Document Information

Document Type: TechNote  

Product(s):  Support Services

Version(s):  All

Original Author: Bentley Technical Support Group

Legacy Document Number:  8112

Although files and data sets can provide a good way to communicate ideas, concepts, and specific issues, any time that security, confidentiality, or large amounts of data (e.g. collectively over 20MB) are involved, we highly recommend using our secure FTP site. The following provide some guidelines regarding this: 

• To provide a sample data set that demonstrates a particular concept or is with regard to a specific issue, we recommend paring the data set down to the absolute minimum that still demonstrates the issue -- this really helps in any investigation. Note that if you do upload the file (or archived data set) to our secure ftp site, please include the name of the file(s) you uploaded to ensure that we get the right file.
• If you include a screen shot image, DO NOT USE BMP FORMAT. We recommend using JPEG, GIF, or PNG formats when saving the file from a graphics program (i.e. Paint in Windows) as that significantly reduces the size of the image file on your hard disk, yet the resulting image remains clear enough to show what is necessary.
• Although our FTP site is monitored with up-to-date, state-of-the-art anti-virus and malware software, you should be aware that you download posted files at your own risk.  

Uploading Files 

Using a web browser 

Most current Web browsers will let you upload files to an FTP site. To upload, point your browser to ftp://ftp.bentley.com/pub/incoming. Note that the incoming FTP folder is "blind", so you will not be able to see any files that may already be there. If you are using Internet Explorer, make sure View > Internet Options > Advanced > Enable folder view for FTP sites is turned on. Then, simply drag a file to the browser window from Windows Explorer and "drop" it in the incoming folder.

Important: Please note that Internet Explorer 9 and later now relies on Windows Explorer for upload functionality.

Using Windows Explorer 

Windows Explorer can also be used as an alternative to a web browser. To use Windows Explorer, select from the Windows Start menu: All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Explorer. Click in the location field along the top, and type the address given below followed by the Enter key:
ftp://ftp.bentley.com/pub/incoming

Drag your file to the blank pane on the right-hand side. A window will open to show the progress of the transfer.  

After you upload the file, please provide the name of the file(s) you uploaded to ensure that we get the right file.

If you receive an error about "permissions" or access denied when you try to put the file in the incoming directory, check the following:

• A file with the same name may already exist on the FTP site, so try giving the file a new name (i.e. instead of 11652.zip, use 11652a.zip)
  
  NOTE: If you attempt to upload a file and that attempt is either aborted or fails before completion, a zero length file is left behind on the FTP site. If you subsequently attempt to upload the same file, that will always fail because a file with that name already exists. You need to rename the file before attempting to upload again
• Make sure there are no spaces or special characters in the file name
• Port 21 (standard ftp port) needs to be fully open all the way through your firewall.

Downloading Files 

Most Internet browsers will let you download a file from an FTP site. To download, point your browser to ftp://ftp.bentley.com/pub/outgoing and type in the exact name of the file at the end of the address line. When the dialog box opens, choose Save to disk, browse to the directory you wish to save the file in and click OK. Note that the outgoing FTP folder is "blind", so you will not be able to see any files that may already be there.

Using an FTP Client

You may also use an FTP client program to access the Bentley FTP site. These programs typically provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to transfer files. Several FTP clients are available from the FTP software category of download.com.

Using the Microsoft Windows command-line FTP client to upload files

Microsoft Windows users experiencing difficulty with browser or gui based clients may achieve success by using the command-line FTP client delivered with most recent editions of the Windows operating system.
In the screenshot below, we outline a simple upload procedure using the command-line client and standard FTP commands.

Yellow text represents user input.  Password entry is masked by design, so we have highlighted the prompt in red.

Explanation of user input:
ftp: launches the ftp client
open ftp://ftp.bentley.com/: Opens the ftp site specified.
anonymous: Denotes use of the anonymous user login
[Password ] : At the password prompt, enter your email address. This will be masked by the program for your security, and is not visible in the screen shot as such.
bin: This changes the transfer mode to Binary, suitable for Binary files.
cd pub: Change the current working directory to the pub directory
cd incoming: Change the current working directory to incoming.  incoming is the directory expected and allowed for anonymous file uploads.
put c:\test.jpg: As shown, the put command tells the ftp client to upload a specified file c:\test.jpg to the current working directory.
bye: bye is the syntax used to close the FTP connection and exit the client. 

See Also

Product TechNotes and FAQs

MicroStation Desktop TechNotes and FAQs

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

Comments or Corrections?

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