A Beginner's Guide to Installing and Configuring Pure-FTPd Server on RHEL 8

Setting up a secure and efficient FTP server is a crucial task for many administrators, and Pure-FTPd is a popular choice for its simplicity and robustness. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of installing and configuring Pure-FTPd on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8). Whether you're a novice or an experienced user, this step-by-step tutorial will help you get your FTP server up and running smoothly.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before diving into the installation process, it's essential to ensure that your RHEL 8 system is up to date. Open a terminal and execute the following commands:

sudo dnf update

Step 2: Install Pure-FTPd

Now that your system is updated, let's proceed with the installation of Pure-FTPd. Enter the following command in the terminal:

sudo dnf install pure-ftpd

Step 3: Start and Enable Pure-FTPd Service

Once the installation is complete, start the Pure-FTPd service and enable it to start at boot:

sudo systemctl start pure-ftpd
sudo systemctl enable pure-ftpd

Step 4: Configuring Pure-FTPd

Navigate to the Pure-FTPd configuration directory and open the configuration file using your preferred text editor. In this example, we'll use nano:

sudo nano /etc/pure-ftpd/pure-ftpd.conf

Adjust the configuration options according to your requirements. For example, you can set the maximum number of simultaneous connections, enable or disable anonymous logins, and configure passive mode settings.

Step 5: Create an FTP User

Pure-FTPd doesn't use system users by default, so you'll need to create a virtual user. Use the following command to add a new user:

sudo pure-pw useradd USERNAME -u ftpuser -d /path/to/ftp/folder
sudo pure-pw mkdb

Replace "USERNAME" with the desired username and specify the FTP folder path accordingly.

Step 6: Restart Pure-FTPd

After making changes to the configuration and adding users, restart the Pure-FTPd service for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart pure-ftpd

Additional Tips:

• Firewall Configuration:
  If you have a firewall enabled, make sure to open the FTP port (usually 21) to allow external connections.

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ftp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

• Logging:
  Check the Pure-FTPd logs for troubleshooting and monitoring:

sudo journalctl -xe | grep pure-ftpd

Congratulations! You've successfully installed and configured Pure-FTPd on RHEL 8. This powerful FTP server is now ready to handle your file transfer needs securely. If you encounter any issues, refer to the documentation or community forums for further assistance.