xftp is a graphical interface to the file transfer program available on RCS. To use it, you need to be logged into an RCS workstation in an on-campus computer lab. To start the software, enter the command xftp & from a UNIX window. An introductory screen will appear and disappear, and then the main xftp window will appear.
The window shows information about the computer host you are currently attached to, on the left side, and will show information about the computer host you will attach to, on the right side. On the side that is not connected to a host (Not Connected is displayed on that side of the window), left-click on the Connect menu. Select Connect to Remote from that menu.
A new window will appear, displaying hosts you have recently accessed, and displaying fields in which you can type a new host name and a user name. You can left-click on a recently-accessed host to reconnect to it, or you can enter the full host name in the host field (such as sample.com). Enter your userid in the User Name space if you own an account on the host, or enter anonymous.
Left-click on the Connect button. xftp may take some time to establish a connection with the remote host. A window will appear, asking you for a password. If you have an account on the host, enter your account password. If you're accessing a public site, enter your entire electronic mail address. The characters you type are masked with other symbols to keep your password secure.
One you are connected, the remote host's name and file names appear on the right side of the xftp window. You can use the Dir menu to change to different directories in the remote host or your own local host. There are identical menus on both sides of the window - one affecting the local host and the other affecting the remote host.
To send a file back to your own account, left-click on the file or directory name you want to copy from the remote host. Then, left-click on the ASCII or Binary button in the middle of the window. Text files are ASCII and graphics and compiled programs are usually binary. Left-click on Copy or Rcopy to copy a file or an entire directory, respectively, to your account.
For more help, left-click on the Help menu at the top right corner of the window. To quit xftp, left-click on the File menu, then left-click on Quit.