vsftpd error Listing Directories

Question

I installed vsftpd on amazon ec2 with fedora instance and it is the latest version but I am getting the error: In CuteFTP:

COMMAND:> PASV 227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,10,46,14,20) COMMAND:> LIST ERROR:> Can’t connect to remote server. Socket error = #10065. ERROR:> PASV failed, trying PORT. 

In Filezilla:

Command: PASV Response: 227 Entering Passive Mode (192,168,10,46,14,20) Command: LIST Error: Connection timed out Error: Failed to retrieve directory listing. 

Trying to Connect thro' Shell and showing me list of directories.

Answer 1

Just had this same exact issue... this typically only affects GUI ftp clients that use a passive mode (which is pretty common). For instance, when using the standard ftp command line tool, I was able to successfully login and upload files to my ftp server.

The steps to correct are:

1. Add the following settings to your /etc/vsftpd.conf file:

   pasv_enable=YES pasv_min_port=64000 pasv_max_port=64321 port_enable=YES

2. Also add one of the following config chunks to your /etc/vsftpd.conf file, based on your situation (either way, this needs to resolve to a public accessible IP):

a:

pasv_address=<your-static-ip-most-likely-from-elastic-ips> pasv_addr_resolve=NO 

-OR-

b:

pasv_address=<your-publicly-resolvable-host-name> pasv_addr_resolve=YES 

3. In your security group configuration for ec2 instances, add the following custom inbound tcp rules:

• Enable ports 20-21 for standard ftp
• Enable your passive ports as defined in the config sections above (I used 64000-64321)

4. Restart your vsftpd service (varies depending on your flavor of linux)

Note: pasv port range should be visible outside from the firewall, NAT

References for more info:

• http://www.adrianworlddesign.com/Knowledge-Base/Web-Hosting/Amazon-Web-Services/Enable-FTP-in-EC2
• http://www.synergycode.com/knowledgebase/blog/item/ftp-server-on-amazon-ec2
• https://www.gosquared.com/blog/fix-ftp-passive-mode-problems-on-amazon-ec2-instances