HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Steve Huff, U. of Kansas, Lawrence) (01/09/90)
I'm sure this has been asked before, sorry for the repeat. When I am FTP'ng, how do I determine what type the file I am 'get'ng is? For example, I tried to get a file with the extension TAR.Z as a binary file, but received garbage. Can somebody please tell me how to do this correctly? Is there a file somewhere on how to use FTP? Thanks. Please e-mail or post replies. Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------- If the opposite of pro is con, what is the opposite of progress? Steve Huff Internet: HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Bitnet: HUFF@ukanvax.BITNET EmCon: K1TR or KW02 (If you have access, please say so!) -----------------------------------------------------------------
eps@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott) (01/09/90)
In article <20950@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> HUFF@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Steve Huff, U. of Kansas, Lawrence) writes: >When I am FTP'ng, how do I determine what type the file I am >'get'ng is? It's not always possible. If there's a "README" file in the directory, get it (ASCII) and read it first. Between _identical_ operating systems it's a non-issue; most UNIX systems can use BINARY for everything; DEC-20s can use PAGE structure; VMS sites running MultiNet can use the STRU O VMS extension. But these are special cases. The heterogeneous nature of the Internet often leads to... "ya just gotta know." > For example, I tried to get a file with the extension > TAR.Z > >as a binary file, but received garbage. You must use BINARY (or TENEX, if appropriate) mode to transfer .Z files--these are Lempel-Ziv compressed. If you try looking at them "raw" they will look like garbage. They can be recognized by their first three bytes; for 16-bit compression, they will be (hex) 1F 9D 90. You will need an "uncompress" program to recover the original data (which your site should have, possibly as part of its usenet software). -=EPS=-