File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a widely used Internet protocol (part of the TCP/IP family) that lets you transfer files from remote machines. Several anonymous FTP sites distribute Linux software. (Anonymous means you don’t need an account on the remote machine to access the files; you log in as guest or anonymous and use your name or login as a password.) If you have access to the Internet, either directly or through an on-line service provider such as CompuServe, Delphi, or America Online, you can access the Linux distribution sites.

To use FTP, you must be on a machine that supports TCP/IP. This can be your existing PC running a DOS or Windows package that gives you FTP capabilities or a UNIX or Linux workstation that is connected to an Internet service. Both ends of an FTP connection must be running a program that provides FTP services. To download a file from a remote system, you must start your FTP software and instruct it to connect to the FTP software running on the remote machine.

The Internet has many FTP archive sites. These machines are designed to allow anyone to connect to them and download software. In many cases, FTP archive sites mirror each other so that they have exactly the same software. You connect to the site that is easiest to get to. See the section in this chapter called “Linux FTP Archive Sites” for more information.