File Transfer

SecureCRT offers three ways to transfer files securely between systems via SSH:

17.7.1 The vcp and vsftp Commands

SecureCRT comes with a command-line program, vcp, for transferring files securely. It has syntax almost identical to scp. For example, to copy the local file myfile to the remote SSH server server.example.com, authenticating as smith, and naming the copy newfile:

    C:\> vcp myfile smith@server.example.com:newfile

Many of vcp's options are the same as scp's:

-r

Recursive copy

-i

Specify a public-key identity for authentication

-v

Verbose flag for debugging

However, other options are different. Type vcp by itself for full usage information.

vsftp is an FTP-like client provided with SecureCRT; it should feel familiar to anyone who has used an FTP client. Run vsftp -h for full usage information.

17.7.2 Zmodem File Transfer

SecureCRT supports file transfer using the old Xmodem and Zmodem protocols, secured via SSH. To use these protocols, your SSH server machine will need Xmodem or Zmodem programs installed, such as sz and rz (send and receive Zmodem, respectively) or sx and rx (send and receive Xmodem, respectively), often found on Linux machines. For example, to send a file from the remote server machine to your local client machine via Zmodem:

  1. On the remote system, run:

        $ sz myfile

  2. SecureCRT will automatically detect the Zmodem connection and perform the download, displaying the file-transfer status in a window.

Similarly, to upload a file:

  1. On the remote system, run:

        $ rz

  2. In SecureCRT, choose Transfer/Zmodem Upload List, and select the files you want to transfer. Then select Transfer/Start Zmodem Upload.

17.7.3 SecureFX

If you want a graphical file transfer with a Windows Explorer-like interface, plus integration with SecureCRT, consider VanDyke's commercial product, SecureFX. Once you've authenticated and connected to a remote SSH server, you can drag and drop files between the machines with your mouse.

SecureFX also has an interesting feature called Quick Synchronize, which is roughly similar to hotsynching on a Palm Pilot. Suppose you have a set of files on your local computer and a backup copy on a remote system. The Quick Synchronize feature compares the two sets, displays the differences, and lets you make them identical by copying files securely between the two systems. Even if you've edited the files on both systems, Quick Synchronize can bring both sets up to date with the most recent changes.