FTP Stopped Connecting Via Client

[Simon_Smyth]

Hi,
The FTP on my VPs running centos 6.6 and plesk 12.0.18 Update #44 has stopped allowing FTP conections via filezilla or dreamweaver. My tech knowledge with server management outside of the gui is minimal but i have done the following.
Checked that the firwall is allowing ftp traffic through the GUI in plesk.
restarted xinetd and checked status
[root@367549 ~]# service xinetd status
xinetd (pid 11707) is running...
[root@367549 ~]# lsof -i tcp:21
COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
xinetd 11707 root 5u IPv6 682472 0t0 TCP *:ftp (LISTEN)

Then tried the following
[root@367549 ~]# ftp localhost
-bash: ftp: command not found

But i can connect via telnet on port 21

when trying to use +dreamweaver or filezilla i get the following.
This may be due to one or more of the following reasons: - The network cable is unplugged or the network is down. Please verify that the network cable is connected and that the network is up. - The FTP server is down. Please verify that you can connect to the FTP server using another FTP program. - The FTP host name is incorrect. Please verify that the host name is correct in the Site definition dialog box. - Accessing the server requires proxy settings that aren't properly set. Please verify that the proxy settings in the Site category of the Preferences dialog box are properly set, and that the Use Proxy option in the Site definition dialog box is selected. - You may need to connect to the server using a different port than the one provided. Please specify the correct port in the box provided.


Error: The data connection could not be established: ETIMEDOUT - Connection attempt timed out
Error: Connection timed out after 20 seconds of inactivity
Error: Failed to retrieve directory listin.


I have no idea what to do and why after no change this just stopped working when ive been using ftp on this server previous.. the company that i brought the vps from have no intrest and tell me its unmanaged.
If anyone has any idea on what i can do to 1.find out what has stopped the connection and 2 how i can fix it that would be great.
Thanks
Dan

 

[Simon_Smyth]

Hi can anyone shed some light on how i can get this working? the hosting company are not helping at all and i cant update my website?
many thanks

 

[pleskpanel]

Can't speak specifically to why the latest update would have broken your ability to connect but a few questions:

1. Have you tried connecting using your IP address? (can you ftp from a command prompt to your IP)?
2. Do you have a passive port range open on your firewall and do you use the Plesk firewall management?
3. If all above is true, have you tried opening the firewall management, finding a rule and then clicking "save changes" to see if it reloads iptables?

 

[HoracioS]

Something is very wrong in your VPS (I assume is a Virtuozzo Container).

> Then tried the following
> [root@367549 ~]# ftp localhost
> -bash: ftp: command not found

It means your Linux has not installed FTP client?? Check urgently and reinstall all in a new fresh Container....

The other question is if you checked the Plesk Firewall or you enabled other kind of firewall inside the CT, in this case, you can disable iptables to try: iptables -F at your own risk.

Best regards,
Horacio

 

[Simon_Smyth]

Hi thanks for your replies. It was not the update that stopped the FTP working. I did the updates after to see if that fixed the issues. It just stopped working. I checked the plesk firewall. I have no other firewall and the rules for the ftp are allowing traffic. I did edit the rule is plesk firewall and clicked save changes and this did not work.
If i try and connect to ftp using cmd
i get unknown host returned. I typed at ftp cmd open ftp.domain.com and also tried open ftp.ipaddress and both returned unkown host. Should my hosting company be helping me here? they say it is unmanaged so they wont support me. I have done nothing to make these changes though.
I reallly apperciate your help and time for your replies. I just do not know what to do.

 

[pleskpanel]

If you're getting unknown host errors from an outside network then you likely have a DNS or domain issue rather than an FTP issue. Have you tried to FTP directly to the VPS IP address?

 

[pleskpanel]

Simon, were you able to determine the source of your issue?

 

[cpartassides]

Had exactly the same problem. Is definitely a default Plesk firewall condition. On disabling the firewall the issues subsided. Need to find which port is blocked.

 

[HoracioS]

This is a problem with a Plesk Firewall if you need to disable it.

The solution is force the FTP passive mode to use a range of ports as follows:

Add or create
/etc/proftpd.d/passive_ports.conf
Edit it, and add the following line:
PassivePorts 30000 30400

In the Plesk Firewall add the following custom rules:
FTP PassivePorts 30000-30400 Allow incoming from all on ports 30000-30400/tcp, 30000-30400/udp

And finally, restart the FTP service.

Best regards,
Horacio D. Stolovitzky

 

[trialotto]

@HoracioS and @everyone,

It is not necessary to restart the ftp service after adding the passive_ports.conf file.

In my original post concerning the use of passive ports, I already explained that every new connection is started with the new settings, as defined by all the .conf files for proftpd.

In short, proftpd is quite "smart" and does not require config reloading.

Regards....