What is a TFTP Server?

TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol. This is a common protocol used for booting workstations that don’t have any disks. The TFTP technology can be used if files need to be transferred between network devices. In short, TFTP is a simpler version of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) that is used for transferring files from one computer to another on the Internet.

So, what is a TFTP server? It is a server that is specifically used for TFTP. A TFTP server comes in handy when files need to be transferred to and/ or from remote machines. However, transferring files using a TFTP server is not safe as it has a lot of security issues. So, avoid enabling it unless you truly need it. You can run a TFTP server from /etc/xinetd.d/tftp. By default, Red Hat Linux systems keep it disabled for security reasons.

What is the function of TFTP?

In 1970s, TFTP was developed to provide FTP support to computers that lack enough disk space or memory. Commercial routers like Cisco and broadband routers for consumers, both have TFTP. It is sometimes used by home network administrators. They usually employ it to upgrade their router firmware. FTP is also used by professional administrators. They sometimes use this protocol to share software across corporate networks.

How Does TFTP Differ from FTP?

Both FTP and TFTP are supported by Windows NT for online file transfer under its TCP/IP implementation. TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol, while IP stands for Internet Protocol. They form the Internet Protocol Suite that represents the communication protocols for networks like the Internet. Following are the major differences between TFTP and FTP:

• FTP is a file transfer protocol for general uses and is session-oriented. TFTP servers support TFTP, a very basic file transfer protocol that is used forspecial purposes only.
• You can use FTP in an interactive manner, while with TFTP, you can transfer files only in one direction.
• FTP is much more connection oriented. It offers trustworthy control, and depends upon TCP. TFTP, on the other hand, offers zero control to the users. However, it requires less overhead.
• TFTP does not provide any user authentication, while FTP does.
• While UDP (User Datagram Protocol) port number 69 is used by TFTP for the transferring of files, TCP port numbers 20 and 21 are used by FTP for data and connection, respectively.
• As TFTP does not support authentication, the FTP server service of Windows NT also does not support TFTP.
• TFTP client programs are not a part of TCP/IP-32 and Windows 95 that are a part of Windows for Workgroups.

The Working of Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)

TFTP connects two devices using TFTP client software and TFTP server software, just like FTP does. Individual files can be uploaded or downloaded to TFTP server from the client using TFTP software. Free TFTP software can be downloaded from the Internet. Some free TFTP software have nice graphical user interface (GUI). UDP is used by TFTP to transport data from one device to another.

TFTP Servers and Clients

The recent versions of Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X include command line TFTP clients. You can download free TFTP servers from the Internet.

A TFTP server comes in handy when files need to be transferred to and/ or from remote machines. TFTP servers support TFTP, a very basic file transfer protocol that is used for special purposes only.