F*EX FAQ

Q1:
What is so special with F*EX?

A1:

Q2:
Why not use one of the commercial services like DropLoad, ALLPeers, YouSendIt, etc?

A2:

  • They have a limit of 2 GB or even less.
  • Their security and privacy status is unknown.
  • They are not open source based.
  • There are no UNIX (CLI) clients for them.
  • They need java, active-X, flash or other evil plugins.
  • It is unknown how long they will exist - DropLoad and ALLPeers already have terminated their business.
Q3:
Why name "F*EX" and not shortly "FEX"?

A3:

At publication time there was already an (older) program named "FEX" on freshmeat.net.
Q4:
Why a camel as the logo?

A4:

The logo was inspired by the Perl camel, but it is based on a Steiff plush
camel, which rides with us on our racing tandem.
The logo was drawn by my stoker Beate.
[http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/Vortrag/tosa.html]
Q5:
Who is the author?

A5:

The main author is Ulli Horlacher <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
But there are also a lot of contributors.
Q6:
What do I need to install F*EX?

A6:

A UNIX or Windows host with a DNS entry, smtp for outgoing e-mail and one open and free incoming tcp port.
And you must have administrative rights (UNIX: root) on this host.
Q7:
What means DNS and smtp? What is a tcp port?

A7:

Do not install F*EX. It is beyond your horizon.
Q8:
Can I run F*EX on Windows?

A8:

On client side all operating systems are supported, even Windows.
If you want to run a F*EX server on Windows, then see [http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/fexwix.html]
Q9:
Where can I get the F*EX sources?

A9:

Q10:
I do not want to install an own F*EX server, but where can I use it?

A10:

Q11:
Isn't Perl too slow for this job?

A11:

fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de runs on an office PC and F*EX is able to handle uploads with more than 300 MB/s.
Try this with an ordinary webserver like Apache!
Q12:
Which licence does F*EX have? And why?

A12:

Perl Artistic free software with a special anti-military clause:
[http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/doc/Licence]
"I want peace on earth and goodwill towards men"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHU0HinVhYc]
Q13:
Is there a F*EX mailing list?

A13:

Q14:
Where can I get commercial support for F*EX?

A14:

Q15:
Who else is using F*EX?

A15:

For example:
Q16:
Is F*EX secure?

A16:

F*EX is written in Perl which does not have common security problems with buffer overruns, segmentation faults, heap and stack corruption.
F*EX does not use an extra web server or a (SQL) database, so no typical web attacks are possible.
F*EX was analysed by security company revshell.com and labeled as "secure".
Q17:
Feature/design XY is missing.

A17:

Contact the author <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
Q18:
I have more/other questions than in this document!

A18:

Q1:
What is the "auth-ID"?

A1:

The auth-ID is an internal identification which authentificates the user. It will be first generated by the admin or the automatic registration process and can later be modified by you, the user. Think of some kind of a low security password.
Q2:
Can I use a HTTP proxy?

A2:

Yes, but pay attention:
Some HTTP proxies like privoxy delay the upload progress bar!
You may want to disable proxying fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de if you run into this problem.
Q3:
I have uploaded a HUGE file but misspelled my recipient's address. Now I have got an error bounce e-mail. Must I re-upload the HUGE file?

A3:

No, it is not necessary. You can redirect the file with "user config & operation control"
Q4:
I have uploaded a HUGE file but forgot another recipient. Must I re-upload the HUGE file?

A4:

No, it is not necessary. You can forward-copy the file with "user config & operation control"
Q5:
My recipient has lost the notification e-mail with the download-URL. What can I do?

A5:

Go to "user config & operation control" and see "Show download URLs of files you have sent"
Q6:
How can I upload several files at once?

A6:

Put your files in an archive file (ZIP), first. Your web browser cannot do that.
Or you can use a F*EX client, see [http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/tools.html]
Q7:
I cannot upload files > 2 GB with my web browser!?

A7:

Many web browsers have bugs in their HTML-FORM implementation. The limit mostly is 2 GB, sometimes 4 GB.
You have to use a special F*EX client to upload files > 2 GB, see [http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/tools.html]
One exception is Firefox: F*EX has a workaround to handle its buggy upload implementation, so you can upload files of any size.
Also Google Chrome has no limitation at all.
But remember: No web browser is able to resume an interrupted upload. You need a special F*EX client like fexsend or schwuppdiwupp for resuming.
Q8:
Why is the upload status window empty and I cannot see the progress bar?

A8:

Most probably you are using a (enforced) web proxy, which cannot handle dynamic HTML pages.
A workaround is using Google Chrome, which shows the upload status by itself.
Q9:
My download was aborted before it was finished. Can I resume the download?

A9:

F*EX supports resuming at download, but your client also has to support this feature.
Firefox eg is missing this HTTP feature, you need an other client like opera, wget or fexget.
Q10:
My upload was aborted before it was finished. Can I resume the upload?

A10:

F*EX supports resuming at upload, but your client also has to support it.
No web browser has this feature, you need a special F*EX client like fexsend or schwuppdiwupp,
see [http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/tools.html]
Q11:
Can I use a download manager/accelerator?

A11:

Generally, no, because they suck: they are not RFC compliant and produce a LOT of unnecessary server load.
But there is one exception: axel [[http://axel.alioth.debian.org/]]
Q12:
When I hit [ESC] in firefox the upload is canceled. Why?

A12:

This is a built-in feature of firefox: ESC terminates the current operation.
Simple solution: do not hit ESC in Firefox.
Complex solution: ask the Firefox developers to add keyboard configuration.
Q13:
Sending as a F*EX user is easy, but how to receive files from others, outside?

A13:

Register them as your subusers or create a F*EX group with "user config & operation control"
See also [http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/usecases/foreign.html]
Q14:
Sometimes I can download a file more than once, especially when I repeat it quickly. Is the autodelete feature buggy?

A14:

The F*EX server has a grace time of 1 minute after first sucessfully download in which the file is still available. This is necessary because of some stupid "download managers" which requests the file several times at once. Otherwise they would report an error to the user.

Your fexmaster has set AUTODELETE=DELAY as default, which means that the autodelete cleanup process is called once a day.
Power users (use the source, Luke!) can set a "do not delete after download" flag.

Q15:
I have uploaded a file to a list of recipients. Will the file be deleted after the first recipient has dowloaded it?

A15:

No. Every recipient gets his own copy of the file which is independant from the others.
Q16:
The default keep time is too short for me, I need more. How can I set it?

A16:

Use fexsend, ask your fexmaster or read the source code :-)
Q17:
I have sent a second file with the same name, but the recpient has not received a second notification e-mail. Why?

A17:

A file with the same name to the same recpient overwrites the first one if it is still there (no download so far).
A second notification e-mail of the same file(name) is not suggestive.
Q18:
How can I sent a more compact notification e-mail?

A18:

Let your comment start with "!.!", then the notification e-mail will contain only download-URL, size and comment.
Q19:
How can I suppress the automatic notification e-mail?

A19:

Use "!#!" as comment, then no notification e-mail will be sent.
Of course you then have to inform the recipient manually.
Q20:
Can I get a notification e-mail on download?

A20:

No.
Such a feature is in conflict with German and European privacy laws and will not be implemented.
With e-mail you also have no acknowledgement of receipt.
Q21:
I cannot download files with Internet Explorer, it tells me "Cannot open Internet site". What shall I do?

A21:

Use Firefox or any other Internet-compatible web browser, that Internet Explorer is not.
This is one of the many bugs of Internet Explorer.
See also [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323308]
Q1:
I cannot install a web server like fexsrv, because I have no root permissions. Is there a pure-CGI-version of F*EX which runs with an apache web server?

A1:

F*EX is hard bound to fexsrv for several reasons (performance, file size limit, session concept, etc) and cannot be run as CGI under apache. But you might have a look at

which implement a file exchange as pure CGIs, but with a 2 GB file size limit, which F*EX does not have.

Q2:
I have already a webserver (apache) running. How can I install F*EX parallel?

A2:

You have to use another port or ip for F*EX, because you cannot run two services on the same ip:port combination.
For example port 88, use "./install -p 88"
For another ip you can create a new virtual interface or use a virtual machine.
See the documentation of your UNIX.
Q3:
F*EX is not working at all! I cannot connect to it with my web browser!

A3:

Check your routing, ipfilters and firewall setup.
Also check whether your xinetd is linked with tcp-wrapper and configure it correctly (hosts.allow).
F*EX needs port 80/tcp for HTTP and optional port 443/tcp for HTTPS.
Q4:
How can I integrate F*EX in the existing user management at my site?

A4:

F*EX has several authentification modules: local, RADIUS, LDAP, mailman and POP.
For the last 4 please contact <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
Q5:
I want that all of my local users can use F*EX. How?

A5:

Let them register themselves with [http://YOURFEXSERVER/fur]

You have to edit /home/fex/lib/fex.ph and set (example):

     @local_hosts = qw(127.0.0.1 10.10.100.0-10.10.255.255);
     @local_domains = qw(flupp.org ulm.sub.net);
   
Or you can allow anonymous upload for your LAN users with fex.ph variable @anonymous_upload
Example:
     @anonymous_upload = qw(10.10.100.0-10.10.200.255 129.69.1.11);
(Of course you have to use your real local hosts/networks!)
Q6:
I want that external users can fex to my local users. How?

A6:

Let them register themselves with [http://YOURFEXSERVER/fur]

You have to edit /home/fex/lib/fex.ph and set (example):

     # your local receiving domains
     @local_rdomains = qw(flupp.org *.flupp.org);
	     
     # your local receiving hosts
     @local_rhosts = qw(127.0.0.1 129.69.0.0-129.69.255.255 176.9.84.26);
   
Or you can manually create a restricted external user with (example):
     fac -u framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de hoppla
     fac -R framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de
   
Q7:
I want the Bcc mails to fex (admin user) to be sent to another address.

A7:

Set variable $bcc in /home/fex/lib/fex.ph
Q8:
I need more security! How can I enable HTTPS?

A8:

Read doc/SSL and also look for "fop_auth" in doc/concept
Q9:
I need a corporate identity look. How can I configure F*EX in this way?

A9:

  • See variable @H1_extra in /home/fex/lib/fex.ph and you can add HTML code to /home/fex/htdocs/header.html
  • See /home/fex/htdocs/fup_template.html, modify it to your needs and use it as your start-page.
  • Contact <fex@nepustil.net> [http://www.nepustil.net/] if you need more customization.
Q10:
F*EX is too complicated for my tie users. I need a simplified upload form.

A10:

See /home/fex/htdocs/fup_template.html or use public upload, see
[http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/usecases/foreign.html]
Q11:
F*EX is still too complicated! I need something more simplified.

A11:

Q12:
My users do not accept other software than their e-mail program. Can I integrate F*EX in their MUAs (thunderbird, outlook, etc)?

A12:

Q13:
Can I get a localized version in my native languange?

A13:

With your help, yes. Please contact <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
Q14:
I need ACLs for group access, a file browser and integration in my native file system.

A14:

This is beyond the scope of F*EX, which is designed for file transfer.
Q15:
Feature/design XY is missing.

A15:

Contact the author <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>
Q1:
F*EX is great! Can I join the developing team? What needs to be done?

A1:

Contact the author <framstag@rus.uni-stuttgart.de>

Requested features are: