Newsgroups: bit.listserv.history
Date:         Tue, 25 Aug 1992 12:55:08 CDT
From:         Don Mabry <djm1@RA.MSSTATE.EDU>
Subject:      FTP.Info
Comments: To: L-cha@uqam.BITNET, history@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu

September 1, 1991

From: Don Mabry
     djm1@msstate (bitnet)
     djm1@ra.msstate.edu (Internet)


     FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP or ftp) is the fastest means of
transferring a file from one computer to another. To do so, one
must have an account not only on one's home computer but also on
the computer from which you plan to retrieve a file. Fortunately,
there are a number of computers that allow one to logon as
anonymous and to use guest or one's e-mail address as the password.
These are called anonymous ftp sites. Ra.Msstate.edu is an anonymous
ftp site. Ra will allow you to ftp into it by logging in as anonymous
and using either your e-mail address or the word guest as the password.

     Mississippi State University, as a service to the public, operates an
anonymous FTP (or ftp)  electronic archive called docs/history. docs/history is
divided into subdirectories. Files to be included in this directory
should be sent to djm1@ra.msstate.edu.

     To do a ftp, you only have to know a few commands. Files are stored in
directories and subdirectories.

Here are some basic commands with an explanation
of them in brackets:

     cd        [change directory]
     DIR       [display a directory]
     ls        [list]
     ls -FC    [list in columns, showing which are files, directories,
                    or programs. Directories are marked with a /;
                    programs with a *]
     get       [command the distant computer to transfer a file]
     mget *    [Interactively answer yes or no for retrieval of each
                    file in a directory]
     bye       [end ftp connection]
     quit      [end ftp connection]
     binary    [You MUST specify binary for a GIF, program, or any binary
                    file]

     Below is an example of an ftp session on ra.msstate.edu some time ago.

ftp ra.msstate.edu
Connected to ra.msstate.edu.
220 Ra.MsState.Edu FTP server (SunOS 4.1) ready.
Name (ra.msstate.edu:djm1): anonymous
331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
Password: guest
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
ftp> cd docs/history
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> ls -FC
200 PORT command successful.
150 ASCII data connection for /bin/ls (130.18.80.10,3177) (0 bytes).

HSTDIR.TXT                         college-email.text
Military-Addresses                 course.Renaissance.BBS
NCHE                               database.canada.CULDAT
NHPRC                              database.search
REACH                              diary.iraqi
REACH.9101                         diary.koren
REACH.9103                         diary.werman
Spain.1898                         directory.Canada.list
article.E-Mail                     electronic.biblio.cite
article.alindia.txt                filelist
article.attila.txt                 ftp.info
article.carpentry.medieval         geography.us
article.neolith.txt                glasgow.newsletter
article.vietnam.songs              instructions.directory.janet
biblio.Andrew.Jackson              interest-groups.txt
biblio.american.indian.movement    internet.library
biblio.socialism.france            jobs.history.science
bios.europe                        lasnet.members
bios.history                       lists.history
bios.other                         oxford.text.archives
bios.science.history               paper.VaticanII.Jews
bios.us                            paper.WWI.military
citeread.zip                       victoria.counties.history

226 ASCII Transfer complete.
remote: -FC
627 bytes received in 0.61 seconds (1 Kbytes/s)
ftp> get bios.history
[I deleted some info here]
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye.

=====================================================================
     Many BITNET/EARN/NETNORTH/GULFNET sites cannot do a direct FTP.
However, BITFTP -- Princeton BITNET FTP Server provides a mail interface
to allow BITNET/NetNorth/EARN users to ftp files from sites on the Internet.

     In this case, one sends mail to BITFTP@PUCC, leaving the subject
header blank, and putting the program commands in the body of the text.
Note that each command *must* be on a separate line.

The recommended syntax for ftp requests is:

FTP hostname
USER anonymous
<other ftp subcommands>
QUIT

(If the username is "anonymous", no password is required;
BITFTP will use your userid and nodeid as the password.)

Both ra.msstate.edu and u.washington.edu want lower case for commands.


The following is an example of an ftp request sent by MAIL to BITFTP@PUCC:


FTP  ra.msstate.edu
USER  anonymous
cd  docs/history
get  bios.history
bye
=======================================================================
     I understand that non-BITNET sites cannot use BFTP@PUCC, but
have been told that mail sent to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com will work. Below
are the instructions for that mail program. Notice that one has to specify
one's return address when using this program.

>>> this help file was last edited on 15-February-1991
>>>
>>> commands are:
        reply <MAILADDR>        set reply addr, since headers are usually
                                   wrong
        connect [HOST [USER [PASS]]]  defaults to gatekeeper.dec.com,
                                        anonymous
        ascii                   files grabbed are printable ascii
        binary                  files grabbed are compressed or tar or both
        compress                compress binaries using Lempel-Ziv encoding
        compact                 compress binaries using Huffman encoding
        uuencode                binary files will be mailed in uuencode format
        btoa                    binary files will be mailed in btoa format
        ls (or dir) PLACE       short (long) directory listing
        get FILE                get a file and have it mailed to you
        quit                    terminate script, ignore rest of mail message
                                        (use if you have a .signature or
                                         are a VMSMAIL user)
>>> notes:
        -> you must give a "connect" command, default host is
           gatekeeper.dec.com, default user is anonymous, default
           password is your mail address.
        -> binary files will not be compressed unless 'compress' or 'compact'
           command is given; use this if at all possible, it helps a lot.
        -> binary files will always be formatted into printable ASCII
           with "btoa" or "uuencode" (default is "btoa").
        -> all retrieved files will be split into 60KB chunks and mailed.
        -> VMS/DOS/Mac versions of uudecode, atob, compress and compact
           are available, ask your LOCAL wizard about them.

     I tested this program and it worked. Here is what I did from my UNIX
system (VM, VMS, and other mail systems' commands may differ):

mail ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com
SUBJECT: [leave blank]

reply djm1@ra.msstate.edu [substitute your own address]
connect ra.msstate.edu
ascii
get /docs/history/filelist
quit


     This was not as fast as BITFTP but I did get the file. So, those of
you who cannot do a direct FTP or use BITFTP should be able to use this
program.

Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU