UMUC Banner

Using CoreFTP to Upload your web pages to Polaris

 You'll be uploading your web pages to the Polaris server using CoreFTP. First you'll need to download the Free CoreFTP Lite. The limited edition can be downloaded and used free of charge for educational or personal purposes.
To find it, use this link http://www.coreftp.com/
then scroll down until you see:
Download CoreFTP Now
Click that link. Select via Dowload.com or any of the HTTP Links you'll see there. When the download dialog box appears, select the "Save to disk" option. Remember the name of the folder you save to. When installation is complete, Go to your START menu, select PROGRAMS then CoreFTP. Be sure you're connected to the internet via your ISP or the program won't work. When the progarm starts, your firewall may warn you that it's trying to access the Internet. Let it.

A Site Manager window will pop up. You'll need to fill in some blanks. This only needs to be done the first time you use the program.

You'll be asked to fill in the following:
Site Name - use any name that makes sense to you
Host Name/Address - polaris.umuc.edu
UserID - This is YOUR Polaris user ID
Password - YOUR Polaris password
All other options can be left as is unless you want to specify local and remote start folders.

Here's a screen shot of my Site Manager Window:

Screenshot of CuteFTP Session Properties window



Once you're filled in the information, Click the CONNECT button at the bottom of the window. After a short delay you should see the main program window. You'll notice that your main program window has two sides. The "local" side (on the left) shows your hard drive. The "remote" side (on the right) shows your webspace on the Polaris Server.

Here's a screen shot of the Main Program Window:

Screenshot of Main Program Window

You're ready to upload files.
  1. Click on the www folder on the right side of the screen to open it. If you don't, all the files you transfer will go into your root folder and nobody will be able to see them. First, let's transfer your web page to the www folder.
  2. On the LEFT side of the screen, select the folder or "directory" where you saved your web page. You may need to use the Green UpArrow to move up a folder in your directory structure since your web page won't be located in the same folder as the CoreFTP program. If you can't find your web page, go to your START menu then pick FIND (or SEARCH if using Win ME/2000) then pick "Files or Folders". Search on "Index.html" or "mypage.html".
  3. Once you've located your index.html or mypage.html page, point your mouse at it and click the LEFT button once to highlight the filename.
  4. Next, locate the blue --> arrow. You'll find it above the file list in your left pane. Click that. Your file should transfer to your www folder and should be listed there when complete.
Repeat this procedure for any additional web pages you may have. Then transfer any images or other support files you have.

A special note about file types:
All FTP programs let you set the type of file transfer you want done. The options are ascii, binary, or auto. For CoreFTP, these modes are set using icons at the top of the screen (icons 7, 8, and 9th from the left). Use "ascii" for web pages that you now know are just text files. Use "binary" for graphics, audio, and just about everything else. CoreFTP installs with "auto" set as the default. This means that the program will determine the appropriate transfer type. Leave it set to "auto" and you won't have to worry about it. But it's good to know these trasnfer types exist.

Support Options for CoreFTP:
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • User Forums
  • Email to support@coreftp.com

    • If there's some reason you absolutely can't use CoreFTP, then here are instructions for other FTP methods: