FTP Session <session>

Overview

The <sessions> element is a dynamically generated collection of <session> elements, each of which is dynamically created by the FTP service as clients connect to your FTP server. The data that is contained in the attributes for each <session> element is read-only; values can be queried but not modified. Each <session> element contains a terminate method, which allows you to disconnect the client session.

Compatibility

Version Notes
IIS 10.0 The <session> element was not modified in IIS 10.0.
IIS 8.5 The <session> element was not modified in IIS 8.5.
IIS 8.0 The <session> element was not modified in IIS 8.0.
IIS 7.5 The <session> element of the <sessions> element ships as a feature of IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0 The <session> element of the <sessions> 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/expand/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 Web Server I I S and F T P Server pane expanded and F T P Extensibility 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.
    Image of Internet Information Services and F T P Server pane expanded with F T P Extensibility selected.

  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 F T P Server pane expanded with F T P Service 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.
    Image of Internet F T P Server in Turn Windows Features on or off page expanded with F T P Extensibility and F T P Service selected.

  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 view the active sessions 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.
    Image of sites Home pane with F T P Current Sessions highlighted.

  3. In the site's Home pane, double-click FTP Current Sessions.
    Screenshot of F T P Current Sessions page.

  4. The currently active FTP sessions will be displayed in the list view. You can disconnect an active session by highlighting it in the list and then clicking Disconnect Session in the Actions pane.

Configuration

The <session> element is created at the site level.

Attributes

Attribute Data Type Description
bytesReceived int64 Specifies the cumulative number of bytes that have been received for the session.
bytesSent int64 Specifies the cumulative number of bytes that have been sent for the session.
clientIp string Specifies the client's IP address.
commandStartTime string Specifies the time that the last command was started.
currentCommand string Specifies the currently executing command.
lastErrorStatus uint Specifies the last FTP reply code.
previousCommand string Specifies the previously executed command.
sessionId string Specifies the unique identifier for the session.
sessionStartTime string Specifies the time that the session was started.
userName string Specifies the user name for the session, or "<Anonymous>" if the session is anonymous.

Child Elements

None.

Methods

Method Description
Terminate Disconnects an FTP client session.

Configuration Sample

The <session> element is dynamically generated; it cannot be configured.

Sample Code

The following code samples illustrate looping through the list of sessions for an FTP site that is named "ftp.example.com". The code samples will list the session identifier, the user name, and the last command for each session.

AppCmd.exe

You cannot query FTP session information by using AppCmd.exe.

C#

using System;
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");
         ConfigurationElementCollection sessionsElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("sessions").GetCollection();

         Console.WriteLine(String.Format("Active Sessions: {0}", sessionsElement.Count));

         foreach (ConfigurationElement sessionElement in sessionsElement)
         {
            Console.WriteLine(String.Format("\tSession ID: {0}",
                sessionElement.Attributes["sessionId"].Value.ToString()));
            Console.WriteLine(String.Format("\t\tUser Name: {0}",
                sessionElement.Attributes["userName"].Value.ToString()));
            Console.WriteLine(String.Format("\t\tPrevious Command: {0}",
                sessionElement.Attributes["previousCommand"].Value.ToString()));
         }
      }
   }

   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 sessionsElement As ConfigurationElementCollection = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("sessions").GetCollection
      Console.WriteLine(String.Format("Active Sessions: {0}", sessionsElement.Count))
      For Each sessionElement As ConfigurationElement In sessionsElement
         Console.WriteLine(String.Format(vbTab & "Session ID: {0}", sessionElement.Attributes("sessionId").Value.ToString))
         Console.WriteLine(String.Format(vbTab & vbTab & "User Name: {0}", sessionElement.Attributes("userName").Value.ToString))
         Console.WriteLine(String.Format(vbTab & vbTab & "Previous Command: {0}", sessionElement.Attributes("previousCommand").Value.ToString))
      Next
   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 sessionsElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("sessions").Collection;

WScript.Echo("Active Sessions: " + sessionsElement.Count);

for (var i = 0; i < sessionsElement.Count; i++) {
   var sessionElement = sessionsElement.Item(i);
   WScript.Echo("\tSession ID: " + sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("sessionId").Value);
   WScript.Echo("\t\tUser Name: " + sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("userName").Value);
   WScript.Echo("\t\tPrevious Command: " + sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("previousCommand").Value);
}

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 sessionsElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("sessions").Collection

WScript.Echo "Active Sessions: " & CLng(sessionsElement.Count)

For i = 0 To CLng(sessionsElement.Count)-1
   Set sessionElement = sessionsElement.Item(i)
   WScript.Echo vbTab & "Session ID: " & sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("sessionId").Value
   WScript.Echo vbTab & vbTab & "User Name: " & sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("userName").Value
   WScript.Echo vbTab & vbTab & "Previous Command: " & sessionElement.GetPropertyByName("previousCommand").Value
Next

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