Simon 5 is coming soon!
Simon version 5 is currently in beta testing. It is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, improved Find filter, iMessage and Speak Error notifiers, a new app icon, and much more.
Important: please note that Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra), and will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta. Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions).
Re: Monitoring sites for malware infection
Perhaps the easiest way to determine the correct values would be to perform the same operation in Terminal. Launch Terminal (from /Applications/Utilities) and enter
ftp -n karellescharff.com
Then enter your username and password when prompted. If that works, you'll have the correct information to enter in Simon.
From the output you pasted, it sounds like the username is incorrect. Perhaps you have a different username for the FTP account than used elsewhere?
Another possibility is that the FTP server might be ignoring the password if provided on the "user" line. The only way around that would be to use a .netrc file; see
man ftp
for details.Re: Monitoring sites for malware infection
Wouldn't the username and password be the same as what I use in Fetch? That's what I'm using in Simon with the result as noted before. Just tried ftp in terminal using that username and password and I got in.
Not finding enough info about .netrc to know if it's necessary or how to use it.
Given the repeated incidents I'm experiencing, I'd like this to work.
Re: Monitoring sites for malware infection
Yes, it'd be the same. So the problem must be that the server is ignoring the password.
Maybe you could use a different service for this? You could have a PHP script on your site to output the directory listing, and check that with the simple Web (HTTP) service.
Otherwise, here's info from
man ftp
regarding the .netrc file:Re: Monitoring sites for malware infection
coming back to this several months later as I now really have to figure this out.
It probably doesn't come as a surprise that the .netrc instructions gave me brain damage. Sorry. So if I understood the first paragraph correctly at all, I create a file called .netrc and I put it in my home directory - I presume in the root directory of the website in question?
So this file should contain for instance:
karellescharff.com myusername mypasswordstring
So I tried the above, in both the root directory of the server user account and in the root of my computer user folder, still getting the same error message. Some more direction here?
Another surprise - I speak VERY limited php and don't write it at all. Is such a script available?
Re: Monitoring sites for malware infection
The .netrc file should only be in the home folder on your Mac — definitely not on the website. You don't want your password in a file that people can access on a public site.
The file should contain the following text (with suitable values substituted, of course):
machine karellescharff.com
login myusername
password mypasswordstring
In the Finder or Terminal, give the file permissions so only you can access it (you can do that in the Finder via Get Info on it). Also, if you created the file with TextEdit, make sure that it doesn't have a hidden ".txt" extension; you can see that via Get Info, too.
Hope this helps.