v118j3ml@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Michael J Slavis) (02/09/91)
Hey...I just recently started telecommunicating with my Amiga 2000, and I
keep hearing people talk about d/l-ing Fred Fish disks through a service
called FTP...now, I've talked to some consultants at my school (State
University of New York at Buffalo), and they told me that FTP stood for
FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL....well, this sounds like something that one could
use to d/l public domain software, but they were puzzled when I started to
tell them that the way I understood it, people logged into computers all
over the country, went into a certain directory, and proceeded to d/l whatever
they needed. They told me that to access FTP, I type FTP [Hostname] at my
DCL prompt, and then I would have to have an account to log into the remote
system...well, I don't think that this is what everybody is talking about.
Can someone please help me on getting started with FTP??? I'm a quick
learner and I have a strong desire to figure this thing out...you can mail
directly to me, but I think posting on this board would be a better idea
because I know a lot of novices who would like to learn how to use this
service......Thank you very much,
Mike Slavis (V118J3ML@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu)sirotto@oak.circa.ufl.edu (Mike Cerrato) (02/11/91)
In article <58829@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v118j3ml@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Michael J Slavis) writes: >they needed. They told me that to access FTP, I type FTP [Hostname] at my >DCL prompt, and then I would have to have an account to log into the remote > > Mike Slavis (V118J3ML@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu) Just as a follow up to the other replys . . . DCL conveniently converts everything to upper case. Many anonymous FTP sites are run on Unix machines which are case sensitive. You might have to include the "anonymous" in quotes to make sure it goes in lower case. Also, directory and file names might have to be in quotes . . . you'll just have to experiment. ___ __ |\ |\ | / \ SirOtto -- Gallant Knight of a rather large, squarish | \ | \ | / table someplace in the West Panhandle of Florida. | \ | \ |--< | \| \|___\____/ Michael E. Cerrato -- University of Florida Internet: sirotto%maple.decnet@pine.circa.ufl.edu UUCP: ...!uunet!uflorida!pine.circa.ufl.edu!sirotto%maple.decnet
zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) (02/12/91)
In article <58829@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> v118j3ml@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu writes: >a service >called FTP...now, I've talked to some consultants at my school (State >University of New York at Buffalo), and they told me that FTP stood for >FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL.... ... >they needed. They told me that to access FTP, I type FTP [Hostname] at my >DCL prompt, and then I would have to have an account to log into the remote >system. ... >Can someone please help me on getting started with FTP??? Well, you have a VMS system, and I only know Unix, so I'm afraid you're going to have to RTFM for the details here. (Ask your consultant if you aren't familiar with the RTFM system). On Unix, ftp is a program (and a protocol) that lets your computer connect to other computers. You do indeed need an account on the other computers to connect to them properly. However, there are many "Anonymous FTP" sites that wonderful people have set up with a special account name called "anonymous", which will accept any password. You should generally type your user name for the password. These systems generally have an archive of files available for anyone who wants them. A few have the Fred Fish disks. To connect, you usually just type "ftp machine". To give one particularly popular example, type: > ftp ab20.larc.nasa.gov At this point, you will be asked for a user name. You should type "anonymous". When you get asked for a password, you should type your user name. This makes sense. You will then be logged on. This sort of login is much more restricted than the normal login. You can run programs as usual. There are a few things you can do: 1. List the directory on the remote machine. This is usually "ls" or "dir". 2. Change directories on the remote machine. This is usually "cd" or "chdir". 3. Get a file from the remote machine. This is usually done with "get" or "mget". Note that if you are transferring a file that is not plain text, you should type the command "binary" before doing this. "Get" will copy the file from the remote machine to the current directory on your machine. 4. Copy a file to the remote machine from the local machine. This is usually "put", and is the opposite of "get". Once you have done this, you will have files on your VMS or Unix (or whatever) machine. Since you want them on your Amiga, you still have some work to do. You will probably need to call the big machine via a modem with your Amiga. At this point, you can download the files using a protocol such as kermit, zmodem, or such. Note that if you use kermit, you may need to "uuencode" the file before sending it. This puts the file into a text form. Once you get it to the Amiga, you need to "uudecode" it, which transforms it back to its original form. There are various programs that will do this for you. Here's my (very informal) list of my favorite ftp sites. There is a more formal list posted regularly here by Michael Bergman (d88-mbe@sm.luth.se). 128.8.10.14 Complete fish collection 128.174.5.59 mystery ftp site ab20.larc.nasa.gov = 128.155.23.64 burdell.gatech.edu usenet archives uafcseg.uark.edu ux1.cso.uiuc.edu fish disks isca.icaen.uiowa.edu (128.255.19.175) fish disks Don't expect these all to work. Have fun! Dan Zerkle zerkle@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (916) 754-0240 Amiga... Because life is too short for boring computers.
sirotto@oak.circa.ufl.edu (Mike Cerrato) (02/13/91)
In article <8355@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) writes: >At this point, you will be asked for a user name. You should type >"anonymous". When you get asked for a password, you should type your >user name. This makes sense. You will then be logged on. I use FTP on VMS and have found that you have to type USER "<username>". Since VMS converts everything to uppercase, the username must be in quotes if it contains any lowercase letters. For example to log on to ab20.larc.nasa.gov: USER "anonymous" > >This sort of login is much more restricted than the normal login. >You can run programs as usual. There are a few things you can do: > >2. Change directories on the remote machine. This is usually "cd" or > "chdir". Directory names containing lowercase letters or "/" must be enclosed in quotes to keep them from being converted to uppercase. >3. Get a file from the remote machine. This is usually done with > "get" or "mget". Note that if you are transferring a file that > is not plain text, you should type the command "binary" before > doing this. "Get" will copy the file from the remote machine to > the current directory on your machine. Filenames containing lowercase letters or "/" must be enclosed in quotes. The equivalent for the "binary" command is SET TYPE IMAGE. > Dan Zerkle zerkle@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (916) 754-0240 > Amiga... Because life is too short for boring computers. FTP has a pretty comprehensive help file. Just type HELP at the FTP> prompt. If you are having problems, check the Hints topic (if there is one) under the command you are trying to use. I hope this is helpful . . . ___ __ |\ |\ | / \ SirOtto -- Gallant Knight of a rather large, squarish | \ | \ | / table someplace in the West Panhandle of Florida. | \ | \ |--< | \| \|___\____/ Michael E. Cerrato -- University of Florida Internet: sirotto%maple.decnet@pine.circa.ufl.edu UUCP: ...!uunet!uflorida!pine.circa.ufl.edu!sirotto%maple.decnet
u3364521@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (Lou Cavallo) (02/13/91)
G'day, MC> sirotto@oak.circa.ufl.edu (Mike Cerrato) writes: DZ> zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) writes: DZ> At this point, you will be asked for a user name. You should type DZ> "anonymous". When you get asked for a password, you should type your DZ> user name. This makes sense. You will then be logged on. MC> I use FTP on VMS and have found that you have to type USER "<username>". MC> Since VMS converts everything to uppercase, the username must be in quotes MC> if it contains any lowercase letters. For example to log on to MC> ab20.larc.nasa.gov: MC> MC> USER "anonymous" DZ> Dan Zerkle zerkle@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (916) 754-0240 MC> Michael E. Cerrato -- University of Florida Sorry guys, but a (very) minor caveat. The FTP s/w can itself parse lower case text correctly if it is written to do so. The sys admins at one site I connect to have installed CMU {Carnegie Mellon Uni (sp?)} FTP which does this for you if you have the correct revision (sorry, I don't know which). I've found that much of the time, especially on ab20.larc.nasa.gov, that a file with too many periods (for example) in the name gives the (receiving) VAX FTP s/w a stomache ache. The VAX FTP s/w tries to make a file of such a name on the VAX (e.g. Yo.bro.read.this) and VAX VMS file system will not allow files with more than 1 period in them to be created. { If you wish to obtain such a file, to a VAX, then the above advice re: } { using quotes is part of the answer, s.t to get the above example file } { } { FTP> GET "Yo.bro.read.this" yobroread.this } { } { where for simplicity I haven't repeated advice on how to login via FTP } { or on how to specify if the file is a "binary" file (this may vary for } { different s/w versions of FTP, CMU FTP requires one to invoke the com- } { mand } { } { FTP> set type image } { } { before getting a binary file *but* even this command can be varied for } { different types of binary d'loads (sorry for the extra confusion). :-( } I'm sorry if this doesn't answer the original query, or for that matter if what I've said has been covered already. I simply wished to point out the classic {by my definition:-)} problem to fall into trying to FTP (with VAX s/w) from ab20 where the file names can be quite exotic {to a VAX :-)}. yours truly, Lou Cavallo. PS:: lest I be misunderstood, the earlier advice by other posters is very good. With VAX VMS based FTP the hassles all depend on the FTP s/w. This site I am posting from has a very Unix like FTP (Multinet I think) that is command (and behaviour) compatible with Unix FTP's I know. You don't have to worry about the VAX munging the chars into all upper case in general.
