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SFTP File Manager

Xermius includes a powerful SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) client that makes transferring files between your local machine and remote servers simple and intuitive.

Overview​

The SFTP File Manager provides a comprehensive file management solution with:

Dual-Pane Interface​

  • Local pane: Browse your computer's filesystem
  • Remote pane: Browse server's filesystem
  • Side-by-side view: Easy drag-and-drop between local and remote
  • Independent navigation: Navigate each side independently
  • Synchronized scrolling: Optional synchronized scrolling

Key Features​

  • Drag & drop: Drag files between local and remote panes
  • Multi-select: Select multiple files for batch operations
  • File operations: Create, rename, delete, copy, move files and folders
  • Upload/Download: Transfer files with progress tracking
  • Permissions: View and modify Unix file permissions (chmod)
  • File editor: Built-in text editor for quick edits
  • Cross-host transfers: Transfer files directly between two remote hosts
  • Transfer monitoring: Real-time progress with speed and ETA
  • Directory tree: Hierarchical folder navigation
  • Breadcrumb navigation: Quick navigation to parent folders
  • File inspector: View detailed file information and metadata

Opening SFTP​

From Dashboard​

Method 1: Right-click Menu

  1. Right-click on any host
  2. Select "New SFTP"
  3. SFTP tab opens with connection

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

  • Select host
  • Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F

From Active Terminal​

If you already have a terminal open:

  1. Click "SFTP" button in terminal toolbar
  2. Or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F
  3. SFTP opens using same connection

Advantage: Reuses existing SSH session, no need to authenticate again.

SFTP Interface​

Dual-Pane Layout​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Tab: SFTP - Production Server]                      [X]    │
├──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┤
│ LOCAL                    │ REMOTE                            │
├──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📁 Documents             │ 📁 /home/user                     │
│ 📁 Downloads             │ 📁 /var/www                       │
│ 📁 Projects              │ 📁 /etc                           │
│                          │                                    │
│ [Path: ~/Documents]      │ [Path: /home/user]                │
│                          │                                    │
│ Files and folders...     │ Files and folders...              │
│                          │                                    │
├──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Status: Ready | Selected: 3 files (1.5 MB)]                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Directory Tree (Left Sidebar)​

Local Side:

  • Shows your computer's folder structure
  • Quick access to common folders
  • Bookmarks for frequently used paths

Remote Side:

  • Shows server's folder structure
  • Respects user permissions
  • Expandable tree navigation

File List (Main Area)​

Displays files and folders with:

  • Icon - File type indicator
  • Name - File or folder name
  • Size - File size (human-readable)
  • Modified - Last modification date/time
  • Permissions - Unix permissions (rwxr-xr-x)
  • Owner - File owner and group

View Modes​

Switch between different views:

1. Detailed List (Default)

Name            Size      Modified            Permissions
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
📁 logs         -         2024-10-15 10:30   drwxr-xr-x
📄 config.json  1.2 KB    2024-10-14 15:20   -rw-r--r--
📄 README.md    3.4 KB    2024-10-13 09:15   -rw-rw-r--

2. Grid View

┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│  📁      │ │  📄      │ │  📄      │
│  logs    │ │ config   │ │ README   │
│          │ │  1.2 KB  │ │  3.4 KB  │
└──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘

3. Compact List

📁 logs
📄 config.json (1.2 KB)
📄 README.md (3.4 KB)

File Operations​

Upload Files​

Drag & Drop (Easiest)​

  1. Select files on your computer
  2. Drag them to the remote pane
  3. Drop to upload
  4. Progress shown in status bar

Supports:

  • Single files
  • Multiple files
  • Entire folders

Upload Button​

  1. Click "Upload" button
  2. Browse and select files
  3. Click "Open"
  4. Files upload immediately

Right-click Menu​

  1. Right-click in remote pane
  2. Select "Upload Files"
  3. Choose files
  4. Confirm upload

Download Files​

Drag & Drop​

  1. Select files in remote pane
  2. Drag to local pane
  3. Drop to download

Download Button​

  1. Select files in remote pane
  2. Click "Download" button
  3. Choose destination folder
  4. Files download

Right-click Menu​

  1. Right-click file(s) in remote pane
  2. Select "Download"
  3. Choose where to save
  4. Download starts

Create Folder​

Remote Server:

