FTP File Handling <fileHandling>

Overview

The <fileHandling> element is used to specify the way that the FTP service handles file operations. For example, the keepPartialUploads attribute configures whether the FTP service should keep files that were partially transferred, such as when a file transfer ends prematurely.

Compatibility

Version Notes
IIS 10.0 The <fileHandling> element was not modified in IIS 10.0.
IIS 8.5 The <fileHandling> element was not modified in IIS 8.5.
IIS 8.0 The <fileHandling> element was not modified in IIS 8.0.
IIS 7.5 The <fileHandling> element of the <ftpServer> element ships as a feature of IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0 The <fileHandling> element of the <ftpServer> element was introduced in FTP 7.0, which was a separate download for IIS 7.0.
IIS 6.0 N/A

Note

The FTP 7.0 and FTP 7.5 services shipped out-of-band for IIS 7.0, which required downloading and installing the modules from the following URL:

https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/ftp

With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the FTP 7.5 service ships as a feature for IIS 7.5, so downloading the FTP service is no longer necessary.

Setup

To support FTP publishing for your Web server, you must install the FTP service. To do so, use the following steps.

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2

  1. On the taskbar, click Server Manager.

  2. In Server Manager, click the Manage menu, and then click Add Roles and Features.

  3. In the Add Roles and Features wizard, click Next. Select the installation type and click Next. Select the destination server and click Next.

  4. On the Server Roles page, expand Web Server (IIS), and then select FTP Server.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will need to select FTP Extensibility, in addition to FTP Service.
    Screenshot of the Server Roles page with the F T P Extensibility option being highlighted.

  5. Click Next, and then on the Select features page, click Next again.

  6. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install.

  7. On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

  1. On the Start screen, move the pointer all the way to the lower left corner, right-click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows features on or off.

  3. Expand Internet Information Services, and then select FTP Server.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of the Control Panel Programs and Features dialog box with the F T P Extensibility folder being highlighted.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Click Close.

Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  2. In the Server Manager hierarchy pane, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).

  3. In the Web Server (IIS) pane, scroll to the Role Services section, and then click Add Role Services.

  4. On the Select Role Services page of the Add Role Services Wizard, expand FTP Server.

  5. Select FTP Service.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of the Add Role Services Wizard with the F T P Service option being highlighted.

  6. Click Next.

  7. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.

  8. On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 7

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off.

  3. Expand Internet Information Services, and then FTP Server.

  4. Select FTP Service.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of the Internet Information Services folder's contained folders, including the F T P Server, F T P Extensibility, and F T P Service folders.

  5. Click OK.

Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista

  1. Download the installation package from the following URL:

  2. Follow the instructions in the following walkthrough to install the FTP service:

How To

How to configure the file handling options for an FTP site

  1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:

    • If you are using Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2:

      • On the taskbar, click Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
    • If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1:

      • Hold down the Windows key, press the letter X, and then click Control Panel.
      • Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
    • If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:

      • On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
    • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:

      • On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
      • Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name, expand the Sites node, and then click the name of the site.

  3. In the site's Home pane, click Advanced Settings... in the Manage FTP Site section of the Actions pane.
    Screenshot of the Manage F T P Site section of the Actions pane.

  4. In the Advanced Settings dialog box, expand File Handling, and specify the following options:

    • Specify True for Allow Reading Files While Uploading if the FTP service should allow read access to files that are currently being uploaded; otherwise, specify False.

    • Specify True for Allow Replace on Rename if the FTP service should allow files that are being renamed to overwrite existing files; otherwise, specify False.

    • Specify True for Keep Partial Uploads if the FTP service should keep files that have been partially uploaded; otherwise, specify False.

      Note

      Keeping partially-uploaded files allows FTP clients to reconnect and resume uploading.)
      Screenshot of the File Handling expandable field, containing the Allowing Reading Files While Uploading, Alow Replace on Rename, and Keep Partial Uploads specifications.

  5. Click OK.

Configuration

The <fileHandling> element is configured at the site level.

Attributes

Attribute Description
allowReadUploadsInProgress Optional Boolean attribute.

true if the FTP service should allow read access to files that are currently being uploaded; otherwise, false.

The default value is false.
allowReplaceOnRename Optional Boolean attribute.

true if the FTP service should allow files that are being renamed to overwrite existing files; otherwise, false.

The default value is false.
keepPartialUploads Optional Boolean attribute.

true if the FTP service should keep files that have been partially uploaded; otherwise, false.

The default value is false.

Child Elements

None.

Configuration Sample

The following sample displays a <fileHandling> element for an FTP site that configures the FTP service to keep partial uploads, to allow replacing existing files when renaming files, and to deny reading files that are currently being uploaded.

