boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu (Brian O'Neill) (02/14/89)
Posting-number: Volume 01 Issue INF2
Originally-from: boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu (Brian O'Neill)
Submitted-by: boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu (Brian O'Neill)
Archive-name: v01info/ftp.man
[Date of Last Change: 1/1/89 Release 1.0]
[This file is available via FTP from swan.ulowell.edu (129.62.224.1), file
ibmpc/General/ftp.man -B]
GETTING BINARIES VIA FTP
(c) Copyright 1989 Brian O'Neill. This manual was created to aid people in
the usage of binary postings on UseNet. Permission to copy this file is
granted, so long as credit is given to those who helped. A list of those
people appear at the end of this posting.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It allows a person to log into
another system, and send or receive files on that system. It is mostly used
with InterNet hosts.
If your hosts system has FTP and is connected to the InterNet, you can
access very large amounts of archives available on a number of systems,
such as Simtel20 or uunet.uu.net. This is a simplified use manual, and
will use two examples, one a TOPS-20 system (simtel20.arpa), and one Unix
system (swan.ulowell.edu, my local system).
The simplest way to initiate FTP would be to give the command 'ftp
<system-name>', where <system-name> is the remote system you are connecting
to, either a name (simtel20.arpa, if you have an entry in /etc/hosts) or
the InterNet address (26.0.0.74, for Simtel20). After a short wait, you will
be prompted for your username. If you do not have an account on the remote
system, some systems allow you to use 'anonymous'. This gives you a
restricted access path.
You would then be prompted for a password. Some systems will tell you to
send your real identity as the password. What you type doesn't matter, but
it is suggested to give your mail address. Other systems need a password of
'guest', or something similar.
After that, you should receive the FTP prompt (usually ftp>), and now
have access. You can get a directory of files be giving a 'dir' command, or
if the remote system is Unix-based, 'ls -l' will give the familiar output.
On Simtel20, there is a file usually available that explains what Simtel20
is, and where files are located. I don't remember the name, but it is
something like 'SIMTEL-ARCHIVES.INFO.19', the last version I saw. the '.19'
is a version number. You don't need to specify the '.19' when requesting the
file.
Unix systems will all have the familiar directory structure, and moving
around is done with the familiar 'cd' command. TOPS-20 systems have a
different structure, but movement is still accomplished with the 'cd'
command.
I will use Simtel20 as the first example. To start, give the command
'ftp simtel20.arpa' from your shell prompt, or 'open simtel20.arpa' from the
'ftp>' prompt. If simtel20.arpa is not in your /etc/hosts file, use
'26.0.0.74' in it's place. After a few seconds, you'll be prompted for your
username. Type 'anonymous', and when prompted for password, give your e-mail
address (more as a courtesy than anything else). You should then shortly get
back the 'ftp>' prompt.
Now, say you want to see what is stored for MS-DOS programs. Simtel20
is a DEC System-20 running the TOPS-20 operating system. The directory
structure is something like 'DISK:<DIRECTORY.SUBDIRECTORY>'. For MS-DOS
programs, the main directory is 'PD1:<MSDOS>'. In here there is a file
called 'MSDOS.CRCLST', which is updated almost daily. It contains a list of
all files within the MS-DOS subdirectories, along with file size and CRC
value.
To get this list, first switch to that directory by saying 'cd
pd1:<msdos>' (TOPS-20 is not case sensitive). When you get the 'ftp>' prompt
back, you can then say 'get msdos.crclst'. This will initiate the transfer,
and after a few minutes it will be completed. The beauty of Unix is that
while you are transfering something big, you can put it in the background
and do something else.
Say you wanted to get ProComm Plus. According to the list, it is in
PD1:<MSDOS.PROCOMM>. So, you can enter 'cd pd1:<msdos.procomm>' A 'dir'
will show all the files in that directory. (You may wish not to use too
many 'dir' commands, as they are fairly slow)
Now, you want the file 'pcplustd.arc'. First, you must tell your host
what kind of file it is. On most Unix systems, 'binary' or 'set type binary'
or 'set type I' will work. However, as Simtel20 runs a different OS that has
different word sizes (36 bits, I think) you must specify 'tenex' or
'type L 8' to transfer properly. You can then issue a 'get pcplustd.arc'
command, and after a short while, you have ProComm Plus. To end your
session, enter the 'bye' command.
Unix is a little more familiar. For example, you might wish to get the
latest version DSZ from swan.ulowell.edu. First, you give the 'ftp
swan.ulowell.edu' command (or ftp 129.63.1.1), giving 'anonymous' for the
username, and your address as the password. You can then use the 'dir' or
'ls -l' commands to scan the directories. After logging in, you'll notice a
directory called 'ibmpc'. so, you can use 'cd ibmpc', and you're inside.
The ibmpc directory is subdivided into different subdirectories, such as
Comm, SysUtil, and Programming. DSZ is a communications program, so you can
then 'cd Comm'. Once again, there are several subdirectories, giving the
names of several communications programs, and one marked 'Protocols'. Inside
that directory is where DSZ is located. There you'll find the latest version
of DSZ (dsz0711.arc, at this time). Since it is a binary file, you must give
the command 'binary' or 'set file type binary' to let FTP know. then you can
issue the 'get' command.
Different systems have different organizations for their files, and the
above example is just the way I have it set up. By 'poking' around other
systems, you can learn how their files are set up, and zip around much
faster. Note, however, that FTP will not allow you outside the FTP 'root'
directory, usually ~ftp on most systems. So, poking about the entire system
is not permitted.
Other features of FTP can be found in the manual - please check there.
THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HELPED...
I'd like to thank all those who helped in the creation of the manuals, and
were patient enough for it to be released:
Craig Browning
William Davidsen
Mike Driscoll
Bill Fenner
John Foulkes
Steven Harding
Mac Michaels
Derek Nazareth
Russ Nelson
Kevin Reilly
-- end of ftp.man --