Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!munnari.oz.au!ariel!ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!u3364521
From: u3364521@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (Lou Cavallo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction
Subject: Re: FTP??
Message-ID: <1991Feb14.010552.1630@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>
Date: 13 Feb 91 14:05:52 GMT
References: <58829@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>,<8355@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> <009441E7.847E5620@MAPLE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU>
Organization: I.A.E.S.R., Melbourne University
Lines: 58

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.