WS_FTP Server Hones in on the Enterprise

WS_FTP Server: FTP server with SSH support and high availability.

In the past decade, the original and modest FTP implementation for file transfers across an IP network has been given the kind of extreme makeover usually reserved for single-story ranch homes transformed into McMansions. Enterprise friendly enhancements that were never baked into the original FTP architecture include secure encryption, automation and high availability, all of which make an appearance in the latest version of Ipswitch's WS_FTP Server, version 6.

A 33MB download, WS_FTP Server supports Windows versions 2000 through 2003 but does not currently support Vista. The server also requires Microsoft Internet Information Server to serve up the FTP administration interface, which is now fully Web-based. Although its installed footprint occupied only 10MB on our server, WS_FTP actually includes three servers — the FTP server itself, a syslog-compliant logging server, and a notification server for sending activity alerts by e-mail or text message.

After installation, you can open the browser-based administration interface for full access to the server. With a clean, uncluttered design, the Web interface is easy to navigate and presents clear but thorough details — in fact, it is a step up from the older local administration client. Plus, the server is accessible from anywhere, although it would be nice if Ipswitch were to support Web servers besides IIS, or even bundled its own. (Ed. Note: Shortly after this review was posted, version 6.1 was released. With this upgrade, Microsoft IIS is no longer required for administration.)

Version 6 includes integrated support for Active Directory users, and we all for multiple administrator accounts. Enhanced activity management lets admins view real-time transactions (and interrupt them if necessary) as well as a detailed, searchable log. You can view and filter logs within the administration interface, or enable syslog, which delivers log details to a central server that can reside anywhere.

WS_FTP Server boasts a flexible variety of event-based rules. When activities occur involving logins, file access, disk or bandwidth quotas, a user-defined rule can trigger an alert by e-mail, pager or text message, or it can launch a system command. Using notification variables, you can include details like the name of the user or file, although this would be more effective if variable macros were built right into the administration interface. As it is, you must open the help window to reference which variables can be included in an alert. To Ipswitch's credit, the online help is well-written and easy to navigate.

New to WS_FTP Server is high availability and load balancing, features aimed primarily at enterprise environments. With WS_FTP Server installed on multiple machines, a cluster can be formed to distribute load for maximum performance. Should a server go down, the surviving WS_FTP nodes can take up the slack.

WS_FTP Server comes in two editions: One features support for secure shell or SSH. The distinction between this version and the basic server can be a little confusing. Even the basic WS_FTP Server supports secure file transfers with 256-bit encryption, but it does so only with the SSL (FTPS) protocol. In contrast, WS_FTP Server with SSH also supports SFTP clients. Both FTPS and SFTP are secure ways to transfer files. SSH/SFTP is considered by some to be a more secure way to serve files across a firewall because it does not require opening as many ports as SSL/FTPS; some organizations are more comfortable working with SSH keys than SSL certificates. On the other hand, SSL/FTPS is more compatible with Web browsers, should clients be uploading files through Web forms.

Both versions of WS_FTP Server include support for SHA integrity checking to prevent file corruption, and both can enforce strong password criteria, including auto-expiring passwords.

With its strong security, high availability and flexible administration, WS_FTP Server makes enterprise-grade file transfers attainable.

Pros: Intuitive Web administration; Flexible event-based rules; Well-written online help.
Cons: SSH license not available without support contract.

Reviewed by: Aaron Weiss
Original Review Date: 11/01/2007
Original Review Version: 6.0