How to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022
How to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022. In this post, we will introduce FTP with its main advantages and then move on to the installation and configuration phase.
FTP is a very useful file transfer protocol for website owners and developers. It helps users to download and upload website pages and codes to and from the remote server.
Let’s start this article blog about How to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022 by introducing FTP server.
What Is FTP Server?
FTP Server or File Transfer Protocol is used to transfer files to different computers through the Internet. With the help of this server, you can upload and download files effortlessly. It is basically a computer that offers files available for download through an FTP protocol. It is a common solution that you can use to facilitate remote data sharing between computers.
This server is a crucial component of an FTP architecture, which helps in exchanging files over the Internet. These files are generally uploaded to the server from a personal computer or other removable hard drives. It is then sent to the remote client from the server via FTP.
It also needs TCP/IP network to function and is dependent on the use of a dedicated server with one or more FTP clients. The server is usually switched on and runs 24/7 so that it can establish connections at all times for the clients.
Advantages Of FTP Server
FTP Server is highly beneficial due to the reasons given below:
Security
One of the leading benefits of FTP is the level of security it provides while transferring files from one place to another. Its two versions, FTPS and SFTP, are secure file transfer protocol that adds another layer of security to traditional FTP users. This way, it assures you about the security of sensitive files. It means that it restricts the files from landing in the wrong hand since they are encrypted in transit.
Large File Sizes
When you try to send a file to a recipient through email, you usually receive a notification saying that the file is too large to send. And if you are in an organization that deals with a massive amount of data, it can become very frustrating as it gets interrupted due to large files. This is where the FTP server comes into the picture. With the help of this server, you can send gigabytes of files in just one go.
Control
It provides the level of the data. FTP server, like industry leading ones, tends to deliver granular access control, enabling your administrators to determine the person that can upload, download, edit, delete, or share files. It also identifies the folders that have specific permissions within.
Disaster Recovery
An organization dealing with a massive amount of data often faces the problem of lost or compromised data. That is why they should opt for an FTP server. It makes sures that the files, including everyday data or most sensitive content, never get lost. Therefore, whenever there is an issue concerning poor internet connection, loss of power, or actual natural disaster, the work never gets interrupted.
It is because the FTP server backs up data regularly and automatically to another location. You can later restore that data by coordinating with your FTP vendor.
Improved Workflow
When you have a uniform file sharing process all across your organization, the business’ productivity tends to increase rapidly. It is because it enables you to share a large amount of data instantly, rather than sending them manually. This way, there will an improved workflow within the organization.
Follow this post to show you how to set up an FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022.
How to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022
Prerequisites
- A server running Windows Server 2022 operating system along with RDP access.
- A user with administrative privileges.
- Minimum 4 GB of RAM with 2 Cores CPU.
Install FTP Server
Firstly, you will need to add the FTP server features from the server manager. Follow the below steps to add FTP roles:
Windows Server Login
Step 1 – Login to your Windows server, press the Windows key and search for Server Manager and click on it to open the Server Manager as shown below:
Click on Add Roles and Features Wizard
Step 2 – Next, click on the “Add Roles and Features”. You should see the Before you begin screen:
Choose Installation Type
Step 3 – Click on the Next button. You should see the Select Installation Type screen:
Select server from Server Pool
Step 4 – Select “role-based or feature-based installation” and click on the Next button. You should see the destination server selection screen:
Install IIS and FTP Server features
If you are installing IIS or having it already installed the FTP Server feature has to be enabled. In your Server Manager, when setting the “ Select Server Role (IIS)” you’ll need to include the FTP server functionality as an IIS “Web Server IIS”. The FTP server feature is disabled by default.
Step 5 – Choose “Select a server from the server pool” and click on the Next button. You should see the Select server roles screen:
Click on Web Server Role (IIS)
Step 6 – Select “Web Server (IIS) from the list” and click on the Next button. You should see the Select Features screen:
Select Role Services
Step 7 – Click on the Next button. You should see the Select Role Services screen:
Step 8 – Select FTP Server and click on the Next button. You should see the following screen:
Install FTP server
Step 9 – Review all configurations and click on the Install button to start the installation. You should see the installation progress screen:
Wait for some time to finish the installation.
Create an FTP User
Following step is to create a user for your FTP server. You can use this user to connect to the FTP server.
1. To create a new user, open the Server Manager => Tools and click on Computer Management. You should see the following screen:
2. In the left panel, click on the Local Users and Groups => Users then right click on the Users => New User. You should see the User Creation screen:
3. Provide your username, password, and click on the Create button. You should see your newly created user in the following screen:
The next stage of how to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022 is to create ftp site.
Create an FTP Site
Here we will create an FTP site and define the path of your FTP directory. You can do it using the IIS manager. Follow the below steps to create an FTP site:
Step 1 – Open the Server Manager, click on the Tools => Internet Information Server (IIS) Manager. You should see the following screen:
Step 2 – Right click on the Sites => Add FTP Site. You should see the FTP site configuration screen:
Step 3 – Define your FTP Sitename, FTP directory path, and click on the Next button. You should see the port configuration screen:
Step 4 – Define your bind IP address, port, SSL setting and click on the Next button. You should see the FTP authentication configuration screen:
Step 5 – Select authentication type, authorization and permissions and click on the Finish button.
Access FTP Server
There are a lot of free and paid tools available to access the FTP server. In this post, we will use the FileZilla FTP client to connect to the FTP server.
Secondly open the FileZilla FTP client. You should see the FileZilla interface on the following screen:
Click on the Site Manager to create a new FTP connection. You should see the connection configuration screen:
Provide your FTP server IP address, Port, Username, Password then clicks on the Connect button. Once the connection has been established, you should see your FTP content on the following screen:
How to Setup FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022 Conclusion
In this post we have explained how to set up an FTP Server using IIS on Windows Server 2022. We also showed you how to create an FTP user, add an FTP site from the IIS then define the FTP directory. I hope you have now enough knowledge to set up your own FTP server to download and upload files on the remote server.
