Beyond Compare

Transfer type

FTP sites can transfer data in two ways:  ASCII and Binary.  

ASCII is used to transfer text files that don't have any special characters.  The FTP server will automatically make any adjustments to line endings needed in ASCII mode.  ASCII mode also handles transfers from mainframes by converting from EBCDIC to ANSI and adding line terminators to the end of records.  

Binary is used to transfer all other files, including pictures, music, Word documents, etc.  In Binary mode, no changes are made to the file during the transfer.

Setting the transfer type to either ASCII or Binary will force all files to transfer that way.  If the transfer type is Auto, Beyond Compare will automatically switch back and forth based on the file's extension.

Copy timestamps on upload

Forces the remote timestamp to match the source timestamp.  Only clear this checkbox if it causes problems with the server.

Copy Unix permissions on upload

Forces the remote Unix permissions to match the source Unix permissions.  Only clear this checkbox if it causes problems with the server.

Compress transfers (MODE Z)

Uses compression to speed up transfers when supported by the server.  This may actually slow down transfers on fast connections.

Limit download (Kbps)Limit upload (Kbps)

Specifies how much bandwidth Beyond Compare can consume for each connection.

Force faster uploads to older OpenSSH servers

Uses larger transfer buffers and pipelining on OpenSSH servers prior to OpenSSH 3.9.  This can substantially increase transfer speed, but is not compatible with all servers, and failures may not be obvious.  Use a binary content comparison to verify the first transfers you do after enabling this.