Business Glossary

a variation on FTP (file transfer protocol) in which all connections are initiated by the client (the user's PC), not the server. This is necessary because some routers and firewalls, for security reasons, do not allow the server to initiate connections to the client. In that situation, a user can establish an FTP connection but cannot get a list of files and folders. Passive FTP overcomes the problem.

To select passive FTP, type the command passive in a commandline FTP session, or make the appropriate choice in setting up your FTP client software. For example, in Microsoft Internet Explorer, passive FTP is an option under Tools, Internet Options, Advanced.