[comp.archives] [ultrix] People unclear on the concept

mogul@jove.pa.dec.com (Jeffrey Mogul) (01/20/91)

Archive-name: ftp/ftp-by-mail/decwrl-ftpmail/1991-01-19
Archive: ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com:help [mail]
Original-posting-by: mogul@jove.pa.dec.com (Jeffrey Mogul)
Original-subject: People unclear on the concept (how to obtain software from gatekeeper)
Reposted-by: emv@ox.com (Edward Vielmetti)

    I'd like to get a copy of pmon, but alas, I do not have internet
    access yet.  Could you uuencode the tar file and send it to me?  I'd
    appreciate it.

... since I am not totally heartless, I will mention that there are
a number of "FTP by mail" daemons running around the Internet; you
mail a request to the daemon and it FTPs the file to its own host,
then mails the file to you.

One such daemon is "ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com".  Send a message with the
word "help" in the body (the Subject: line is ignored).  I have no
connection with this service, so I won't respond to any messages about
it.  (I mean it, this time.  Avoid possible public humiliation.)

-Jeff

[Edited some.

As usual take it easy when you request stuff that travels through
connections that other people pay for.  Be nice (or else).  

Here's the help message to save you a trip.  --Ed.]

Date: Fri, 18 Jan 91 21:36:21 -0800
Message-Id: <9101190536.AA16353@uucp-gw-1.pa.dec.com>
From: daemon@decwrl.dec.com (ftpmail)
To: emv@ox.com
Subject: your ftpmail request has been received

>>> 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
>>> notes:
	-> you must give a "connect" command, default host is
	   gatekeeper.dec.com, default user is anonymous, default
	   password is your mail address.
	-> all binary files will be compressed with with Lempel-Ziv or Huffman
	   encoding (default is Lempel-Ziv).
	-> after compression, they will be formatted into printable ASCII
	   with "btoa" or "uuencode" (default is "btoa").
	-> after formatting, they will be split into 60KB chunks and mailed.
	-> non-binary (i.e., ascii) files are neither compressed nor encoded,
	   but they are split into 60KB chunks before mailing.