How to do things
AI Noob vs. Pro

List biggest files
List newest files
Show subdir sizes
Search in files
Replace word in files
List dir differences
Send files in LAN

Free Open Source:

Swiss File Knife

a command line
multi function tool.

remove tabs
list dir sizes
find text
filter lines
find in path
collect text
instant ftp or
http server
file transfer
send text
patch text
patch binary
run own cmd
convert crlf
dup file find
md5 lists
fromto clip
hexdump
split files
list latest
compare dirs
save typing
trace http
echo colors
head & tail
dep. listing
find classes
speed shell
zip search
zip dir list

Depeche View
Source Research
First Steps

windows GUI
automation

command line
file encryption

free external tools,
zero install effort,
usb stick compliant:

zip and unzip
diff and merge
reformat xml
reformat source

cpp sources

log tracing
mem tracing
hexdump
using printf

articles

embedded
stat. c array
stat. java array
var. c array
var. java array
view all text
as you type
surf over text
find by click
quick copy
multi view
find nearby
fullscreen
bookmarks
find by path
expressions
location jump
skip accents
clip match
filter lines
edit text
highlight
load filter
hotkey list
receive text
send in C++
send in Java
smooth scroll
touch scroll
fly wxWidgets
fly over Qt
search Java

Supersonic Text File Search - Free Download

run a simple, single-user ftp server instantly from the command line to enable easy file transfer between two machines. no installation required, fully portable executable for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Raspberry Pi.
  • Download the free Swiss File Knife Base from Sourceforge.
  • Open the Windows CMD command line, Mac OS X Terminal or Linux shell.
  • OS X : type mv sfk-mac-64.exe sfk and chmod +x sfk then ./sfk
  • Linux: type mv sfk-linux-64.exe sfk and chmod +x sfk then ./sfk. OS X and Linux syntax may differ, check the help within the tool.
sfk ftpserv [-h[elp]] [-port=nport] [-rw] [workdir]

The SFK Instant FTP Server for easy file transfer.

default behaviour since SFK 1.6.7.2:
* the CURRENT DIRECTORY is made accessible, WITH subdirs.
* any kind of directory traversal (.., / etc.) is blocked.
* just ONE CLIENT (browser etc.) can connect at a time.
  if another client connects, the first is auto closed.
* after 60 seconds of inactivity, the connection is closed.
* filenames with accents are sent as is (no UTF8 support).
* with -rw, files of any size can be written (no size limit).
* with -rw, existing files are overwritten without asking.

only for trusted environments!
  sfk ftpserv is intended only for personal file transfer
  between two machines that the user has control of, within
  a trusted LAN environment. it should not be used to offer
  files in the internet. if security is important then do not
  use sfk ftpserv but a full scale FTP server like FileZilla.

options
  -port=n     use other port than default, e.g. -port=10000.
  -port2=n    alternative port, used if first port fails.
              use -port2=0 to disable alternative port.
  -pasvport=n define a fixed port for PASV connections.
              default is to allocate a random port defined
              by the operating system.
  -pw=x       require primitive authentication, i.e. client
              must provide password x to login. you may also
              set an environment variable like:
                 set SFK_FTP_PW=mypassword
              or set SFK_FTP_SPW=mypassword
              with the latter one being used only by the
              sfk ftpserv command, but not by sfk ftp.
  -user=x     require this username. if not specified then
              any username can be used. can also be given
              by environment variable SFK_FTP_USER
              or SFK_FTP_SUSER.
  -timeout=n  set timeout to n seconds. default is 60.
  -rw         allow read+write access. default is readonly.
  -notify=h   display an arrow in SFKTray 1.1 running on
              hostname h whenever files are actually sent.
  -maxsize=n  set size limit per file write to this, e.g.
              10m = 10 mbytes. default is no size limit.
  -minspace=n set required free disk space for file writing,
              e.g. -minspace=200m requires 200 megabytes.
  -noclone    do not try to replicate time stamps on a file
              transmission from an sfk ftp client.
  -verbose[=2]  list the transmitted ftp commands.
              helpful to get more infos in case of errors.
  -showerr[or]  print all sent 5xx replies to terminal,
              except for 550 no such file. default is to
              print them only with -verbose.
  -quiet[=2]  print less or no status informations.
  -nosub      block sub directory access, e.g. the client
              may NOT say "put the/sub/dir/document.txt".
  -run        allow client to execute system commands.
              requires -pw option being set as well.
              requires an sfk ftp client to run commands.
  -runpw=x    require authentication only for run commands.
              can also be set via the environment:
                 set SFK_FTP_RUNPW=mypassword
              or set SFK_FTP_SRUNPW=mypassword
  -ownip=x    if client sends PASV command, by default the
  -ownip x    server replies with the first network interface
              IP found. if this is the wrong one, you may
              supply a different IP here (as n.n.n.n).
  -noclose    do not auto close first client connection
              if another client tries to connect.