  1. Right-click in remote pane
  2. Select "New Folder"
  3. Enter folder name
  4. Press Enter

Keyboard: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N

Rename File/Folder​

  1. Right-click on item
  2. Select "Rename"
  3. Enter new name
  4. Press Enter

Keyboard:

  • Select item
  • Press F2
  • Type new name

Note: Cannot rename while file is being transferred.

Delete Files​

  1. Select file(s) or folder(s)
  2. Press Delete key
  3. Or right-click → "Delete"
  4. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deletion is permanent! Files are not moved to trash.

Bulk Delete:

  • Select multiple items (Ctrl/Cmd + Click)
  • Press Delete
  • Confirm all at once

Copy/Cut/Paste​

Copy:

  1. Select items
  2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + C
  3. Or right-click → "Copy"

Cut:

  1. Select items
  2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + X
  3. Or right-click → "Cut"

Paste:

  1. Navigate to destination
  2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + V
  3. Or right-click → "Paste"

Cross-pane: Copy from local, paste to remote (uploads)

Duplicate File​

  1. Right-click file
  2. Select "Duplicate"
  3. New file created with " (copy)" suffix

Example:

config.json → config (copy).json

Advanced Operations​

Change Permissions (chmod)​

  1. Right-click on file
  2. Select "Permissions"
  3. Modify permissions:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ File Permissions                │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Owner:  [✓] Read  [✓] Write  [✓] Execute │
│ Group:  [✓] Read  [ ] Write  [ ] Execute │
│ Others: [✓] Read  [ ] Write  [ ] Execute │
│                                 │
│ Numeric: 754                    │
│ Symbolic: rwxr-xr--             │
│                                 │
│ [Apply]  [Cancel]               │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Common Permissions:

  • 644 (rw-r--r--) - Regular files
  • 755 (rwxr-xr-x) - Executable scripts
  • 700 (rwx------) - Private files
  • 777 (rwxrwxrwx) - World-writable (⚠️ insecure)

Change Owner (chown)​

  1. Right-click on file
  2. Select "Change Owner"
  3. Enter username and/or group
  4. Click "Apply"

Requires: Root privileges or ownership

Format:

user:group

Examples:

www-data:www-data
ubuntu:ubuntu
root:root

Search Files​

Quick Search:

  1. Press Ctrl/Cmd + F
  2. Type search term
  3. Matching files highlighted

Advanced Search:

  1. Click "Search" button (🔍)
  2. Enter criteria:
    • Filename - Name pattern
    • Content - Text inside files
    • Size - File size range
    • Date - Modified date range
    • Type - File extension
  3. Click "Search"

Search Options:

  • Case-sensitive
  • Use wildcards (*.txt)
  • Regular expressions
  • Search in subdirectories

File Properties​

View detailed information:

  1. Right-click file
  2. Select "Properties"

Shows:

  • Full path
  • Size (bytes and human-readable)
  • Created date
  • Modified date
  • Permissions
  • Owner and group
  • MIME type
  • MD5/SHA256 checksum (calculated on demand)

Compare Files​

Compare local and remote files:

  1. Select file in local pane
  2. Right-click → "Compare with Remote"
  3. Diff viewer opens showing differences

Useful for: Checking if files are in sync

Synchronize Folders​

Keep folders in sync:

  1. Select folder
  2. Right-click → "Synchronize"
  3. Choose direction:
    • Local → Remote - Upload changes
    • Remote → Local - Download changes
    • Bidirectional - Sync both ways
  4. Preview changes
  5. Click "Sync"

Options:

  • Delete extra files
  • Skip hidden files
  • Preserve timestamps
  • Dry run (preview only)

Selection & Navigation​

Select Files​

Single Selection:

