Using TFTP Server Feature in Pinkie!

If you are a network professional then chances are you have dealt with and needed a TFTP Server before. TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol. The protocol was developed many, many moons ago and it is still one of the most common way of transfer firmware and/or configuration files to/from network devices.

TFTP Server is simple; there’s not a whole lot of options to it as it was specifically designed that way. Below are some explanations about its settings:

• Port Number: By default TFTP Server runs on UDP port number 69. You should not need to change this number unless you have a specific security requirement to close port 69.
• Server Timeout: This is how long the TFTP Server will wait for a data packet or an acknowledgement from the client. In Pinkie, the default setting is 5 seconds. If you wish to change it, go to Application Settings dialog, click on TFTP Server tab and change it there.
• Maximum Retry: This is how many times Pinkie will attempt to retransmit a data packet after it encountered a timeout. You can change this value in Application Settings dialog.
• TFTP Folder: For TFTP Server to work properly, this folder must be set. This is where Pinkie looks for the file requested by a TFTP client. This folder should be writeable if you need to copy files from your devices to the machine you run Pinkie on.

Most antivirus software will block port 69 by default. You might have to create an exception and allow UDP port 69 in order to let the TFTP traffic pass through. If you use Pinkie for server admin purposes, you should not be concern with this particular feature and as the result, shouldn’t need to open port 69.

TFTP is simple, widely used and will probably be sticking around for the foreseeable future. With it built in to Pinkie, hopefully, it will reduce another application that you have to install on your machine to get the work done.