Hey all.  I'm lookin' to put an FTP Server on my mesh for my local ARES group.  Want to share ICS forms and have them available for retrieval during an emergency, along with any other software downloads we may need.

What is the software that needs to be put on the Node?  I have a Linksys GL series (4 of them actually, all flashed with the mesh software). 

Another quick question, are the files to be stored on the computer and you share a folder (on the computer) with everyone?...or, are the files (ie., ICS forms) stored on the mesh node itself?

Thanks.

I used a FTP server by Pablo Software called 'baby ftp'.

Visit http://www.pablosoftwaresolutions.com/html/products.html

I run the software on a netbook attached to any node. I run my nodes in 'direct' mode. Two important steps:

1: Add the computer as a host in the 'nat/port forwarding' section of the node setup

2: advertise the ftp services in the advertised services section of 'nat/port forwarding'. In the protocol box, put 'ftp', and select the computer's name from the drop down host list. Be sure to put the port number in; usually 21. Web browsers seem to get along with Baby FTP quite well, so clicking on the resulting link (you checked the 'link' box, right?) will open up a list of the files in the directory you told Baby FTP to use.

Pablo has a 'baby web server' that is also easy to use.

I wondered about putting an FTP server on the node itself, but this way it doesn't matter which node you attach to and adds to the flexibility.

I can submit screenshots later if desired.

I was able to set this up on the fly during a recent demo in about 5 mins. I have a standardized package of documents and software installers on a thumbdrive that I can put on any laptop/netbook in the field.

Ok.  Here's where i am with your suggestions.  I downloaded Baby FTP and installed it fine.  Below are images of my entries.  It shows advertized on the mesh but my other PC/Node wouldn't follow the right path to open the server.  It tries to open in the browser with "ftp://W4LLZ-N1" but that's the end of it.  Open to suggestions.

Your snapshots of your settings and comments are welcome.  Thanks.

Attachments
 7-2-2014 8-53-57 PM.jpg [107 KB] :: Image 1
 7-2-2014 8-52-31 PM.jpg [122 KB] :: Image 2
 7-2-2014 8-56-41 PM.jpg [25 KB] :: Baby FTP running

Two things:

Make these adjustments on the port forwarding page.

1- add the computer you're using as a host in the dhcp reservation list. click the button labelled 'add' beside the computer name shown in the 'dhcp leases' section. Presumably the computer is named 'W4LLZ'. Save your changes. 

2- in the advertised services section, click the 'URL' drop-down list. You should now see 'W4LLZ' as well as 'W4LLZ-N1'. Set this to 'W4LLZ', the computer name. Save your changes again.

I'm not sure what effect the port forwarding will have, I would suggest removing it. In Direct mode, you can only port forward to the WAN port, and that won't do you much good for FTP services.

Set up this way, the advertised services will build a link on all mesh nodes that points to your computer running baby ftp. The URL should look like 'ftp://W4LLZ:21'. Anytime the 'URL' section of the services section says 'W4LLZ-N1', the link will try to connect to the node, not the host computer.

I can't upload screen shots this moment, but I think you'll get it after this. 

Well Ron, I made a lot of headway with your help.  Basically got it working and can share the ftp folder over the mesh.  It took me a while to figure out how to access it from another node (ie., W4LLZ-N6).  What i had to do, step by step see pictures attached, to connect to the ftp folder on W4LLZ-N1 was to:

1.  W4LLZ-N1 is where the ftp server is.  The mesh doesn't show on other nodes that W4LLZ-N1 is offering that service, like it does IRC Chat (see pic 1).  Instead, from W4LLZ-N6 "Mesh Status" page, I click on W4LLZ-N1 and open it, viewing W4LLZ-N1 status page on the W4LLZ-N6 computer.

2.  It is there that i can see the FTP server advertized, with a dot/bullet next to it.  See pic 2.

3.  Then i click on "File Server" and it opens the FTP folder and i can down load files from N1 to N6 perfectly.  See pic 3.

I would have thought that the service would be advertized like the IRC server, but it makes sense due to the way its set up.  Meaning, the node (W4LLZ-N1) is not offering the service but rather the computer (W4LLZ) is offering it through W4LLZ-N1. 

It works, and is really cool, just not as i expected it would; but its a keeper.  Thanks, and please comment.

Attachments
 3.jpg [165 KB] :: ftp folder accessed via N1
 1.jpg [98 KB] :: mesh status on W4LLZ-N6
 2.jpg [82 KB] :: Mesh status from W4LLZ-N1

Screenshots look good. I've had issues with advertised services not showing up as expected. Usually it self-corrects, and refreshing a page shows it properly. Thinking about it now, I wonder if that's a browser cache issue? The service you see on W4LLZ-N1's mesh status page should also be visible on W4LLZ-N6's mesh status page in the 'neighbours' section, just like the IRC link.

On field day I deployed a few nodes using this FTP server and advertised services, and everything worked as expected. I don't know what went right, but it was a good show and now a bunch of club members are interested. I had a few cameras and Writelog logging software running as well.

Now that you've learned the technique, and you're hooked on mesh, what's next?

Ron,

Maybe this is why its not advertized like the IRC server: I noticed when reading about "Operating in Direct Mode" that when a DHCP reservation is made (which it was for the FTP server, but wasn't for IRC server),...it states,

"when the LAN is operating in Direct mode...the mesh works a little differently [than NAT mode].  Since in Direct mode the LAN hosts are accessed directly from the mesh and no port forwarding is involved, the advertized services are based upon which LAN host exists, and this is determined by the DHCP addresses defined. AFTER THE DHCP RESERVATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE SERVICES CAN BE OFFERED IN THE SAME WAY AS BEFORE WITH THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT OF SELECTING THE NAME OF THE HOST THAT IS PROVIDING THE SERVICE."  (emphasis added).

That said, I have to select the name of the host which is provide the service, which is W4LLZ-N1, and access the service that way versus selecting the service itself which is seen and advertized on the remote node.

I think that's why its not showing up.

Well, as far as "what's next"...so far I've managed to get 17 nodes installed with the hamnet software and distributed to our ARES group. I've managed to get video/audio set up on the mesh for EmComm as well as IRC w/ mIRC which does file sharing as well (but I wanted to have numerous files available to the group - thus, the FTP service), and set up one node as a mesh gateway to the internet. What's next is, trying to get the rest of the group to buy their antenna's! I've got a couple 2.4 ghz antennas and have done some demos for them but their a bit slow and crusty. Ultimately, we want to demo the system to our county officials and try get permission to get some antennas put up on county buildings for city wide mesh availability. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it (cause I have zero experience with networking) but have managed to get what our ARES group needed to function on the mesh.