  • Click on file

Multiple Selection:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + Click - Add to selection
  • Shift + Click - Select range
  • Ctrl/Cmd + A - Select all

Invert Selection:

  • Right-click → "Invert Selection"

Double-click folder to open

Keyboard:

  • Enter - Open selected folder
  • Backspace - Go to parent folder
  • Alt + ← - Go back
  • Alt + → - Go forward

Breadcrumb Navigation: Click any part of the path at the top:

/home / user / projects / website
       ↑       ↑         ↑
     Click any to jump there

Bookmarks​

Save frequently used folders:

Create Bookmark:

  1. Navigate to folder
  2. Click "★" (star icon)
  3. Or press Ctrl/Cmd + D
  4. Enter bookmark name

Access Bookmarks:

  • Click "Bookmarks" dropdown
  • Or press Ctrl/Cmd + B
  • Select from list

Manage Bookmarks:

  1. Right-click bookmark
  2. Rename - Change name
  3. Edit Path - Change location
  4. Delete - Remove bookmark

Transfer Management​

Transfer Queue​

View all ongoing transfers:

  • Click "Transfers" tab at bottom
  • Shows all uploads/downloads
  • Pause/resume individual transfers
  • Cancel transfers

Queue Display:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Transfers (3 active)                                   │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ↑ config.json → /var/www/           [████████] 80%    │
│ ↑ images.zip → /var/www/            [██      ] 20%    │
│ ↓ logs.tar.gz ← /var/log/           [██████  ] 60%    │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Transfer Speed​

View Speed:

  • Status bar shows current speed
  • Per-file speed in transfer queue
  • Average speed over session

Limit Speed:

  1. Settings → SFTP
  2. Enable "Limit transfer speed"
  3. Set max upload/download speed
  4. Useful for limited bandwidth

Resume Transfers​

If transfer is interrupted:

  1. Connection lost shows warning
  2. Reconnect to server
  3. Click "Resume" in transfer queue
  4. Transfer continues from where it stopped

Supported for:

  • Large files (> 1 MB)
  • Multiple files
  • Folder transfers

Tips & Best Practices​

1. Use Drag & Drop​

Fastest way to transfer files:

  • No need to click buttons
  • Intuitive interface
  • Supports folders
  • Visual feedback

2. Organize with Bookmarks​

Create bookmarks for:

  • Web server root (/var/www/html)
  • Log directories (/var/log)
  • Configuration folders (/etc)
  • Application directories

3. Verify Before Deleting​

Always double-check before deleting:

  • Preview file contents first
  • Check file size and date
  • Use Compare feature
  • Consider backing up first

4. Use Filters​

Show only relevant files:

  1. Click filter icon
  2. Enter pattern: *.log
  3. Only log files shown

Common Filters:

*.conf       # Configuration files
*.log        # Log files
*.txt        # Text files
nginx.*      # All nginx files

5. Preserve Permissions​

When uploading:

  • Use "Preserve permissions" option
  • Especially for scripts and executables
  • Maintains owner/group when possible

6. Batch Operations​

Process multiple files at once:

  • Select all needed files
  • Apply operation once
  • Saves time and clicks

Example:

1. Select all .jpg files
2. Right-click → Download
3. All download together

7. Use Refresh​

If files don't update:

  • Press F5 or click refresh icon
  • Reloads directory contents
  • Useful after external changes

Troubleshooting​

SFTP Connection Failed​

Symptom: Cannot connect to SFTP

Solutions:

  1. Check SSH Access:

    # Try SSH first
    ssh user@server

  2. SFTP Subsystem:

    # On server, check if SFTP is enabled
    grep Subsystem /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    # Should show: Subsystem sftp /usr/lib/openssh/sftp-server

  3. Restart SSH:

    sudo systemctl restart sshd

Slow Transfer Speeds​

Causes & Solutions:

  1. Network Latency:

    • Check connection quality
    • Use compression (Settings → SFTP)

