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I'm trying to connect to my website server using SFTP but when I try to connect using Filezilla it fails with the following error message:
Status: Connecting to ftp.example.co.uk:7222...
Response: fzSftp started, protocol_version=8
Command: open "pm@ftp.example.co.uk" 7222
Error: Connection timed out after 20 seconds of inactivity
Error: Could not connect to server
I have checked the settings and port number with my host and they are correct.
A couple of weeks ago they manage to get it working but then when my router renewed its IP it stopped working again. Could it be that the server will only allow a single IP address to connect and therefore when I get a new one it blocks the connection.
My ISP is BT and they don't provide static IPs to residential customers. Is there any way of connecting to the server using SFTP from a dynamic IP? Is there a setting my host needs to change to allow dynamic IPs?
Ross Hodgman
Posted 2017-11-27T16:33:20.120
Reputation: 11
4You probably should contact the host and confirm with them if they have access rules that restricts IP. – shinjijai – 2017-11-27T16:35:47.220
If you do not have a static ip address that means you will have to update the domain each time it changes. I suggest using a dynamic dns provider and (one of it's domains) to do that instead of trying to use a domain meant for a static route. – Ramhound – 2017-11-27T16:36:55.803
Just to amplify @Ramhound's comment, I use BT and access my home servers through a free account with No-IP - note that free accounts need to be logged into every month, but that is typical of free accounts from other providers. The only disadvantage of using dynamic IP is that, when the IP changes, it takes a few minutes before the change is registered, and the servers are off-line for this time. In the past, I had difficulties with dynamic IP services, so I implemented my own. If you have an external web-site, this is pretty straightforward to achieve.
– AFH – 2017-11-27T17:21:09.250@AFH Almost all firewalls use IP, rather then domain name for blocking because of the huge overheads associated with DNS lookups for each packet. Using a dynamic IP - even with DNS resolution is useful for finding servers but not traversing firewalls. – davidgo – 2017-11-27T17:57:29.563