FTP connection issues

[Minoic]

Hello everyone,
haven't been active for very long and probably have missed a lot of information.

Without having changed anything to the system, suddenly I received FTP connection errors (Server down on Weathercat Status Screen, FTP error 910 on Weathercat Log or failed to connect to xxxxxxxx server port 21 error on Weather Lg Screen). I checked with the Hoster and found out that they have changed from FTP to SFTP. SFTP is normally using a different URL address which is sometimes very complex and port 22. I have tried different ways to get WeatherCat connecting to that new server address without luck. Can WeatherCat handle SFTP or am I stuck? I wish I'm doing something wrong and that there is a way to bypass this issue.

Any ideas?

I'm on WeatherCat 2.3.1 Build 93, OS X 10.10.5, Hoster is 1&1, website is www.zafirakis.info

Many thanks

George

[jennajon]

Hello all:

Seems my domain server/web service has decided that all FTP uploads must be done using SFTP AND direct to port 22. Of course, WeatherCat uploads are now failing since not able to specify port.

Any suggestions??

 

[Blicj11]

Jennajon:

This thread is not the best place to post this question (because it is not necessarily a template issue) and assume Edouard or Steve will move it to the appropriate thread, where this issue has already been raised, but, unfortunately not yet answered.

See http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=2222.msg20972#msg20972

[elagache]

Dear George and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

Without having changed anything to the system, suddenly I received FTP connection errors (Server down on Weathercat Status Screen, FTP error 910 on Weathercat Log or failed to connect to xxxxxxxx server port 21 error on Weather Lg Screen). I checked with the Hoster and found out that they have changed from FTP to SFTP. SFTP is normally using a different URL address which is sometimes very complex and port 22.

Unfortunately, while supporting SFTP has been suggested there has never been anyone with a problem until now.  Unfortunately, you are asking your question when our fearless leader Stu (Stuart Ball, WeatherCat developer,) it taking his summer holiday.  He won't be back until August.  I would suggest that you add a feature request on this topic:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?board=4.0

WeatherCat doesn't have an internal implementation of FTP.  Instead it uses the UNIX utility curl.  Here is the website devoted to it:

https://curl.haxx.se/

It turns out that curl supports SFTP also, so it might not be that difficult for Stu add SFTP support, but that's just guessing on my part.

In the meantime I'm afraid you have two choices.  If you are handy with UNIX scripting, you could try to create a shell script that would use curl to upload the content of your website periodically say with a cron process or using OS X utility CronnIX.

The only alternative I can think of would be to change your hosting provider to one that still uses FTP.

Sorry, I'm afraid you are between a rock and a hard place.

Edouard

[elagache]

Dear jennajon, Blick, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

Seems my domain server/web service has decided that all FTP uploads must be done using SFTP AND direct to port 22. Of course, WeatherCat uploads are now failing since not able to specify port.

Alas, we are starting to see something of an epidemic of this problem and sadly our fearless leader Stu (Stuart Ball) is taking his summer holiday.  I suggested the two possible work arounds in the other post that reports this problem:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=2222.msg20990#msg20990

I don't know if there is a mandate to switch from FTP to SFTP.  Nothing comes up on Google News.  However, this may be something that is inevitable one way or another.

Sorry for your present predicament,

Edouard   

[jennajon]

 

Elagache, Blicj11:

Understood. Researching to find another hosting site, but be forewarned I was told this is going to be the standard very soon.
Sad part was my host company did not even bother to tell me....that is all kinds of wrong.

Thanks for the prompt reply....I hope something can be worked out soon.

--Jenna

[Minoic]

Hello Edouard,
thank you for taking the time to answer.

Yes, it doesn't look as if there is an easy solution to this. Being Greek I can only say that UNIX, curl, CronnIX, Terminal, etc., sound Chinese to me...
I did spend sometime yesterday downloading the stuff and actually installing it but I don't think that I'll ever be able to run the scripts without some direction or examples. Furthermore I think that Stu is doing some file handling and parsing before the FTP part and I'm not sure how complex it will be to get through that without messing around the timing of WC handling those files.

I spoke to my hosting provider and they do not allow going back to FTP also if it is a single domain. I run several other domains and i had a hell of a time to get them to one provider. Aside the financial issues it would be a hassle to move one single domain to another place.

Sooooo, what to do?

First I checked with the wish list, SFTP has been discussed and Stu has taken it into the big bucket since 2012. I didn't add another request.
Let's see what Stu says when he is back.

Second I stopped the Enable Custom Web Pages and the Enable FTP upload functions in the CustomWeb tab Preferences so that the Server is not bombed with FTP requests that go nowhere. Here a new question: When SFTP works in the future how do I update my website history? Maybe this question is more appropriate for Ken at Saratoga but eventually one of the users here had an issue trying to update history?

Anyway, I guess that the best/clean solution is to shut down the site and redirect the many thousands of loyal followers  to Wunderground or WeatherCloud sites until further notice.

Any other comments, ideas, suggestions are much appreciated.

George

[xairbusdriver]

You can certainly update your site on a rather less frequent manor by using an FTP client manually. WC can continue to created all the pages and you can upload them easily at your leisure. There are some free FTP apps, but even the best are not expensive and are a big help in monitoring and house cleaning activities for any site. My favorite is <Fetch>, mainly because I've used it for decades! But there are several newer apps that may be more user-friendly. Most offer the basic drag 'n'drop functionality; you simply drag a file from your drive to the window representing your web space. There are quite a few free ftp apps, also. Just use DuckDuckGo and look at the choices. Just check that they can use the SFTP protocol.

