Computing Topics --> Security Topics --> All Security Topics Pages --> Transferring Files With SFTP Or SCP -->

Transferring Files With SFTP Or SCP

Table of Contents

• What is SFTP or SCP?
• Conventions Used in this Document
• Using SCP on the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Computer Labs Workstations
• Using Fetch for SFTP on a Macintosh
• Using F-Secure for SFTP on a Windows PC

What is SFTP or SCP?

SFTP and SCP are secure methods of transferring files between computers on a network. SFTP stands for "Secure File Transfer Protocal" and SCP stands for "Secure CoPy". This means that the information is encrypted before sending across the Internet, which prevents anyone who might intercept the traffic from diciphering the content of the information. They are useful for sharing files with others, using data on more than one system, and downloading files for backup onto a second system. This document is intended to provide you with the basic information you need to use SFTP or SCP when working with your TerpConnect or GRACE account.

This document assumes that you are either using your TerpConnect or GRACE account with SFTP client software or from a terminal window in a computer in a lab, office at the University, or at home.

The SFTP client programs and SCP command described in this document allow you to connect from a local system to a remote system in order to transfer files. The computer system on which you run the client software is referred to as the local system. The system on the other end of your file transfer session (the system running the server software) is referred as the remote system.

Conventions Used in this Document

In this document, different fonts are used to clarify the meaning of the text:

Note: UNIX is case-sensitive. Thus it makes a difference whether commands and file names are typed in upper or lower case.

Using SCP on the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Computer Lab Workstations

Secure file transfers to and from local or remote systems can be initiated with the SCP UNIX command.

To use the scp command to copy files between systems, use the following command:

scp filename1 userid@hostname:filename2

where filename1 is the file on the local system that you wish to copy, userid@hostname is the userid and hostname where you wish to copy it, and filename2 is the name you want to call the file on the remote system. For example:

scp myfile jdoe@terpconnect.umd.edu:myfile

Note: scp may also be used to copy files from a remote system to a local system. To do this in the first example above, reverse the order of filename1 and userid@hostname:filename2.

When this command is typed on the Glue system, it will copy the file to the TerpConnect system.

When you issue the command, you'll be prompted for the password on the remote system. You will then be given the stats of the transfer. Pay attention to the second item on the stat line; it's how much of the file got transferred (you want to see 100%). For example:

scp myfile jdoe@terpconnect.umd.edu:myfile

jdoe@terpconnect.umd.edu's password:

myfile 100% |***************************| 1232 00:00

The password will not show up when typed. The statistics indicate the percentage of the file that was transferred, the size of the file, and the estimated time to transfer the file (in this case, immediate). The scp command gives you three chances to get the password right before it aborts the connection.

To use the scp command to copy directories between systems, use the following command:

scp -r directoryname userid@hostname:directoryname2

where directoryname is the directory on the local system you wish to copy, userid@hostname is the userid and hostname where you wish to copy it, and directoryname2 is the name you want to call the file on the remote system. For example:

scp -r mydirectory jdoe@terpconnect.umd.edu:mydirectory

Note: scp may also be used to copy directories from a remote system to a local system. To do this in the first example above, reverse the order of directoryname and userid@hostname:directoryname2.

When this command is typed on the Glue system, it will copy the directory and all of its contents to the TerpConnect system.

The most common way to display help is at a UNIX prompt. Before you issue the scp command you can receive help at the UNIX prompt. An on-line UNIX manual is available for detailed help on scp. To access the manual information about scp, type the following at the UNIX system prompt:

man scp

Using FTP on a Macintosh

Secure file transfers to and from a Mac can be initiated with client software such as Fetch 5.0.

For information about downloading Fetch 5.0, see Downloading Fetch 5.0.

To begin using Fetch 5.0 for SFTP:

1. Double-click the Fetch icon to launch the program.
2. A New Connection window will appear.
3. In the Hostname: field, type in the name of the remote system you want to connect to, such as: terpconnect.umd.edu or glue.umd.edu.
4. In the Username: field, type in your Directory ID.
5. Set the Connect using: drop-down menu to SFTP.
6. In the Password: field, type in your password for your Directory ID.
7. Click the Connect button.

When you have successfully connected, files on the remote system will appear in the window as shown below.

At this point, you can use the Path button to navigate through directories on the remote system. To begin downloading files from the remote system to your local system, select the file you wish to download and click the Get button. To begin uploading files to the remote system from your local system, click the Put button. Choose the file you wish to upload and click the Put button.

You can receive on-line help from within Fetch by selecting Fetch Help from the Help drop-down menu. The Help menu provides information on installing, using, and troubleshooting the program.

When you have completed your file transfer and you are ready to disconnect from the remote system, close the connection window.

Using SFTP on Windows PCs

File transfers to and from a Windows PC can be initiated with client software such as F-Secure SSH File Transfer.

For information about downloading and installing F-Secure, see Downloading and Installing F-Secure SSH for Windows.

To begin using F-Secure for SFTP:

1. Select Network Tools from Programs in the Start menu. Then, select F-Secure SSH File Transfer from the Network Tools menu. This launches the F-Secure program.
2. Once you launch F-Secure, a window listing the contents of the local computer appears.
3. To start a session, click the Quick Connect button. A Connect to Remote Host window will appear.
4. In the Host name or IP address field, type the name of the remote system (such as terpconnect.umd.edu or glue.umd.edu).
5. In the User Name field, type in your Directory ID for TerpConnect.
6. Set the Authentication Methods field to Password.
7. Click Connect and you will be prompted for your Directory ID Password.

Once your connection is established, the F-Secure program displays a window similar to the one above. The window is segmented into two lists. One list displays your local system's files and the other list displays the remote system's files. You can now download as well as upload files between the two systems by clicking once on the name of the file and clicking an arrow to copy the file name to the destination system.

You can receive on-line help from within F-Secure by selecting Help from the pull-down menu. The Help menu provides information on installing, using, and troubleshooting the program.

When you have completed your file transfer and you are ready to disconnect from the remote system, choose Disconnect from the pull-down File menu. This will disconnect you from the remote system. To quit F-Secure, choose Exit from the pull-down File menu.

Please contact the OIT Help Desk if you have any questions or concerns.