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What if I Can't Connect to FTP Through Plesk?

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Last Updated: November 10, 2008 1:30 PM

If your FTP connection through Plesk fails, here are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem before calling customer support.

  1. Log into your server using SSH.
  2. At the command line, type su -. This gives you root access.

For more information on using root access on your server, see Accessing Your Virtual Dedicated Server Using SSH, or How Can I Log in as Root on my Virtual Dedicated Server?

Verify That the Issue Exists on the Server

Run the following command:

[root@host ~]# ftp localhost

If the response is as follows, the server is responding to FTP requests and the problem is not on the server.

Connected to localhost(127.0.0.1).
220 ProFTPD 1.3.0 Server(ProFTPD)[127.0.0.1]
Name(localhost:user):

If you get this response, it means that the FTP server is likely not running, or may be running, but the process has failed. ProFTPD runs out of xinetd. Restart xinetd.

ftp:connect:Connection refused

Make Sure xinetd is Running and Listening on Port 21

To restart xinetd.

[root@host ~]# service xinetd restart
Stopping xinetd: [ OK ]
Starting xinetd: [ OK ]

The services daemon, xinetd, enables access control rights and connections to your dedicated server.

To Check the Status of xinetd

Run the following commands:

[root@host ~]# service xinetd status
xinetd (pid 23815) is running...
[root@host ~]# lsof -i tcp:21
COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE NODE NAME xinetd 23815 root 5u IPv4 552944287 TCP *:ftp (LISTEN)

Run the FTP localhost command again.

If you get the following response, the service is not running properly. This is normally due to an invalid hostname specified on the server.

Connected to localhost (127.0.0.1). 421 Service not available, remote server has closed connection

Verify That the Hostname is Valid and Resolves

Run the following command:

[root@host ~]#hostname
www.coolexample.com(your hostname)

Use a hostname lookup tool, such asDNS Stuff, to do an A record lookup. If the hostname resolves, your IP address displays as the answer.

If your hostname is not valid or does not resolve, change the setting in Plesk under Server>Server Preferences.

Restart xinetd.

Check the Error Logs for proftp Errors

If the issue is still not resolved, you can view the logs to see what else might be causing the problem.

To View the Errors Log

[root@host ~]# less /var/log/messages | grep proftp
[root@host ~]# less /var/log/messages | grep xinetd

NOTE: Copying the text of an error into a search engine might produce possible solutions for problems that you are unsure how to resolve.