I suspect Stu will soon start providing an option, since SFTP is becoming more widely used. It more secure and just part of the continuing march of 'progress'. Same thing is happening with video. Even Apple has dropped development for QuickTime.

[elagache]

Dear Jenna and WeatherCat web spinners,

Could you let us know which company is presently hosting your website?  I'm curious to know if these two cases are from the same company.

Understood. Researching to find another hosting site, but be forewarned I was told this is going to be the standard very soon.

I assume it is inevitable that FTP will go extinct, but I'm not sure how fast this will occur.  SFTP is now over a decade old.  So if there was a desperate need there has been plenty of time to make the switch.  Perhaps there is a new security threat that has finally forced a change, but I couldn't find any reports about it.

I hope it won't be too much of a problem for Stu to support SFTP, but he will need some time implement this change.

Sad part was my host company did not even bother to tell me....that is all kinds of wrong.

I agree 100%    Alas, even with all the high-tech communications means we have at our disposal, communications has never been so poor.  This afternoon our local gas utility blocked the street to our house.  No warning and no explanation as to what they were doing or how long they would be doing it.  Aren't you glad you live in the "information age" . . . . . 

Oh well, Edouard

[elagache]

Dear George, X-Air and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

Could you advise me who is your present web hosting provider.  I'm still very curious why this is happening to just two people.

You still might be able to find another hosting providers in Greece who doesn't require SFTP at the moment.  While it will take a while for Stu to implement this, I have a feeling it will rocket up to a much higher priority. 

I just did another search of Google news to see if there was anything mentioned about changing from FTP to SFTP.  If there is a movement to make the change the reasons for it are being kept secret.  Sadly, that may be indeed why it is so urgent.  There could be a serious security hole and the guys with the white hats don't want the hackers to find out about it.

Stu will be back on August 8th and he might peek in on the forum if he can get sufficient bandwidth while on the road.

Hang in there, you can probably get your weather website back up without too much of a delay.

Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

Perhaps Stu can simply hand off the FTP job to any of the dozens of apps that can use SFTP. Maybe an AppleScript or, better yet, with the apps native language. Even the 128 YO (in dog years) Fetch can do both FTP and SFTP.

The "S" can be used for Secure or SSH, either way, I think the advantage is that the transfers are encrypted (both ways) whereas 'regular' FTP is not. Slowly, but surely, ISPs, hosting services, even retailers are coming to understand how important security is. I mean, how many times do you have to have your customer database hacked before you figure that out?!

Making the change without telling even the few customers who actually use FTP is still unsatisfactory. There is no excuse for that kind of "service". Unfortunately, as more and more providers get pulled into some conglomerate, the friendly, first name connections are a thing of the past. Changes like this can come from "headquarters" without much thought to its consequences. "Let 'em eat cake! We make all the cake, anyway!"

[Steve]

I've merged the two threads as requested.

[jennajon]

Elagache:

i was with 1&1 for years, so i ended that relationship and went with DreamHost. Am in the process now of redoing the site.
Should add i am in the USA.

---jenna

 

Dear Jenna and WeatherCat web spinners,

Could you let us know which company is presently hosting your website?  I'm curious to know if these two cases are from the same company.

Understood. Researching to find another hosting site, but be forewarned I was told this is going to be the standard very soon.

I assume it is inevitable that FTP will go extinct, but I'm not sure how fast this will occur.  SFTP is now over a decade old.  So if there was a desperate need there has been plenty of time to make the switch.  Perhaps there is a new security threat that has finally forced a change, but I couldn't find any reports about it.

I hope it won't be too much of a problem for Stu to support SFTP, but he will need some time implement this change.

Sad part was my host company did not even bother to tell me....that is all kinds of wrong.

I agree 100%    Alas, even with all the high-tech communications means we have at our disposal, communications has never been so poor.  This afternoon our local gas utility blocked the street to our house.  No warning and no explanation as to what they were doing or how long they would be doing it.  Aren't you glad you live in the "information age" . . . . . 

Oh well, Edouard

[elagache]

Dear X-Air, Steve, Jenna, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

Perhaps Stu can simply hand off the FTP job to any of the dozens of apps that can use SFTP. Maybe an AppleScript or, better yet, with the apps native language. Even the 128 YO (in dog years) Fetch can do both FTP and SFTP.

That is what I suggested earlier.  See this posting:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=2222.msg20990#msg20990

WeatherCat already using the UNIX utility curl.  To support SFTP Stu only needs to change the way he calls curl, store whatever additional information is needed to use SFTP and modify the user-interface a bit.  It isn't nearly as easy as writing down that sentence, but it isn't moving heaven and earth.

Thanks Steve for merging the two threads.    You are a far more experienced forum administrator than I am.

i was with 1&1 for years, so i ended that relationship and went with DreamHost.

Thanks for the hosting company name.  It does seem very unlikely that they are the same company.  I'm very puzzled by the change by two providers when there doesn't seem to be any obvious urgency or even advantage in most cases.

Am in the process now of redoing the site.
Should add i am in the USA.

I'm afraid all I can offer you is my sympathy.  We live in trying times . . . . . 

Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

It's actually a fairly time-consuming project to discover what company actually owns any ISP. The new owner usually keeps the original name just to keep the payroll check writing simple. And they don't want 'troubled' brands bringing down any that may still have a good reputation. I don't know that 1&1 and Dreamhost now belong to the same "group", but I would not be surprised, either.