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Using Unix FTP
Using FTP Publication Number SFSC6551, A, April 1993 FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the user interface to the ARPANET and DARPA standard File Transfer Protocol. FTP supports file transfers between machines connected to the Internet. The Internet is a resource-sharing network consisting of governmental, research, and educational organizations. Machines on the Internet have a unique "host name" and "IP (Internet Protocol) number". You need to know the remote-machine's host name or IP number before you can communicate with it. You also need to have an account and password on the remote-machine if you want to exchange (specifically store) information with the remote-machine. The orion, apollo, and libra systems are connected to the Internet and therefore supports file exchange with other Internet machines.
Some machines offer public or anonymous ftp access. Anonymous access means you can access the machine without a valid account and password on the machine. The anonymous ftp sites allow you only to retrieve information (e.g., software programs, documents, or utilities). You enter the name "anonymous" to the user name prompt and your "electronic mail address" (or "guest") to the password prompt.
Invoking FTP
You initiate an FTP session by typing the "ftp" command at the UNIX command prompt. Next, at the ftp> command prompt, you type the command "open remote-machine" to connect to the machine. You may also type "ftp remote-machine" to connect to a remote-machine. The remote machine will prompt you for your user name and password. If you have an account on the machine, enter your account and password. If you want to use the anonymous ftp service, enter "anonymous" at the user name prompt and then type your "electronic mail account" (sometimes "guest" is accepted) at the password prompt.
When you enter incorrect information for the user name or password, you get a login error message. You can either type "quit" to exit the ftp session and start ftp again or type the "user" command to continue your ftp login. For example, the ftp command "open oak.oakland.edu" will make a connection with the ftp server at the site oakland.edu. The oak.oakland.edu system offers anonymous ftp service; if you don't have a valid account, you can type "anonymous" for the user name prompt and then your "electronic mail address" (or "guest") for the password. You can also type "ftp remote-machine" to connect to a remote machine (e.g., ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu).
Accessible Internet Machines
Some of the accessible Internet machines at San Francisco State University are:
Some of the popular anonymous ftp sites are:
Machine Name System apollo.sfsu.edu Sun SparcServer 20 libra.sfsu.edu Sun SparcServer 20 gibbs.sfsu.edu Chemistry Sun toaster.sfsu.edu Computer Science NeXT futon.sfsu.edu Computer Science NeXT
Machine Name Software sumex-aim.stanford.edu MAC software wuarchive.wustl.edu MAC/DOS/Unix software oak.oakland.edu MAC/DOS software Getting Help
If you need on-line help on ftp commands, type a question mark (?) or the "help" command at the ftp command prompt (ftp>). You can get detailed information about a particular ftp command by appending the name of the ftp command after the "?" or "help" command. For example, "help open" or "? quit" gives information about the open and quit command, respectively.
Basic ftp Commands
The essential ftp commands you use are described below:
Command Description ls Lists the file information on the remote machine in the short format. dir Lists the file information on the remote machine in the long format. get filename Receives a file (called filename) from the remote machine. open remote-machine Makes a connection with a remote machine. put filename or send filename Puts a file (called filename) on the remote machine. close Terminates the ftp connection. quit or bye Terminates the ftp session and exits ftp. pwd Shows your current working directory on the remote machine. cd directory-name Changes the working directory on the remote machine. ascii Sets the file transfer format to text mode (use for transferring text files). binary Sets the file transfer format to binary mode (use for transferring binary files). Important File Types
You will encounter many different file types when you work with ftp to exchange information. You need to set your file transfer mode (with the "ASCII" or "BINARY" ftp command) for the different file types before you perform your file transfer. Below is a list of possible file types.
File Transfer Mode Text file (e.g., transfer.txt) ASCII Spreadsheet file (e.g., figures.wk1) Probably BINARY Database file (e.g., database.db) Probably BINARY Word processor file (e.g., paper.wp) Probably BINARY Program source code (e.g., program.c) ASCII Electronic mail messages (e.g., john.msg) ASCII UNIX tar file (e.g., programs.tar) BINARY Compressed file (thisfile.Z, program.Sit, package.ZIP) BINARY Uuencoded file (e.g., transfer.uu) ASCII Executable file (e.g., runthis) BINARY Postscript or GIF (e.g., myfile.ps or graphics.gif) ASCII
If you encounter an unfamiliar file format use the ASCII transfer mode first and then use BINARY if the ASCII mode does not work.
Transferring a File From apollo or libra to Another Machine
Once you ftp to a remote machine from your account, traverse (with the cd directory command) to the directory that contains the file you need. Now, type the ftp command "put filename" to transfer a file from your account to the remote machine. You can use the "mput *" command to put multiple files.
Transferring a File From Another Machine to apollo or libra
Once you ftp to a remote machine from your account, traverse (with the cd directory command) to the directory that contains the file you need. Now, type the ftp command "get filename" to retrieve a file from the remote machine to your account. You can use the "mget *" command to get multiple files.
Closing an FTP Connection
When you finish the file transfer, you close the communication session by issuing either the ftp "quit" or "bye" command.
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Last Modified: 4 Feb 2004
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