FTP to SharePoint

Question

Is there a way to use FTP with SharePoint?

I'd like to build a project, then just upload it to a directory that is set to automatically publish anything that is uploaded to the directory. In other words, a way to use SharePoint as a basic web host, not a complex CMS. If I could upload via FTP and see it online without having to login to SharePoint at all, this would be most ideal for this use-case.

EDIT

I didn't choose to install SharePoint, but we have migration of old microsites and other content which need to be hosted on our SharePoint install.

Answer 1

I agree with Ryan. If you just want to ftp files up to a server, well just ftp files to your IIS virtual directory. If that is all you want to do, why install SharePoint? Of course, you'll presumably have to log in to your ftp server, so maybe it isn't that much simpler.

If you want a back-to-basics approach you could try using SharePoint to provision your site and use WebDAV to drop files onto Windows Explorer. Or you could use SharePoint Designer as a tool to edit and upload simple pages. There are many possibilities and you certainly don't need to go for the all-out SharePoint Publishing model. But if you want to keep things as simple as possible then why use SharePoint at all?

Answer 2

FTP is not one of the supported protocols.

SharePoint isn't really configured to upload "external" sites and host them. Utilizing IIS as state above is more appropriate. If you don't have access at that level, your best bet is planning a true migration. There are tools available from AvePoint, Quest, and others to assist with migrating traditional websites into SharePoint.

http://www.metalogix.com/products/migration-manager-for-sharepoint/SharePoint-Upgrade.aspx

http://www.quest.com/sharepoint/migration.aspx

http://www.avepoint.com/sharepoint-migration-tools/

Answer 3

It seems to me that you are wanting the tool to meet some perceived technical need instead of defining the need and arriving at the right tool. Even if there are some forcing functions which are causing you to feel you must use SharePoint, it may be the wrong answer.

On the flip side, if you think through the details of what you want to accomplish from a business, not technical, perspective, then SharePoint may provide you much better options than FTP. If you want to organize, categorize, and index the content in a more E2.0 fashion, then SharePoint may be exactly the sledgehammer you need.

Answer 4

We had a related question recently here

In general it is considered a bad practice to use SharePoint as a file share. The same goes, I guess (unless you have a business case to prove otherwize) for SharePoint as an FTP host...

Answer 5

The good way reliably upload large files to Sharepoint is to use the FrontPage Remote Control Procedures, these requires you install the FrontPage extension component on your Sharepoint server but allow you to bypass the Windows based 2MB limit, as it must normally allocate in continuous memory.

The RPC calls are commonly used in Office applications.

All though it's not the best documented method by Microsoft, this blog article explains the process pretty well. I also found this code snippet that contains an example of an helper class which will allow you to upload in this method. I found this was enough to get a functioning test project and adapt it to my needs!

In regards to "Don't use Sharepoint for file sharing", I my experience many people are pitched Sharepoint for inappropriate tasks. It bundles a lot of features so people like to do "Oh we can use Sharepoint for this to!" style thinking.