SFTP, or secure File Transfer Protocol, allows users to move files between computer systems, such as desktops and web servers. SFTP does this using SSH, meaning that passwords and other sensitive data are encrypted during the transfer.

SFTP access is provided by UNC as a service to users in the campus community. This service allows you to use an SFTP client to connect to the [ http://help.unc.edu/?id=5842 ] AFS storage space through isis.unc.edu, the campus web server. Although AFS handles file storage of any kind, the SFTP service is most commonly used to manage HTML and image files for web sites.

To begin using SFTP, you will need a compatible software client. UNC supports SSH Secure Shell for Windows, and Fetch for Macintosh, both of which are available to all campus users for free from [ https://shareware.unc.edu ] shareware.unc.edu. Although not supported by the ITRC, Windows users might also try [ http://www.download.com/FileZilla/3000-2160_4-10530633.html ] Filezilla. Both Macintosh and Linux users will generally have an FTP client available in their desktop environment. For OSX, this the Terminal, and for Linux it might be [ http://gftp.seul.org/ ] gFTP, [ http://kasablanca.berlios.de/ ] Kasablanca or another client.

In addition, UNC has a limited number of licenses for [ http://help.unc.edu/?id=3681 ] F-Secure, which works for each of the major operating systems. These licenses are available to campus users at no charge. Beyond these stand-alone clients, many recent versions of web development software, such as Dreamweaver, include support for SFTP connections.

Besides the client, you will need your [ http://help.unc.edu/?id=1959 ] Onyen and password for authorization. If you have not already done so, you should visit [ https://onyen.unc.edu ] onyen.unc.edu and subscribe to the AFS service. Once you have that, consult the following tutorials for details on how to connect to isis.unc.edu and access to your filespace: