Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) Overview

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Trivial File Transfer Protocol

The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) client allows the transfer of files using the TFTP protocol between a TFTP client and a TFTP server. The TFTP protocol is implemented using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) to send and receive data. The TFTP protocol implements its own reliability scheme using UDP.

The TFTP protocol does not support any authentication or encryption mechanism, and as such can introduce a security risk when present. Installing the TFTP client is not recommended for systems that access the Internet.

The TFTP client is optional software, and marked as deprecated on Windows Vista® and later versions of the Windows operating system. A TFTP server is no longer provided by Microsoft for similar security issues.