Setting up Pure-FTPd Server on RHEL 7 Linux

Setting up a Pure-FTPd server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 can greatly enhance your ability to transfer files securely over a network. Pure-FTPd is a lightweight, efficient, and secure FTP server that is easy to configure. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing and configuring Pure-FTPd on a RHEL 7 system, ensuring a smooth and secure file transfer experience.

Step 1: Installing Pure-FTPd

Before we begin, let's ensure that your system is up-to-date. Open a terminal and run the following commands:

sudo yum update
sudo yum install pure-ftpd

This will install the Pure-FTPd package on your RHEL 7 system.

Step 2: Configuring Pure-FTPd

Once the installation is complete, we need to configure Pure-FTPd. Open the configuration file using your preferred text editor. In this example, we'll use nano:

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

Here, you can modify various settings, such as enabling TLS, setting the maximum number of simultaneous connections, and more. Save your changes and exit the text editor.

Step 3: Creating a New User

Pure-FTPd uses system users for authentication. To create a new user, use the following command:

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

Replace "USERNAME" with the desired username and "/path/to/directory" with the directory the user should have access to.

Step 4: Starting Pure-FTPd

Start the Pure-FTPd service with the following command:

sudo systemctl start pure-ftpd

To ensure Pure-FTPd starts automatically on boot, run:

sudo systemctl enable pure-ftpd

Step 5: Testing the FTP Server

Now, it's time to test your Pure-FTPd server. Open your preferred FTP client and connect to your server using the configured credentials.

Additional Tips and Examples:

• Enabling TLS:
  To enable TLS, uncomment or add the following line in the configuration file:

  TLSCertificateFile /etc/ssl/private/pure-ftpd.pem
  

  Replace the path with the location of your SSL certificate.

• Limiting Connections:
  To limit the number of simultaneous connections, adjust the following line in the configuration file:

  MaxClientsNumber 50
  

  Set the desired maximum number of connections.