > ftp > open my.ip.add.ress

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-23T07:30:09.757+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

Please check the log file to get status code. By default, IIS puts log files in the following folder: %SystemDrive%\Inetpub\Logs\Logfiles. Or you can post the log information.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-23T08:03:10.55+00:00

Hi,
Which details do you want to have? Here is extract part of that.

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-23T08:25:34.767+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

I want to get the details when you use cmd connect ftp site. But the log you post is not the ftp record.
A complete record should like this:

2021-12-23 08:14:10 xx.xxx.xxx.xx - xxx.xxx.xxx 21 ControlChannelOpened - - 0 0 6d1c122a-61cb-451d-86a9-f5d06b9d78fa - 2021-12-23 08:14:15 xx.xxx.xxx.xx - xxx.xxx.xxx 21 USER test 331 0 0 6d1c122a-61cb-451d-86a9-f5d06b9d78fa - 2021-12-23 08:14:17 xx.xxx.xxx.xx server name\ftp site xxx.xxx.xxx.xx 21 PASS *** 230 0 0 6d1c122a-61cb-451d-86a9-f5d06b9d78fa /test

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-23T09:59:06.75+00:00

Hi,
Is it an issue that I do not see log files within "%SystemDrive%\Inetpub\Logs\Logfiles" are getting updated, when I try to open FTP?

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-24T02:16:15.453+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

If you follow the link and create a FTP site, the site will enable logging by default, unless you disable logging at server level. Please check logging module to make sure whether it has been enabled.

Enable it and use command line send a ftp request, then navigate to %SystemDrive%\Inetpub\Logs\Logfiles. There will be a folder named FTPSVCx(x is your ftp site id). Click it and you will find the log file.
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MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-23T14:11:41.803+00:00

I get "Connection refused" by the way, like cmd > ftp > open my.ip.add.ress

RDP to the server itself.
Open the IIS Manager app.
Navigate to the FTP site and click on FTP Logging.
In the Action pane on the right side, if it says "enable", then you do not have logging enabled. Click on enable.
Open services.msc
Navigate to the Microsoft FTP Service and verify that it is running.
Open a command prompt and run ftp to connect to the server itself.
Log in to the ftp site and run a dir command to verify that you can see the directories.
See if there are log files in C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\FTPSVCn. They should show the activity that you just did.
Then RDP to another machine on THE SAME NETWORK SUBNET that the server is on.
Open a cmd prompt and run ftp and connect to the server.

If you still get connection refused, then the problem is the firewall rules on the server that hosts FTP. Go back to the server and run wf.msc. Check the inbound rules for one that references FTP. Fix it to allow access.
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Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-24T04:45:47.237+00:00

Thanks. Which setting is missing below?

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-24T06:03:09.427+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

Please check the action part on the right.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-24T06:23:20.18+00:00

Thanks. I've enabled that. Sorry to that I do not see the log files are updated well after I've re-tries the same to open FTP.

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-24T07:09:04.01+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

How is this possible? If you visit the correct ftp site, a new record will be updated in the log file. It may be delayed and will not be updated immediately, but it will definitely be written to the file after a period of time.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-24T07:30:36.047+00:00

Hi,
I did re-start the machine. Run CMD (with admin permission). Re-do the same to open FTP but then still I see Log file is not updated.

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-24T13:18:14.237+00:00

Re-do the same to open FTP

Did you successfuly log in and execute dir/get/put commands?

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-24T14:49:49.237+00:00

Hi,
Cannot connect to that properly (see error below). Can you share the full details of FTP commands to test against it?

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-24T15:14:51.34+00:00

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

Did you not read what I asked you to do?

We forum users have no idea what you did to generate that message box. We don't know what machine that message came from. We have no idea what firewalls might be blocking the network traffic. We don't know if you typed in the server name correctly. You cannot just post a vague error message and expect us to know what is wrong.

I listed those steps to verify basic connectivity. If you are running FTP.exe on the server itself, then there is no way that firewalls can block the traffic.

The steps I listed do a process of elimination to try to find the root cause of your problem. If you perform the highlighted steps, that will verify that the FTP service is running and that users can access the folders.

Once you verify that FTP is actually working, the next step in problem determination is to verify that another machine ON THE SAME NETWORK SUBNET AS THE SERVER can access FTP. That will verify that the Windows firewall is allowing the traffic through.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-29T02:41:36.353+00:00

Good day,
I only see path below

C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC1

within the log path. And there is no new log file created when I open ftp in command prompt. Is there anything wrong to the server machine?

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-29T08:10:48.55+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

If there's no ftp log file, that means you didnot send ftp request correctly to server.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-29T08:52:43.773+00:00

Hi,
What other action is needed, further to the following? I did try this and there is no FTP log created.

C:\Users\Administrator>ftp
ftp> open my.real.ip.address
> ftp: connect :Connection refused

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-29T13:52:36.4+00:00

ftp: connect :Connection refused

Did you run that command on the server that hosts FTP?
Is the FTP service running?
In the IIS Manager, are the bindings for the FTP site set to that IP address??

What other action is needed,

I would suggest that the company that you work for should go hire a local consulting firm that has experience troubleshooting Windows servers to help you. It is impossible for forum users to troubleshoot your problem based on a simple error message.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-29T15:41:02.383+00:00

Yes, Ftp service is running and FTP binding is pointing to the relevant IP. Here is what I've got (but FTP log is not being updated):

C:\Users\Administrator>ftp
ftp> open ?.?.?.?
Connected to ?.?.?.?.
220 Microsoft FTP Service
200 OPTS UTF8 command successful - UTF8 encoding now ON.
User (?.?.?.?:(none)):

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-29T16:05:35.403+00:00

Permissions would be the next thing to check. Grant everyone full control on the LogFiles folder and see if that makes a difference. Do an iisreset to recycle the services.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-30T06:47:22.487+00:00

Hi,
I've added "Everyone" to the permission of log folder. Then rebooted the machine. But FTP log file is not updated well when I re-opened FTP.

MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-30T14:18:01.897+00:00

Add a banner and verify that you are connecting to the site that you think you are connecting to.

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-30T15:38:49.863+00:00

Yes, I applied that banner to FTP and went to it below

ftp://administrator:realpass@my.real.ip.addr/

but I still got issue below.

Bruce Zhang-MSFT 3,736 Reputation points

2021-12-31T01:57:45.43+00:00

Hi @Peter_1985 ,

How you get this server and how you set it? Did you configure its network or system? Or server providers do any settings to restrict users for security?

Peter_1985 2,526 Reputation points

2021-12-31T02:02:33.943+00:00

Hi,
It is normal Win 2019 server. Nothing is special inside it. Now I am with such FTP issue only.
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MotoX80 31,826 Reputation points

2021-12-24T15:32:41.98+00:00

Is this question related to the question that you posted earlier?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/657500/share-path-on-win-server.html

Are you trying to connect to FTP over the internet? Don't do that. FTP is not secure. And its data and control channel connections require PASV mode if you have a network firewall (which you should have!) protecting the server.

It would be more secure if you configured the OpenSSH feature and used SFTP for any file transfers over the internet.
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