  2. Server CPU:

    • Encryption/decryption uses CPU
    • Check server load

  3. Bandwidth Limits:

    • ISP throttling
    • Server bandwidth caps
    • Remove speed limits in settings

Permission Denied​

When Uploading:

  • Check remote folder permissions
  • Verify you have write access
  • Try a different destination folder

When Downloading:

  • Check if file is readable
  • Verify you're not downloading system files

Fix Permissions:

# On server
chmod 755 /path/to/folder
chmod 644 /path/to/file

Files Not Showing​

Hidden Files:

  1. Click "View" menu
  2. Enable "Show Hidden Files"
  3. Files starting with . now visible

Refresh:

  • Press F5 to refresh directory

Filters:

  • Check if filter is active
  • Clear filter to see all files

Upload Failed​

Check:

  1. Disk space on server: df -h
  2. File size limits
  3. Filename conflicts
  4. Special characters in filename

Solution:

  • Free up disk space
  • Rename problematic files
  • Split large files

Cross-Host Transfers​

One of Xermius's most powerful features is the ability to transfer files directly between two remote hosts without downloading to your local machine first.

How It Works​

Traditional Method (Slow):

Server A → Download to Local → Upload to Server B

Cross-Host Transfer (Fast):

Server A → Direct Transfer → Server B
(Your computer only coordinates)

Starting a Cross-Host Transfer​

Method 1: Drag & Drop Between SFTP Tabs

  1. Open SFTP tab for Server A
  2. Open SFTP tab for Server B
  3. Drag files from Server A's remote pane
  4. Drop onto Server B's remote pane
  5. Transfer starts automatically

Method 2: Copy & Paste

  1. In Server A SFTP, select files
  2. Right-click → "Copy for Cross-Host Transfer"
  3. Switch to Server B SFTP tab
  4. Navigate to destination folder
  5. Right-click → "Paste from Cross-Host Transfer"

Transfer Monitoring​

Cross-host transfers are monitored in the Task Manager:

  • Real-time progress: See transfer progress with percentage
  • Speed tracking: Monitor transfer speed (MB/s)
  • ETA calculation: Estimated time remaining
  • Pause/Resume: Pause and resume transfers
  • Cancel: Stop transfer at any time
  • Transfer history: View completed and failed transfers

Task Manager Interface:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Task Manager                                    [×]    │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Running Transfers (2)                                  │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ backup.tar.gz                                          │
│ Server A → Server B                                    │
│ [████████████████        ] 65%                         │
│ 45.2 MB / 70 MB • 2.3 MB/s • 11s remaining            │
│ [Pause] [Cancel]                                       │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ website.zip                                            │
│ Server B → Server C                                    │
│ [████                    ] 15%                         │
│ 15 MB / 100 MB • 1.8 MB/s • 47s remaining             │
│ [Pause] [Cancel]                                       │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Transfer History​

View all past transfers:

  • Completed transfers: Successfully transferred files
  • Failed transfers: Transfers that encountered errors
  • Cancelled transfers: Manually cancelled transfers
  • Transfer details: Source, destination, size, duration, speed
  • Retry failed: Retry failed transfers with one click

Benefits​

Speed:

  • No local download/upload bottleneck
  • Direct server-to-server transfer
  • Utilizes server bandwidth, not your internet

Efficiency:

  • No local disk space needed
  • Transfer large files without filling your drive
  • Multiple simultaneous transfers

Convenience:

  • Coordinate from one interface
  • Monitor all transfers in one place
  • Automatic retry on failure

Keyboard Shortcuts​

ActionShortcut
New FolderCtrl/Cmd + Shift + N
RenameF2
DeleteDelete or Backspace
RefreshF5
CopyCtrl/Cmd + C
CutCtrl/Cmd + X
PasteCtrl/Cmd + V
Select AllCtrl/Cmd + A
BookmarkCtrl/Cmd + D
FindCtrl/Cmd + F
Go UpBackspace
Go BackAlt + ←
Go ForwardAlt + →
PropertiesAlt + Enter

Next Steps​