@utrcgw.utc.com:mark@ardnt1 (mark) (02/13/91)
on 12 Feb 91 16:45:16 GMT, Mike Cerrato <@utrcgw.utc.com:sirotto@oak.circa.ufl.EDU> said: >> In article <8355@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, >> zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) writes: > At this point, you will be asked for a user name. You should type > "anonymous". When you get asked for a password, you should type your > user name. This makes sense. You will then be logged on. >> I use FTP on VMS and have found that you have to type >> USER "<username>". Since VMS converts everything to uppercase, >> the username must be in quotes if it contains any lowercase >> letters. For example to log on to ab20.larc.nasa.gov: >> USER "anonymous" This is not necessarily true. We have the Wollongong WIN/TCP package (I don't remember the version #) on our VMS (V4.6) system at work. I have used FTP the following ways: from VMS to Unix from VMS to VMS (just as a test, I normally use Decnet to transfer files) from Unix to VMS from Unix to Unix and have never had to worry about the case of the username or filename. > > This sort of login is much more restricted than the normal login. > You can run programs as usual. There are a few things you can do: > > 2. Change directories on the remote machine. This is usually "cd" or > "chdir". >> Directory names containing lowercase letters or "/" must be enclosed >> in quotes to keep them from being converted to uppercase. The only that I've had to watch for is that VMS doesn't like filenames with more than one period in them. You can "get" a file that has more than one period and VMS will accept it. It's just that VMS will generate a "strange" name for that file. It is generally best to give a name to VMS file when entering the get command. For example: get stuff.1.0.tar.Z stuff-1-0-tar.z ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ remote filename local filename > 3. Get a file from the remote machine. This is usually done with > "get" or "mget". Note that if you are transferring a file that > is not plain text, you should type the command "binary" before > doing this. "Get" will copy the file from the remote machine to > the current directory on your machine. >> Filenames containing lowercase letters or "/" must be enclosed in >> quotes. The equivalent for the "binary" command is SET TYPE IMAGE. Our version doesn't recognize SET TYPE IMAGE it uses the "binary" command. > Dan Zerkle zerkle@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (916) 754-0240 > Amiga... Because life is too short for boring computers. >> FTP has a pretty comprehensive help file. Just type HELP at >> the FTP> prompt. If you are having problems, check the Hints >> topic (if there is one) under the command you are trying to use. >> I hope this is helpful . . . Yes, if all else fails, try HELP. See the sample session below. >> ___ __ >> |\ |\ | / \ SirOtto--Gallant Knight of a rather large, squarish >> | \ | \ | / table someplace in the West Panhandle of Florida. >> | \ | \ |--< >> | \| \|___\____/ Michael E. Cerrato -- University of Florida >> Internet: sirotto%maple.decnet@pine.circa.ufl.edu >> UUCP: ...!uunet!uflorida!pine.circa.ufl.edu!sirotto%maple.decnet I realize that there are several TCP/IP packages for VMS, and your's may have the limitations that you described, but there are other versions that do not have the same limitations. I also realize that when we finally upgrade from VMS V4.6 and upgrade our TCP/IP package accordingly, that I may also start enjoying some of these "features". Sample session that illustrates some of the above follows: $ ftp ardnt1 Connection Opened Using 8-bit bytes. <ardnt1 FTP server (Version 4.160 Tue Nov 15 13:05:50 PST 1988) ready. atsn FTP User Process (Version 3.00) * * *user mark <Password required for mark. Password: <User mark logged in. * * *help Commands: abort Terminate current operation ascii Set file transfer