307 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
307 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
Archive-Name: ftp-list/faq
|
|
Last-Modified: 1992/07/30
|
|
Version: 1.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anonymous FTP List
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
|
|
|
|
|
|
This FAQ is posted to the following groups monthly: comp.archives.admin,
|
|
comp.misc, comp.sources.wanted, alt.sources.wanted, & news.answers.
|
|
|
|
Comments welcome - Tom Czarnik (aftp-list@netcom.com)
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
I keep a directory of Internet sites accepting anonymous FTP and mail
|
|
retrieval of their files. A listing of these sites is posted to Usenet:
|
|
|
|
comp.sources.wanted alt.sources.wanted
|
|
news.answers comp.misc
|
|
|
|
Lists available:
|
|
|
|
SITES
|
|
|
|
o Site name o Date of last audit (ISO format)
|
|
o IP address(s) o UT/GMT difference
|
|
o Comments/problems address o Country (ISO format)
|
|
o Organization o Types of files
|
|
o E-mail server if available o Restrictions
|
|
|
|
|
|
FILES
|
|
|
|
o Site name o Date of last audit (ISO format)
|
|
o IP address(s) o UT/GMT difference
|
|
o Types of files o Country (ISO format)
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Topics *
|
|
|
|
(1) Understanding the ISO date.
|
|
(2) Retrieving the list from alternate sources.
|
|
(3) Retrieving it directly from the coordinator.
|
|
(4) Using FTP without direct Internet access.
|
|
(5) Problems with a site.
|
|
(6) Information presented is wrong or outdated.
|
|
(7) Getting a site listed or changes made.
|
|
(8) Making the list publicly available.
|
|
(9) Using the general mail server at DEC's Western Research Labs.
|
|
(10) What is Archie and how does it relate to the list?
|
|
(11) What is and how do I use the FTP program?
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Answers *
|
|
|
|
(1) Understanding the ISO date.
|
|
|
|
A) Format: Year.Month.Day (1991.12.30 is 30 December 1991).
|
|
|
|
(2) Retrieving the list from alternate sources.
|
|
|
|
A) It is available from various FTP sites which archive the Usenet
|
|
news.answers: ftp-list. Also look for 'ftp-list' in either the
|
|
Sites or Files list. Or as a last resort, all the public lists
|
|
can be retrieved from gator.netcom.com 192.100.81.102 in
|
|
/pub/profile during NON-PEAK hours only!
|
|
|
|
(3) Retrieving it directly from the coordinator.
|
|
|
|
A) I don't have time to mail copies to people.
|
|
|
|
I make exceptions to people who redistribute it to closed systems
|
|
or areas that don't have access to the newsgroups. Don't abuse
|
|
this! Send me mail to be put on the mailing list.
|
|
|
|
(4) Using FTP without direct Internet access.
|
|
|
|
A) It is possible to get files from a site by using a general mail
|
|
server or many sites have their own servers. If you're on BITNET,
|
|
ask your sysadmin or technical support group about PUCC. For
|
|
non-BITNET sites, try using DEC's; you will find instructions
|
|
for using it below, in answer #9.
|
|
|
|
Please make sure your system admin has approved the the use of
|
|
a mail server, as files can take system resources of not only
|
|
your site, but several sites down the stream.
|
|
|
|
(5) Problems with a site.
|
|
|
|
A) Mail the problems to the address shown in the Sites list. If a FTP
|
|
comments address is not shown, attempt to use 'ftp@site_name';
|
|
subsitute 'site_name' with the name of the troublesome site. If
|
|
that fails, post a note to comp.archives.admin (the newsgroup for
|
|
archive administrators).
|
|
|
|
(6) Information is wrong or outdated.
|
|
|
|
A) Send mail to me detailing the incorrect information and the
|
|
corrections. If you are the site manager for the archive, please
|
|
see below (topic #7) for the information I need.
|
|
|
|
(7) Getting a site listed or changes made.
|
|
|
|
A) Send the following information to aftp-list@netcom.com.
|
|
|
|
o Site name (and aliases you wanted listed).
|
|
o IP address.
|
|
o Manager(s) full name & email address(es).
|
|
o Address for FTP related issues (problems, comments, etc...).
|
|
o General description of the types of files available.
|
|
o Directories that are for anonymous FTP use (besides /pub).
|
|
o Site's location (country) & ISO code.
|
|
o Organization operating site.
|
|
o UT/GMT difference (include daylight savings time).
|
|
o Are there any special restrictions?
|
|
o Can it be used 24 hours/day?
|
|
o Is an E-mail server available for the site's files only?
|
|
|
|
(8) Making the list publicly available.
|
|
|
|
A) Please let me know if there is a site that archives either the
|
|
Sites or Files list. I will include it in future updates; the
|
|
more people who have access, the better.
|
|
|
|
All I ask: update the list as changes are made.
|
|
|
|
(9) Using the general mail server at DEC's Western Research Labs.
|
|
|
|
A) Send mail to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com with 'help' in the body of
|
|
the letter. You CANNOT send a blank letter, commands are not
|
|
optional.
|
|
|
|
(10) What is Archie and how does it relate to the list?
|
|
|
|
A) Archie is a special server that keeps file listings from different
|
|
FTP sites. You can Telnet to a server or use a client program to
|
|
search for specific files. There are sites which do not appear in
|
|
an Archie server and you can use the lists for these.
|
|
|
|
Here are some sites; send mail to 'archie@site_name' for a help file.
|
|
|
|
archie.ans.net (North America)
|
|
archie.sura.net (North America)
|
|
archie.mcgill.ca (Canada)
|
|
archie.funet.fi (Finland/Mainland Europe)
|
|
archie.au (Australia/New Zealand)
|
|
archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (Great Britain/Ireland)
|
|
archie.unl.edu (North America)
|
|
cs.huji.ac.il (Israel)
|
|
|
|
(11) What is and how do I use the FTP program?
|
|
|
|
A) This information file was originally maintained by John Granrose.
|
|
Mike Jones added the info about the existence and location of the
|
|
compression data chart maintained by David Lemson. I added some,
|
|
too little to be thanked or hated for its content.
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
|
John Granrose (odin@pilot.njin.net)
|
|
Mike Jones (mjones@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu)
|
|
Tom Czarnik (profile@netcom.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is not a definitive guide to FTP, but will give a novice a
|
|
general idea of what it is and how to do it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is FTP?
|
|
|
|
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows a person to transfer files
|
|
between two computers, generally connected via the Internet. If
|
|
your system has FTP and is connected to the Internet, you can
|
|
access very large amounts of archives available on a number of
|
|
systems. If you are on Bitnet or a UUCP host, you should look for
|
|
servers that work through the mail. A good source of information
|
|
on archives in general, is the Usenet newsgroup comp.archives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is Anonymous FTP?
|
|
|
|
Many systems throughout the Internet offer files through anonymous
|
|
FTP. These include software, documents of various sorts, and files
|
|
for configuring networks. Archives for electronic mailing lists are
|
|
often stored on and available through anonymous FTP. Note that all
|
|
this is subject to change.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commands
|
|
|
|
All the normal FTP commands may be used to retrieve files. Some FTP
|
|
commands are the same on different computers, but others are not.
|
|
Usually, FTP will list the commands if you type 'help' or type a
|
|
question mark (?). Also, your computer's help command may have
|
|
information about FTP. Try 'man ftp' or 'man ftpd'.
|
|
|
|
Some useful commands available on most systems include:
|
|
|
|
get copy a file from the remote computer to yours
|
|
ls/dir list the files in the current directory
|
|
cd Change directory
|
|
binary Switch to binary mode. For transferring binary files
|
|
ascii Switch to ascii mode. Ascii mode is the default mode
|
|
|
|
|
|
Procedure
|
|
|
|
Anonymous FTP is a facility offered by many machines on the Internet.
|
|
This permits you to log in with the user name 'anonymous' or the
|
|
user name 'ftp'. When prompted for a password, type your e-mail
|
|
address -- it's not necessary, but it's a courtesy for those sites
|
|
that like to know who is making use of their facility. Be courteous.