specific single work dir:
   instead of making the current directory accessible
   you may set a folder name like sfk ftpserv mydir
   to allow access to these contents only.

multi directory mappings:
   instead of making the current directory accessible
   you may specify folders (with virtual names) like:
      -usedir C:\audiofiles D:\images=pic

aliases
   sfk sftserv   same as sfk ftpserv but using port 2121.
   sfk fileserv  same as sfk sftserv.

transfer protocol selection
   since SFK 1.8.5, when using "sfk ftpserv" at the server
   and "sfk ftp" at the windows client, plain FTP protocol
   is used to avoid firewall restrictions via port 21.
   to use SFT Simple File Transfer for better connectivity
   and cput/cget support run the server as "sfk sftserv"
   and the client as "sfk sft", which will use port 2121.

file attributes
   since SFK 1.6.7, when using the SFT protocol,
   linux file attributes are sent and written at the receiver,
   except for file owner 'rw' flags which are set by default
   to allow rewrite in future transfers. when sending from
   linux to windows attributes like 'x' get lost.

problems and solutions:

if you try to login to the server using a regular ftp client, but
you cannot connect and/or transfer files, then usually there is a
firewall or network configuration incompatible to normal FTP.

- if your ftp client provides a command "passive", then type that,
  press enter, and then try the usual commands like dir, get or put.

- use "sfk sftserv" at the server and "sfk sft" at the client.
  this will use a different protocol (SFT) via port 2121 with
  which you often can transfer files even if normal FTP fails.

- Windows: the firewall may stop sfk to sfk file transfer on
  port 21, with error ECONNRESET, if your sfk client is old.
  use the sfk 1.8.5 ftp client which uses plain FTP.

- Windows 7 Starter: you may have to open the firewall settings
  and enable incoming connections for application "sfk" manually.

- Windows: whenever running sfk.exe in an ununsual user context,
  e.g. from a mounted virtual drive, or a non-admin shell, this
  may cause the system to block incoming connections.

- some FTP clients must be configured not to use multiple transfer
  connections in parallel (FileZilla: edit/settings/transfers)

- virtual machines: when using NAT network adapter mode you may
  not connect from the host into the guest but only vice versa.
  you may configure port forwards in the VM's adapter settings,
  then connect to 127.0.0.1:portnumber but not to the IP shown
  in the guest. also read the VM's help on adapter modes.

known compatible ftp clients:
  WinSCP (in FTP mode), WS_FTP95, FileZilla, command line ftp

known incompatible ftp clients:
  Windows Explorer FTP (requires unsupported multi connections)

see also
  sfk ftp       the sfk ftp client
  sfk sft       the sfk sft client
  sfk httpserv  the sfk instant http server

examples

- to run a 'real' ftp server (port 21) for non sfk clients:

  sfk ftpserv -user=foo -pw=bar mydir
    require the given user/pw and allow read only access to mydir
    and all subdirectories of mydir.

  sfk ftpserv -rw -usedir website/images=pic /Musik/audio=audio
    allow read/write access to website/images with virtual folder
    name "pic" and to /Musik/audio as just "audio".