mode to ascii bget Retrieve a file in binary mode bput Send a file in binary mode bell Ring bell when file transfer completes binary Set file transfer mode to binary bye Close the connection and exit case Toggle mapping of local filenames to lower case cd Change current working directory on remote host commandfile Execute ftp commands from local file delete Delete a file on remote host directory Display contents of a directory in long form disconnect Close the connection file Set file transfer structure to FILE get Retrieve a file from remote host hash Print # for each packet sent or received help Display help messages for all ftp commands interactive Prompt with each filename for mget, mput and mdelete commands lcd Change current working directory on local host login Log into the remote system ls Display contents of a directory in short form --hit return for next page-- mdelete Delete a group of files from the remote host mget Retrieve a group of files from the remote host mkdir Make a directory on the remote host mput Transfer a group of local files to the remote host nobell Do not ring bell when file transfer completes nohash Do not print # for each packet sent or received nointeractive Turn prompting off for mget, mput and mdelete commands open Open a connection to a remote host put Transfer a file from local host to the remote host pwd Print remote host's current working directory quiet Do not display transfer statistics quote Send the specified string to the remote ftp server record Set file transfer structure to RECORD remotehelp Display list of FTP commands implemented by the server rename Rename a file on the remote host rget Retrieve a file with record structure from the remote host rput Transfer a file with record structure to the remote host stat Display contents of a directory in short form show Show current status structure Set file transfer structure tenex Set file transfer mode to tenex --hit return for next page-- verbose Display server replies and transfer statistics Aliases: cwd => cd end => bye list => directory mrm => mdelete mv => rename nlist => ls quit => bye retrieve => get rm => delete store => put username => login ? => help exit => bye close => disconnect * * *cd src/X/xdesk <CWD command successful. * * *dir <PORT command successful. <Opening data connection for /bin/ls (ascii mode) (0 bytes). <Transfer complete. total 118 -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 137 Oct 31 14:00 Imakefile -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 154 Oct 31 14:12 Makefile -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 796 Oct 31 14:00 README.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 80 Oct 31 14:00 cfg.examp.a -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 268 Oct 31 14:00 cfg.examp.b drwxrwxr-x 2 aero 352 Feb 8 09:01 icons -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 21 Oct 31 14:00 patchlevel.h -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 1964 Oct 31 14:00 xdesk.1.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 23005 Oct 31 11:46 xdesk.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 6256 Oct 31 14:00 xdesk.c.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 134 Oct 31 14:00 xdesk.h.Z -rw-rw-r-- 1 aero 22055 Oct 31 14:00 xdesk.shar.Z 672 bytes in 1 seconds--5376 bps * * *set type image Unknown Command * * *binary <Type set to I. * * *get xdesk.c.Z <PORT command successful. <Opening data connection for xdesk.c.Z (ascii mode) (6256 bytes). <Transfer complete. 6256 bytes in 1 seconds--50048 bps * * *get xdesk.c.Z xdesk-c.Z <PORT command successful. <Opening data connection for xdesk.c.Z (ascii mode) (6256 bytes). <Transfer complete. 3930 bytes in 1 seconds--31440 bps * *bye exit <Goodbye. $ dir/date/size xdesk* Directory $DISK2:[STUCKY] XDESK-C.Z;1 10 13-FEB-1991 09:18 XDESK.C$5NZ;2 13 13-FEB-1991 09:18 <<< result of "get xdesk.c.Z" Total of 2 files, 23 blocks.