"AFTP" is a four-letter acronym often used in the context of information technology. When pronounced, it is usually spelled out phonetically as Ay-Eff-Tee-Pee. In terms of its spelling, the initial "a" is an unstressed vowel sound that is pronounced as ə. The "f" is pronounced as /ɛf/, the "t" as /ti/, and the "p" as /pi/. The phonetic transcription of this word can help individuals pronounce it correctly, even if they are not familiar with the acronym itself.
AFTP stands for AppleTalk Filing Protocol, which is a network protocol designed for file transfer between computers in an AppleTalk network. AppleTalk is a proprietary suite of networking protocols developed by Apple Inc. for communication between Apple Macintosh computers and other devices. AFTP is specifically developed to enable file exchange and sharing functionality within this network.
AFTP is built upon the ATCP (AppleTalk Transaction Protocol) and utilizes the ADSP (AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol) for reliable and efficient data transmission. It operates based on a client-server model, where one device acts as the server to provide access to its files, and other devices can connect to this server to access and transfer those files.
The protocol incorporates various commands and mechanisms to facilitate different file operations, including file and directory listing, file downloading and uploading, renaming, and deleting. It allows users to navigate through the file system hierarchy on the server and perform necessary operations on the files. AFTP supports both binary and textual data transfer, enabling compatibility with a wide range of file types.
As an integral part of the AppleTalk suite, AFTP facilitates efficient and secure file sharing and collaboration within an AppleTalk network. While it was primarily designed for Macintosh computers, AFTP has been utilized by various devices supporting AppleTalk, such as printers, routers, and file servers. However, with the decline of AppleTalk usage in modern networks, AFTP has lost popularity and has been superseded by more standard network file transfer protocols like FTP (File Transfer Protocol).