- if you just want quick and simplest file transfer between two
  machines both having sfk, use this:

  sfk sftserv -rw
    run an sfk simple file transfer server, using port 2121,
    allowing read/write access to current dir and all sub dirs.
    then use "sfk sft" at the client side. should no connection
    be possible run the server and/or client with admin rights
    and check the firewall settings.
 

file transfer between windows and vmware linux

   the sfk ftpserv function was originally created to enable file transfer
   between a windows host and vmware guest OS, as I saw no other way
   to accomplish this.

   for more infos, read on here.
     
sfk ftpserv [-h[elp]] [-port=nport] [-rw] 
   [workdir]

The SFK Instant FTP Server for easy file 
transfer.

default behaviour since SFK 1.6.7.2:
* the CURRENT DIRECTORY is made accessible, 
WITH subdirs. * any kind of directory
traversal (.., / etc.) is blocked. * just
ONE CLIENT (browser etc.) can connect at a
time. if another client connects, the
first is auto closed. * after 60 seconds of
inactivity, the connection is closed. *
filenames with accents are sent as is (no
UTF8 support). * with -rw, files of any
size can be written (no size limit).
* with -rw, existing files are overwritten 
        without asking.

only for trusted environments!
  sfk ftpserv is intended only for personal 
file transfer between two machines that
the user has control of, within a trusted
LAN environment. it should not be used to
offer files in the internet. if security
is important then do not use sfk ftpserv
but a full scale FTP server like FileZilla.

options
  -port=n     use other port than default, 
              e.g. -port=10000.
  -port2=n    alternative port, used if 
              first port fails. use
              -port2=0 to disable
              alternative port.
  -pasvport=n define a fixed port for PASV 
   connections.
              default is to allocate a 
              random port defined by the
              operating system.
  -pw=x       require primitive 
              authentication, i.e. client
              must provide password x to
              login. you may also set an
              environment variable like:
                 set SFK_FTP_PW=mypassword
              or set SFK_FTP_SPW=mypassword
              with the latter one being 
              used only by the sfk ftpserv
              command, but not by sfk ftp.
  -user=x     require this username. if not 
              specified then any username
              can be used. can also be
              given by environment variable
              SFK_FTP_USER or SFK_FTP_SUSER.
              
  -timeout=n  set timeout to n seconds. 
              default is 60.
  -rw         allow read+write access. 
              default is readonly.
  -notify=h   display an arrow in SFKTray 
              1.1 running on hostname h
              whenever files are actually
              sent.
  -maxsize=n  set size limit per file write 
              to this, e.g. 10m = 10 mbytes.
              default is no size limit.
  -minspace=n set required free disk space 
   for file writing,
              e.g. -minspace=200m requires 
                    200 megabytes.
  -noclone    do not try to replicate time 
              stamps on a file transmission
              from an sfk ftp client.
  -verbose[=2]  list the transmitted ftp 
                commands.
              helpful to get more infos in 
              case of errors.
  -showerr[or]  print all sent 5xx replies 
                to terminal,
              except for 550 no such file. 
              default is to print them only
              with -verbose.
  -quiet[=2]  print less or no status 
              informations.
  -nosub      block sub directory access, 
              e.g. the client may NOT say
              "put the/sub/dir/document.
              txt".
  -run        allow client to execute 
              system commands. requires -pw
              option being set as well.
              requires an sfk ftp client to
              run commands.
  -runpw=x    require authentication only 
              for run commands. can also be
              set via the environment:
                 set 
      SFK_FTP_RUNPW=mypassword
              or set 
      SFK_FTP_SRUNPW=mypassword
  -ownip=x    if client sends PASV command, 
              by default the
  -ownip x    server replies with the first 
              network interface IP found.
              if this is the wrong one, you
              may supply a different IP
              here (as n.n.n.n).
  -noclose    do not auto close first 
              client connection if another
              client tries to connect.

specific single work dir:
   instead of making the current directory 
   accessible you may set a folder name
   like sfk ftpserv mydir to allow access
   to these contents only.

