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NAS 102

Introduction to File Transfer Protocols

An overview of the file transfer protocols supported by ASUSTOR NAS.

2023-03-29

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

  1. Have a basic understanding of the file transfer protocols supported by your ASUSTOR NAS.

PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites:

None

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:

N/A


OUTLINE

1. Introduction to File Transfer Protocols





1. Introduction to File Transfer Protocols

File transfer protocols are common file-sharing services that allow your devices to transfer files to and from the ASUSTOR NAS. The file transfer protocols supported by your ASUSTOR NAS are listed below.

Please enable the file-sharing services on the [ADM] [Services].



SMB / CIFS (Common Internet File Service)

  • Sometimes referred to as SMB (SAMBA) or Windows file service, CIFS is used mainly by Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux computers. This service is enabled by default.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS shared folders via SMB.

AFP (Apple File Protocol)

  • AFP is used by macOS computers.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS shared folders via AFP.

NFS (Network File Service)

  • NFS is used by Linux and Unix computers. If Linux or Unix users are going to access your NAS, enable this service.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS shared folders via NFS.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and FTPS (FTP with SSL encryption)

  • FTP is widely used in public file uploading and downloading sites. After enabling the FTP server setting, you will be able to access your NAS via any FTP client program. If you wish, you can also use an FTPS client for secure and encrypted login and data transfers.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS files via FTP/FTPS.

WebDAV

  • WebDAV is short for web-based distributed authoring and versioning. WebDAV is an HTTP connection method that allows drag-and-drop file transfers similar to what you would experience with a standard Windows or macOS computer.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS shared folders via WebDAV.

In addition to the protocols mentioned above, your ASUSTOR NAS also supports SSH and Rsync. SSH is generally used for secure network services while Rsync is generally used to synchronize files and directories from one location to another.


SFTP

  • SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a file transfer protocol based on SSH service.
  • Click here to read more about how to access NAS files via SFTP.

Rsync

  • Rsync is a network protocol that is used to synchronize files and directories from one location to another.
  • Click here to read more about how to backup NAS files via Rsync.

Each file transfer protocol's compatibility with Windows, macOS and Linux is summarized in the chart below.

Protocol Windows macOS Linux
SMB / CIFS
AFP
NFS
FTP
WebDAV
SSH / SFTP
Rsync

: Additional software required for use.

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