ProFTPD-1.3.9b

#### Beyond Linux® From Scratch (systemd Edition) - Version r13.0-1357

### Chapter 20. Major Servers

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# ProFTPD-1.3.9b

## Introduction to ProFTPD

The ProFTPD package contains a secure and highly configurable FTP daemon. This is useful for serving large file archives over a network.

### Note

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS 13.1 platform.

### Package Information

- Download (HTTP): https://github.com/proftpd/proftpd/archive/v1.3.9b/proftpd-1.3.9b.tar.gz

- Download MD5 sum: d856fe322fa3677ee7adf9fe52bd5b53

- Download size: 19 MB

- Estimated disk space required: 75 MB

- Estimated build time: 0.3 SBU

### ProFTPD Dependencies

#### Optional

libcap-2.78 with PAM, libssh2-1.11.1, Linux-PAM-1.7.2, MariaDB-12.3.3 or MySQL, PostgreSQL-18.6, and Net::SSH2

## Installation of ProFTPD

For security reasons, you should install ProFTPD using an unprivileged user and group. As the `root` user:

    groupadd -g 46 proftpd                             &&
    useradd -c proftpd -d /srv/ftp -g proftpd \
            -s /usr/bin/proftpdshell -u 46 proftpd     &&

    install -v -d -m775 -o proftpd -g proftpd /srv/ftp &&
    ln -v -s /usr/bin/false /usr/bin/proftpdshell      &&
    echo /usr/bin/proftpdshell >> /etc/shells

Install ProFTPD as an unprivileged user by running the following commands:

    ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --localstatedir=/run &&
    make

This packages does not come with a usable test suite.

Now, as the `root` user:

    make install                                   &&
    install -d -m755 /usr/share/doc/proftpd-1.3.9b &&
    cp -Rv doc/*     /usr/share/doc/proftpd-1.3.9b

## Command Explanations

install -v -d -m775 -o proftpd -g proftpd /srv/ftp: Create the home directory for ProFTPD.

ln -v -s /usr/bin/false /usr/bin/proftpdshell: Set the default shell as a link to an invalid shell.

echo /usr/bin/proftpdshell >> /etc/shells: Fake a valid shell for compatibility purposes.

### Note

The above two commands can be omitted if the following directive is placed in the configuration file:

    RequireValidShell off

By default, proftpd will require that users logging in have valid shells. The RequireValidShell directive turns off this requirement. This is only recommended if you are setting up your FTP server exclusively for anonymous downloads.

### Note

Support for most of the dependency packages requires using options passed to the configure script. View the output from ./configure --help for complete information about enabling dependency packages.

## Configuring ProFTPD

### Config Files

`/etc/proftpd.conf`

### Configuration Information

This is a simple, download-only sample configuration. See the ProFTPD documentation in `/usr/share/doc/proftpd` and consult the website at http://www.proftpd.org/ for example configurations.

    cat > /etc/proftpd.conf << "EOF"
    # This is a basic ProFTPD configuration file
    # It establishes a single server and a single anonymous login.

    ServerName                      "ProFTPD Default Installation"
    ServerType                      standalone
    DefaultServer                   on

    # Port 21 is the standard FTP port.
    Port                            21
    # Umask 022 is a good standard umask to prevent new dirs and files
    # from being group and world writable.
    Umask                           022

    # To prevent DoS attacks, set the maximum number of child processes
    # to 30.  If you need to allow more than 30 concurrent connections
    # at once, simply increase this value.  Note that this ONLY works
    # in standalone mode, in inetd mode you should use an inetd server
    # that allows you to limit maximum number of processes per service

    MaxInstances                    30

    # Set the user and group that the server normally runs at.
    User                            proftpd
    Group                           proftpd

    # To cause every FTP user to be "jailed" (chrooted) into their home
    # directory, uncomment this line.
    #DefaultRoot ~

    # Normally, files should be overwritable.
    <Directory /*>
      AllowOverwrite                on
    </Directory>

    # A basic anonymous configuration, no upload directories.
    <Anonymous ~proftpd>
      User                          proftpd
      Group                         proftpd
      # Clients should be able to login with "anonymous" as well as "proftpd"
      UserAlias                     anonymous proftpd

      # Limit the maximum number of anonymous logins
      MaxClients                    10

      # 'welcome.msg' should be displayed at login, and '.message' displayed
      # in each newly chdired directory.
      DisplayLogin                  welcome.msg
      DisplayChdir                  .message

      # Limit WRITE everywhere in the anonymous chroot
      <Limit WRITE>
        DenyAll
      </Limit>
    </Anonymous>
    EOF

### Systemd Unit

Install the `proftpd.service` unit included in the blfs-systemd-units-20251204 package:

    make install-proftpd

## Contents

Installed Programs: ftpasswd, ftpcount, ftpdctl, ftpmail, ftpquota, ftpscrub, ftpshut, ftptop, ftpwho, in.proftpd (symlink to proftpd), proftpd, and prxs
Installed Libraries: None
Installed Directory: /usr/{include,lib}/proftpd, /usr/share/doc/proftpd-1.3.9b, and /srv/ftp

### Short Descriptions

proftpd | is the FTP daemon
ftpcount | shows the current number of connections
ftpdctl | is used to control the proftpd daemon while it is running
ftpasswd | is a Perl script designed to create and manage AuthUserFiles and AuthGroupFiles of the correct format for proftpd
ftpmail | is a Perl script for sending email based on the proftpd TransferLog
ftpquota | is a Perl script designed to create and manage limits and tally files for the mod_quotatab + mod_quotatab_file module combination for proftpd
ftpscrub | provides a way to scrub the scoreboard file on demand
ftpshut | shuts down all proftpd servers at a given time
ftptop | displays running status on connections
ftpwho | shows current process information for each session
prxs | is a Perl script designed to compile and install third-party modules, from source code, as DSO modules for the installed proftpd

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