Connection Options

In the Global Options dialog box, you can configure the number of simultaneous connections you will allow from CuteFTP, number of times CuteFTP tries to connect to a Site before giving up, how long CuteFTP should wait before attempting a new connection after a failed connection, and so on. In most situations, the default settings will allow you to connect to your remote Sites.

To configure connection options

  1. On the main menu, click Tools > Global Options (or press ALT+F7).

  2. Click the Connection node. The Connection options appear.

  3. Configure options as described below.

    • To specify the number of simultaneous connections you will allow from CuteFTP, in the Global max concurrent transfers box, specify the number of connections.

      • You can choose up to 200 connections, but CuteFTP will warn you that more than 20 connections may compromise system performance.

      • Connections include transfers and browse sessions, and every thread in a Multi-Part transfer.

    • To specify the number of simultaneous connections you will allow from CuteFTP per Site, in the Per Site max concurrent transfers box, type or select the number of connections. (Same as Global max but on a per Site basis.)

      • If you choose to allow only one connection per Site, you must transfer files over the browse session only (you can navigate or transfer, but not both at the same time). This may be needed in situations where the server does not allow more than one connection from the same user. If the server allows more than one connection, then it is recommended that you use a value greater than one (e.g., the default of 5). That way you can transfer files and at the same time continue to navigate the Site.

    • To specify the number of times CuteFTP tries to connect to a Site before giving up, in the Connection retry attempts box, type or select the number of attempts. You can set CuteFTP to try connecting up to 1,000 times.

    • To specify how long CuteFTP waits before attempting a new connection after a failed connection, in the Delay between retries in seconds box, choose up to 1,000 seconds (about 17 minutes).

      • CuteFTP does not automatically retry after fatal errors, such as a host unreachable (invalid IP address or host name), or upon receiving a socket 1006n error, which usually has to do with the client not being able to connect to the host for various reasons (firewall blocking, network error, host is down, etc.).

    • To specify how long CuteFTP waits for an unresponsive server before it stops attempting a new connection, in the Connection timeout in seconds box, type or select up to 1,000 seconds (about 17 minutes).

    • To specify the address that you want to send to servers that require an email address for anonymous log ins, in the Email address for anonymous logins box, type the email address. By default, CuteFTP sends a simulated email address.

    • To display a pop-up window with information from the server when initial connections are successful, select the Display the server's welcome message check box. Clear this check box to skip the server's successful connection message.

    • To ask the server for a list of extended features it supports, select the Send the FEAT command after login to determine feature support check box. Clear this check box to stop sending the FEAT command.

      • FEAT is used to determine whether extended features are supported, such as MDTM, MLST, and others. Not all servers support the FEAT command.

    • To send the QUIT command from CuteFTP no matter how you choose to disconnect, select the Send QUIT command before disconnecting check box. Clear this check box to disconnect without sending the QUIT command.

    • To use the UPnP NAT interface (available in Windows XP) to provide proper port mapping when connecting securely from behind a NAT/firewall using PORT mode (rather than PASV, due to the remote host also being behind a NAT/firewall), select the Enable port mapping using UPnP check box. Without UPnP, you would need to manually set the port range in CuteFTP (see the next bullet below) and also enable and forward them in the NAT/firewall device.

      • You can choose Max connections, Delay between retries, and Retry attempts for individual Sites. In the Site Manager, click the Options tab.

    • To specify an IP address and define a port range when establishing connections using PORT mode, select the Assign PORT mode IP address and port range check box, then specify the IP address and port range. Typically, this setting should be turned off , but if you are using SSL and are having difficulty negotiating a firewall, it may help to specify your public FTP address here to enable CuteFTP to negotiate with the firewall or NAT.

      • Optionally, you can specify a range of ports for issuing port commands. CuteFTP selects ports randomly within the range defined in Global Options -> Connection -> Port range. Instead of incrementing the FTP data port, a random number within the range is chosen; if the number is already at the max number of concurrent transfers, the function recurses until it finds a valid port or runs out of options.

      Use local port range when you have a defined limited number of open ports on your firewall.

  4. Click Apply if you are going to make changes to other pages; click OK to save changes and close the Global Options dialog box.