Brief Look at CloudFTP
![Dmitri Popov Dmitri Popov](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/online/blogs/productivity-sauce/275404-17-eng-US/Productivity-Sauce.png)
Productivity Sauce
I backed the CloudFTP project on Kickstarter with the pledge that secured me a CloudFTP unit which duly arrived shortly after the funding had been successfully completed. CloudFTP is a bit of a misnomer, as it hasn't much to do with cloud computing per se. In fact, this miniature Linux-powered device is designed to make any USB mass storage device accessible via a wireless connection.
Plug a USB storage device (an external hard disk, USB stick, card reader, etc.), boot CloudFTP, and you can access the files and documents stored on any machine or mobile device via a custom HTML5-based web interface or using an FTP client. CloudFTP packs a 2600 mAh Lithium-Ion battery, so the device can run autonomously for about five hours. A power cable that charges the battery via USB is provided, too. The built-in wireless 802.11b/g/n interface ensures speedy data transfer between the connected storage device and your machine. CloudFTP sports a single USB 2.0 port for connecting USB storage devices, and the device can handle all common file systems, including FAT32, NTFS, HFS, HFS+, EXT2, EXT3, and EXT4.
CloudFTP can operate in the ad-hoc and infrastructure wireless modes. In the default ad-hoc mode, you connect directly to the wireless network created by CloudFTP. Point then the browser to http://cloudftp to access CloudFTP's HTML5-based interface. In theory, the interface should work on any device and browser that supports HTML5, but in reality, CloudFTP's web front is unusable on Android (I tried it with the Android browser and the latest Chrome beta). On the desktop, Chromium was the only browser that could be used with CloudFTP's web interface. The web front lets you browse the contents of the connected storage device as well as view and stream images and music. The Settings section allows you to modify the available options. Here, you can enable the infrastructure mode by connecting CloudFTP to an existing wireless network. When in the infrastructure mode, the CloudFTP's built-in LCD displays the name of the SSID of the network and the device's IP address, which makes it easier to find it on the network.
While CloudFTP's web interface is not perfect, you can access the device via the FTP protocol using a regular FTP client using the cloudftp user name and empty password. You can use this as a workaround until the web interface is fixed.
All in all, CloudFTP is a nifty little Linux-based device that can come in handy in certain situations. It won't replace a dedicated file server, but you can use it to share and access files and documents while on the move. As an Android user, you might want to wait till CloudFTP's web interface works properly with Android-based devices, though.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.
ftp ?