Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-main
Date:         Sat, 21 Nov 1992 07:50:56 EST
Reply-To:     TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
From:         Message Center <FZC@CU.NIH.GOV>
Subject:      FTP for Internet sites with E-Mail only.
Comments: To: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu, info-vax@kl.sri.com,
          info-ibmpc@brl.mil, ibm-main@ricevm1.rice.edu,
          PCTECH-L%trearn.BITNET@CU.NIH.GOV
Comments: cc: TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM

FTP for Internet sites with E-Mail only.

One of the features of the Internet is the ability to connect to
another location and obtain files stored at that location.  This
capability is called "FTP" (for "File Transfer Protocol".)  This
means that an installation can place important sources or binaries
on a particular machine and then "advertise" the place where the
material is stored.  Then, anyone who wants or needs this material
can use FTP to request it.  There are two types of FTP, one where
you have advance permission and have a specific account and password
on that system, and one where the system allows anyone to request
files from it.  The latter is done by using the "standard" account
name of "anonymous" with your internet address as your password, and
is known as "anonymous FTP".

Note:  If you are using a system on BITNET, you have special
capabilities through a different method.  See the bottom of this memo
for additional details.

FTP can be for small to enormous file areas.  Columbia University
provides an anonymous FTP site to allow people to obtain the sources
to the Kermit file transfer protocol.  In some cases, such as the
massive SIMTEL20 archive operated by the White Sands Missle Range,
this includes thousands of files which can be used by the IBM-PC,
Macintosh, Amiga and other systems.

While some people who either have university or commercial service
accounts have the ability to do FTP directly to their local machine,
then download the files from their local machine, a lot more people
have E-Mail only access to Internet, and thus have no means available
to do FTP and acquire these files.

However, there is a way to obtain files from FTP sites and retrieve
files by E-Mail.  This service is available by sending E-Mail messages
to the FTPMAIL service provided by Digital Equipment Corporation to
anyone with an Internet E-Mail address.  In fact, DEC operates an
anonymous FTP site called "gatekeeper" that if you don't ask for a
specific other site, it will make requests from gatekeeper.

To be able to do E-Mail based FTP, you need to know the name of the site,
then you simply tell FTPMAIL and ask it to obtain the files for you if
that site permits "anonymous" FTP, i.e. where anyone can obtain any file
from the system.  You send the message, and FTPMAIL eventually will
either (1) send you back confirmation or (2) send you back a note
saying you made a mistake.  If you got (1), it will then send
you the requested files, in chunks of 64K or less.  If the
file is smaller than 64K, you get it in one message.  If the
file is larger than 64K, you get it in multiple messages.  (If
you are on Compuserve, you need to set this limit to 49K; send
a HELP message to find out about the CHUNKSIZE command.)

I personally have used this method to send over 10 megabytes
of files to me at my account on MCI Mail.  Note that you must
know the system you want to retrieve and the exact file
names.  In almost all instances, the particular case, UPPER OR
lower, is critical and must be done exactly as indicated based
on a listing from a DIR request.

The way to make E-Mail FTP requests is to send a message to:

        FTPMAIL@DECWRL.DEC.COM

where a set of commands are sent as the text of the message.  (The
title of the message is not used except to identify file(s) returned
to you.)

The full instructions can be obtained by sending a message with: HELP as
a line in the text of the message.  The complete FTPMAIL capability
includes other features including non-anonymous FTP, ability to retrieve
a file in different sized pieces, and special password capability.

The general method of sending a request is as follows (lines beginning
with ; are comments; these comments are not included on FTPMAIL requests):

TO:  FTPMAIL@DECWRL.DEC.COM
; FTPMAIL's address
CONNECT WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL
; This is the name of the system I want to request from
REPLY TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
; Here is where I want files I receive sent to
BINARY
UUENCODE
; These two lines indicate I will be receiving 8-bit character
; files and they should be sent to me as uuencoded binary so
; that they can be sent as E-Mail.  If you are only doing DIR
; requests, you can skip both of these
GET PD1:<MSDOS.DBASE>WAMPUM42.ZIP
; Here I am requesting the system send me a particular file
; I am interested in.  Note that you can only request 10 files
; at a time, more than that and your request is rejected
DIR PD1:<MSDOS>
; Here I want a directory listing.  This will come back as a
; separate message
QUIT
; This is an optional command indicating that there are no
; more FTPMAIL commands.  If your system appends tag lines or
; disclaimers, to your messages, you should put this in so FTPMAIL
; will ignore them.

NOTE:  If your local system is a BITNET system, however, you can use the
BITFTP server from Princeton, whose syntax is slightly different, and
allows special features including direct binary transfers as opposed to
DEC's FTPMAIL which, since it is running on the Internet as opposed to
internal BITNET transfers, cannot provide this capability.  To use the
BITNET server, you should send a message with HELP as the text to
"BITFTP@PUCC.BITNET".  BITFTP will not send files to non-BITNET sites.
---
Paul Robinson -- TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM  -- These opinions are mine alone.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU