Which protocol is used for transferring files between clients and servers over a network and is designed for simple, unencrypted file transfer?

Which protocol is used for transferring files between clients and servers over a network and is designed for simple, unencrypted file transfer?

• A. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
• B. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
• C. Secure Shell (SSH)
• D. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)

Answer: (B)

Transferring files between a client and a server is the core purpose of FTP. It’s the standard protocol built specifically for moving files across a network, using a control channel to manage commands and a separate data channel for the actual file transfer. Historically, FTP operates in plaintext, meaning credentials and file data aren’t encrypted, which is what’s meant by unencrypted by default. This makes FTP the go-to example when describing simple, unencrypted file transfer between machines. Understanding the alternatives helps solidify why FTP fits here. TFTP is even more minimal and lacks authentication and directory management, making it suitable only for very small, local tasks like network device bootstrapping. SSH is used for secure remote access and can securely transfer files via SCP or SFTP, so it’s not the unencrypted option. SIP is a signaling protocol for initiating and managing multimedia sessions, not a file-transfer protocol. So, for straightforward file transfer between clients and servers, FTP is the best fit.

Transferring files between a client and a server is the core purpose of FTP. It’s the standard protocol built specifically for moving files across a network, using a control channel to manage commands and a separate data channel for the actual file transfer. Historically, FTP operates in plaintext, meaning credentials and file data aren’t encrypted, which is what’s meant by unencrypted by default. This makes FTP the go-to example when describing simple, unencrypted file transfer between machines.

Understanding the alternatives helps solidify why FTP fits here. TFTP is even more minimal and lacks authentication and directory management, making it suitable only for very small, local tasks like network device bootstrapping. SSH is used for secure remote access and can securely transfer files via SCP or SFTP, so it’s not the unencrypted option. SIP is a signaling protocol for initiating and managing multimedia sessions, not a file-transfer protocol.

So, for straightforward file transfer between clients and servers, FTP is the best fit.