multi directory mappings:
   instead of making the current directory 
   accessible you may specify folders (with
   virtual names) like:
      -usedir C:\audiofiles D:\images=pic

aliases
   sfk sftserv   same as sfk ftpserv but 
                 using port 2121.
   sfk fileserv  same as sfk sftserv.

transfer protocol selection
   since SFK 1.8.5, when using "sfk 
   ftpserv" at the server and "sfk ftp" at
   the windows client, plain FTP protocol
   is used to avoid firewall restrictions
   via port 21. to use SFT Simple File
   Transfer for better connectivity and
   cput/cget support run the server as "sfk
   sftserv" and the client as "sfk sft",
   which will use port 2121.

file attributes
   since SFK 1.6.7, when using the SFT 
   protocol, linux file attributes are sent
   and written at the receiver, except for
   file owner 'rw' flags which are set by
   default to allow rewrite in future
   transfers. when sending from linux to
   windows attributes like 'x' get lost.

problems and solutions:

if you try to login to the server using a 
regular ftp client, but you cannot connect
and/or transfer files, then usually there
is a firewall or network configuration
incompatible to normal FTP.

- if your ftp client provides a command 
  "passive", then type that, press enter,
  and then try the usual commands like dir,
  get or put.

- use "sfk sftserv" at the server and "sfk 
  sft" at the client. this will use a
  different protocol (SFT) via port 2121
  with which you often can transfer files
  even if normal FTP fails.

- Windows: the firewall may stop sfk to sfk 
           file transfer on
  port 21, with error ECONNRESET, if your 
sfk client is old. use the sfk 1.8.5 ftp
client which uses plain FTP.

- Windows 7 Starter: you may have to open 
                     the firewall settings
  and enable incoming connections for 
application "sfk" manually.

- Windows: whenever running sfk.exe in an 
           ununsual user context,
  e.g. from a mounted virtual drive, or a 
non-admin shell, this may cause the
system to block incoming connections.

- some FTP clients must be configured not 
  to use multiple transfer connections in
  parallel (FileZilla: edit/settings/
  transfers)

- virtual machines: when using NAT network 
                    adapter mode you may
  not connect from the host into the guest 
but only vice versa. you may configure
port forwards in the VM's adapter settings,
then connect to 127.0.0.1:portnumber but
not to the IP shown in the guest. also
read the VM's help on adapter modes.

known compatible ftp clients:
  WinSCP (in FTP mode), WS_FTP95, FileZilla,
command line ftp

known incompatible ftp clients:
  Windows Explorer FTP (requires 
unsupported multi connections)

see also
  sfk ftp       the sfk ftp client
  sfk sft       the sfk sft client
  sfk httpserv  the sfk instant http 
                server

examples

- to run a 'real' ftp server (port 21) for 
  non sfk clients:

  sfk ftpserv -user=foo -pw=bar mydir
    require the given user/pw and allow 
    read only access to mydir and all
    subdirectories of mydir.

  sfk ftpserv -rw -usedir 
website/images=pic /Musik/audio=audio
    allow read/write access to 
    website/images with virtual folder name
    "pic" and to /Musik/audio as just
    "audio".

- if you just want quick and simplest file 
  transfer between two machines both having
  sfk, use this:

  sfk sftserv -rw
    run an sfk simple file transfer server, 
    using port 2121, allowing read/write
    access to current dir and all sub dirs.
    then use "sfk sft" at the client side.
    should no connection be possible run
    the server and/or client with admin
    rights and check the firewall settings.
 

file transfer between windows and vmware linux the sfk ftpserv function was originally created to enable file transfer between a windows host and vmware guest OS, as I saw no other way to accomplish this. for more infos, read on here.

you are viewing this page in mobile portrait mode with a limited layout. turn your device right, use a desktop browser or buy the sfk e-book for improved reading.

 
sfk is a free open-source tool, running instantly without installation efforts. no DLL's, no registry changes - just get sfk.exe from the zip package and use it (binaries for windows, linux and mac are included).

 

the Daily Landscape image
the Daily Mobile Background