<site name="ftp.example.com" id="5">
  <application path="/">
    <virtualDirectory path="/" physicalPath="c:\inetpub\www.example.com" />
  </application>
  <bindings>
    <binding protocol="ftp" bindingInformation="*:21:" />
  </bindings>
  <ftpServer>
    <fileHandling keepPartialUploads="true"
      allowReplaceOnRename="true"
      allowReadUploadsInProgress="false" />
    <security>
      <authentication>
        <basicAuthentication enabled="true" />
        <anonymousAuthentication enabled="false" />
      </authentication>
    </security>
  </ftpServer>
</site>

Sample Code

The following examples configure an FTP site so that it keeps partial uploads, allows replacing existing files when renaming files, and denies reading files that are currently being uploaded.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.fileHandling.keepPartialUploads:"True" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.fileHandling.allowReplaceOnRename:"True" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.fileHandling.allowReadUploadsInProgress:"False" /commit:apphost

Note

You must be sure to set the commit parameter to apphost when you use AppCmd.exe to configure these settings. This commits the configuration settings to the appropriate location section in the ApplicationHost.config file.

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();
         ConfigurationSection sitesSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites");
         ConfigurationElementCollection sitesCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection();

         ConfigurationElement siteElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", @"ftp.example.com");
         if (siteElement == null) throw new InvalidOperationException("Element not found!");
         ConfigurationElement ftpServerElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer");

         ConfigurationElement fileHandlingElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("fileHandling");
         fileHandlingElement["keepPartialUploads"] = true;
         fileHandlingElement["allowReplaceOnRename"] = true;
         fileHandlingElement["allowReadUploadsInProgress"] = false;

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }
   
   private static ConfigurationElement FindElement(ConfigurationElementCollection collection, string elementTagName, params string[] keyValues)
   {
      foreach (ConfigurationElement element in collection)
      {
         if (String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
         {
            bool matches = true;
            for (int i = 0; i < keyValues.Length; i += 2)
            {
               object o = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues[i]);
               string value = null;
               if (o != null)
               {
                  value = o.ToString();
               }
               if (!String.Equals(value, keyValues[i + 1], StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
               {
                  matches = false;
                  break;
               }
            }
            if (matches)
            {
               return element;
            }
         }
      }
      return null;
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample
   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration
      Dim sitesSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites")
      Dim sitesCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection

      Dim siteElement As ConfigurationElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", "ftp.example.com")
      If (siteElement Is Nothing) Then
         Throw New InvalidOperationException("Element not found!")
      End If
      Dim ftpServerElement As ConfigurationElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer")

      Dim fileHandlingElement As ConfigurationElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("fileHandling")
      fileHandlingElement("keepPartialUploads") = True
      fileHandlingElement("allowReplaceOnRename") = True
      fileHandlingElement("allowReadUploadsInProgress") = False

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub

   Private Function FindElement(ByVal collection As ConfigurationElementCollection, ByVal elementTagName As String, ByVal ParamArray keyValues() As String) As ConfigurationElement
      For Each element As ConfigurationElement In collection
         If String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
            Dim matches As Boolean = True
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To keyValues.Length - 1 Step 2
               Dim o As Object = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues(i))
               Dim value As String = Nothing
               If (Not (o) Is Nothing) Then
                  value = o.ToString
               End If
               If Not String.Equals(value, keyValues((i + 1)), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
                  matches = False
                  Exit For
               End If
            Next
            If matches Then
               Return element
            End If
         End If
      Next
      Return Nothing
   End Function


End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";
var sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST");
var sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection;

var siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", ["name", "ftp.example.com"]);
if (siteElementPos == -1) throw "Element not found!";
var siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos);
var ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer");

var fileHandlingElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("fileHandling");
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("keepPartialUploads").Value = true;
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("allowReplaceOnRename").Value = true;
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("allowReadUploadsInProgress").Value = false;

adminManager.CommitChanges();

function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch) {
   for (var i = 0; i < collection.Count; i++) {
      var element = collection.Item(i);
      if (element.Name == elementTagName) {
         var matches = true;
         for (var iVal = 0; iVal < valuesToMatch.length; iVal += 2) {
            var property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch[iVal]);
            var value = property.Value;
            if (value != null) {
               value = value.toString();
            }
            if (value != valuesToMatch[iVal + 1]) {
               matches = false;
               break;
            }
         }
         if (matches) {
            return i;
         }
      }
   }
   return -1;
}

VBScript

Set adminManager = createObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"
Set sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST")
Set sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection

siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", Array("name", "ftp.example.com"))
If siteElementPos = -1 Then
   WScript.Echo "Element not found!"
   WScript.Quit
End If
Set siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos)
Set ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer")

Set fileHandlingElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("fileHandling")
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("keepPartialUploads").Value = True
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("allowReplaceOnRename").Value = True
fileHandlingElement.Properties.Item("allowReadUploadsInProgress").Value = False

adminManager.CommitChanges()

Function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch)
   For i = 0 To CInt(collection.Count) - 1
      Set element = collection.Item(i)
      If element.Name = elementTagName Then
         matches = True
         For iVal = 0 To UBound(valuesToMatch) Step 2
            Set property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch(iVal))
            value = property.Value
            If Not IsNull(value) Then
               value = CStr(value)
            End If
            If Not value = CStr(valuesToMatch(iVal + 1)) Then
               matches = False
               Exit For
            End If
         Next
         If matches Then
            Exit For
         End If
      End If
   Next
   If matches Then
      FindElement = i
   Else
      FindElement = -1
   End If
End Function