Unable to connect from ALCHEMY to an external FTP - help needed

[Juan Jose Garcia Calvo]

Hello.
I need your help, my friends, once again:

I'm trying to connect our Alchemy ICMP server to our control windows PC.
I need to configure the server settings on the communicator media server section with the FTP device (the Windows PC) to let then use web commander to ingest KDMs.

This system will be installed far away from us for weekend shows, and DCPs will be received by Smart Jog (BOX byDeluxe), but KDMs, arriving most of times 24-36h before the shows, must be ingested in remote from this control PC (using Anydesk or similar software), as we can wake up the projector/ICMP with Communicator and once KDMs are ingested and shows schedulled, put the projector/ICMP in sleep mode.

I installed Fillezilla Server software on the windows PC without problem and configure the user as "BARCO", with NO filters or speed limits. I configured the mounted points with the "native path" (the windows PC's folder where I downloaded the KDMs from my mail). I left the "virtual path" empty (with a sipmle "/"). I configured this user without authentication ("do not require authentication").
Take a look:

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-09-26 a las 18.07.59.jpg

Using Communicator I configured it this way:

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-09-26 a las 18.07.57.jpg

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-09-26 a las 18.07.58.jpg

Note that I put the port "21". I tryed before to put the "14148" port but the communicator mount test failed returning that it can't reach the FTP server...
At least, with the port "21" the ICMP can reach the FTP server but "storage is not accessible"

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-09-26 a las 18.07.56.jpg


Of course, the IP's numbers are ok as I performed PING from the PC to the ICMP (usen the windows CMD) and the mount test made by communicator in the reverse way says PING is OK:

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-09-26 a las 18.08.00.jpg

Any idea about wath I'm doing wrong?

Thanks in advance
JuanJo

[Elia Orselli]

Have you allowed filezilla server in windows firewall?

[Juan Jose Garcia Calvo]

Have you allowed filezilla server in windows firewall?

Yes.
I forgot to explain that I configured the Windows firewall to allow Filezilla Server to make input and output connections.
I made rules to allow input and outpot for the ports 20, 21 and 14148 too.

I know this could be somethig about computers more than projection issues, but I hope anyone experienced with these configs can help me.

Regards from Spain.
JuanJo

[Marco Giustini]

I've always found fiddly to configure FTP servers!

First, run Filezilla Client and try to log in to that server from the very same PC and another one on the same network. If it works, that will rule out your configuration. If it doesn't, then you need to experiment.
I believe some clients do require authentication - by checking "do not require authentication" Filezilla MIGHT expect an "anonymous" user. I would require authentication and set a Barco/Barco user or something easy.

Then you have the whole active/passive confusion. I hope the ICMP is trying a Passive connection. The Active will use port 21 as a start and then initiate actual communication via other ports, which also need to be open on your Firewall. As a test, disable the Firewall - but please remember to turn it back on later

But before you fiddle with the ICMP, I would try with another Windows first.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Like Marco indicated, a firewall issue is likely.
Also: Don't use empty passwords! Even anonymous FTP requires the client to provide a "password" in the form of e.g. his/her e-mail address or some random string (often just "ftp"). Many FTP implementations will break on empty passwords.

The picture below explains the difference between active and passive FTP. FTP is an old protocol and does not play nice with modern, segmented networks that firewall everything by default...

ftp-active-vs-passive-e1638177916888.webp

Passive mode plays pretty nice through Internet firewalls, but needs some special configuration on the server side and the server's firewall. It also requires the client to support it and to be aware to use it. Active FTP, which is the OJ FTP, is a general bitch (excuse my bad French) through any internet firewall or segmented network.

Have you tried connecting to your FTP server using the FileZilla FTP client? That may give you some better indications of what's wrong than Barco's somewhat clunky curlftpfs implementation.

@Marco
ICMP is a different protocol in the IP stack and not really involved with the active/passive thing (which is based on TCP) other than, maybe, to communicate that the port you're trying to reach isn't open. But an ICMP ping doesn't prove anything regarding a correct FTP configuration, whether it's passive or active.

ICMP is a control messaging protocol, often used for basic debugging, but also for hosts to communicate certain states to each other. Unfortunately, half-assed firewall implementations have made ICMP a whole lot less usable over the years, leading to issues like broken PMTU discovery, more or less eternally fixing the internet on an MTU of 1500, amongst others...

[Gordon McLeod]

The GDC sx3000 and up will also noit connect to a external FTP server

[Leo Enticknap]

I've never used Filezilla server for this purpose, primarily because I've found that the FTP server service built into Windows works perfectly well. Attached is a cheat sheet that I started, but never got around to completing, for setting it up. It's incomplete, because it doesn't cover what needs to be done at the DCP server end (setting it up as an ingest source), but it does cover the Windows end.

[Ioannis Syrogiannis]

Juan Jose, search for "Ingest through FTP server on Barco" in this forum. Ekaterina pins the issue down with a parameter Alchemy uses.
Bottom line, if you want to use FileZilla, use version 0.9.60.2

[Jorge Aquino]

Hola disculpen! Alguien de ustedes me podria decir paso a paso como hacer ingerir desde filezilla a ICMP (barco 10s) ya que no e podido y hasta el momento tengo que hacer todo fisicamente, muchas gracias

[Ioannis Syrogiannis]

Jorge, if my limited Spanish help understand what you are saying, you want to ingest from Filezilla client(?) to Alchemy. Because you haven't achieved that up to now and you ingest with a physical drive.
That's unfortunate, but a different matter to that of the thread, and -more importantly- it can not be done with Alchemy.

If I got it wrong (I tend to do that, especially with languages I am not very familiar with), and your goal is the same with Juan Jose, you need to either follow the "FTP_server_cheat_sheet..." Leo was kind enough to share and then point Alchemy to that computer (the manual provides all necessary info), or try your luck with Filezilla Server, using a version before version 1.0, as I explain.

I have not the courage to write down "step by step" the procedure, but I am sure that internet is your friend and you will find many different sources for the FTP server part in Spanish.

[Jorge Aquino]

Hola IOANNIS, perdon por no seguir el hilo de la conversacion, no entiendo mucho el funcionamiento, mi intencion es mediante filezilla, ya sea server o client ingerir en mi proyector barco, pero hace meses que vengo buscando en internet y casi no hay informacion

[Marcel Birgelen]

For the sake of all those who don't speak Spanish and in order to keep this Forum as a generally available public resource of valuable knowledge, I think you would do most of us and probably yourself a favor if you to keep the communication in English.

You can use readily available tools like Google Translate or ChatGPT to translate stuff where necessairy. Neither is perfect, but should do the trick to the point that communication is at least possible.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

The GDC sx3000 and up will also noit connect to a external FTP server

All the GDC servers will connect to Filezilla, including the SX-3000... That's what GDC uses in their TMS to do the transfering. I realize you don't use their TMS though....

[Frank Cox]

GDC uses Microsoft Windows as the os in their TMS?

I'm surprised. I've never seen any GDC thing other than the cinema servers I've had here and they all run on Linux. I would have assumed their other stuff did as well but apparently not.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Yes, GDC TMS uses Windblows 7 or 10 pro. I only got as far as Win 10 building replacement TMS where old servers or workstations died. By now I would assume Win 11 pro also works. It also requires four or 5 other freebie software loaded in during TMS setup to function properly including Filezilla. Yes, all the servers run on Linux. But all our projector setup software runs on Windblows, but gives access to Linux based projectors. That's nothing new...