|
|
|
|
You can then look around and retrieve files. (Most anonymous ftp
|
|
sites do not permit people to store files)
|
|
|
|
Typically, a directory called 'pub' is where the interesting things
|
|
are stored. Some sites will have a file with a name like ls-lR,
|
|
that contains a complete list of the files on that site. Otherwise,
|
|
you can type ls -lR and get such a listing -- for some sites, this
|
|
can take a LONG time.
|
|
|
|
Usually, files are grouped in archive files, so you don't have to
|
|
get many small files separately. The most common archival file format
|
|
for the Internet is tar. Occasionally, people use shell archives
|
|
(shar) instead. Tar archives can be unpacked by running the 'tar'
|
|
command -- you may want to first do a 'tar t' on the file to see what
|
|
it contains before unpacking it. Be careful when unpacking shell
|
|
archives since they have to be run through the Bourne shell to unpack
|
|
them. (The simplest way is to use the unshar command)
|
|
|
|
Files are often stored compressed -- for Unix, the most common scheme
|
|
is the compress program, indicated by a .Z suffix on the file name.
|
|
Sometimes, people use programs like Arc or Zoo, which are combined
|
|
archival and compression formats. (There are probably other archival
|
|
formats as well - talk to the systems staff if you encounter them and
|
|
don't know how to deal with them)
|
|
|
|
When retrieving non-text files, you must use binary mode, otherwise
|
|
the file gets messed up. To do this, use the 'binary' command. (It's
|
|
safe to set this for text files. If the site at the other end is
|
|
non-Unix, you may need to use some other mode -- see the documents
|
|
for that site and for FTP)
|
|
|
|
The simplest way to initiate FTP would be to give the command 'ftp
|
|
<system-name>'. The <system-name> is the remote system you are
|
|
connecting to, either a name (wsmr-simtel20.army.mil, if you have
|
|
an entry in /etc/hosts or are accessing a Domain Name Server) or
|
|
the Internet address (192.88.110.20 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
|
|
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 available in the
|
|
default anonymous ftp directory that explains what Simtel20 is and
|
|
where files are located. The name is 'SIMTEL-ARCHIVES.INFO.nn, where
|
|
".nn" is a file generation number. You don't need to specify the file
|
|
generation number when requesting the file. In fact, it's better not
|
|
to because you will always get the latest generation that way.
|
|
|
|
Unix systems will all have the familiar directory structure, and
|
|
moving around is done with the familiar 'cd' or 'cwd' command.
|
|
TOPS-20 systems have a different structure, but movement is still
|
|
accomplished with the 'cd' command.
|
|
|
|
Different systems have different organizations for their files, and
|
|
the above example is the way most archives have it set up. By looking
|
|
around other systems, you can learn how their files are arranged and
|
|
move around much faster. Note, however, that FTP will not allow you
|
|
outside the FTP 'root' directory. Moving about the entire system is
|
|
not permitted.
|
|
|
|
These are the common Unix file types:
|
|
|
|
SUFFIX FTP TYPE
|
|
------ --------
|
|
.Z bin compress
|
|
.arc bin ARChive
|
|
.shar ascii SHell ARchive
|
|
.tar bin Tape ARchive
|
|
.uu ascii uuencode/uudecode
|
|
.zip bin Zip
|
|
.zoo bin Zoo
|
|
|
|
|
|
To get a list of all file compression/archiving methods and the
|
|
programs to uncompress/unarchive (on the PC, Mac, Unix, VM/CMS,
|
|
AtariST and Amiga systems), FTP to the following sites and
|
|
retrieve the listed file:
|
|
|
|
ftp.cso.uiuc.edu /doc/pcnet/compression
|
|
gator.netcom.com /pub/profile/compression.Z
|
|
(make sure to set the binary mode with 'bin')
|
|
|
|
This could be helpful to people new to FTP that don't know how
|
|
to unpackage the file they have just transferred.
|
|
|