Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!motcsd!mcdcup!mcdchg!laidbak!amiganet!dhansen From: dhansen@amiganet.chi.il.us (Dave Hansen) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Does FTP Define A C Level Protocol? Message-ID: Date: 5 May 91 15:18:49 GMT References: <41713@cup.portal.com><9104281702.AA14622@asylum.sf.ca.us> Organization: Amiga Network Information Systems Lines: 28 >The FTP specification defines only the protocol. In general, Internet >protocol specifications define the actual protocol, and sometimes list >requirements of an API for the protocol, but don't actually specify >the API. Most FTP implementations jumble together the actual protocol >implementation, the API to FTP (if there's even one) and the interface >to the OS. > >The only specific API for FTP that I know of is for an FTP library >that I wrote for FTP Software a long time back. It's specified in the >documentation for FTP (Software)'s dev kit, which includes the >library. I think you can buy the dev kit manuals separately if you >want. I know FTP Software considers the API to be non-proprietary. > - john romkey Epilogue Technology >USENET/UUCP/Internet: romkey@asylum.sf.ca.us voice/fax: 415 594-1141 For a simple user interface, the demand for API is not there. Unless you're host is non-multitasking, the easiest solution is to pipe stdout to FTP. The most challenging part of this is to get a password into the login, as many FTP's break out of stdin for the password prompt. Depending on the application, this may not be a big deal, after all, it's what security is all about. With my Encore (nee:Gould, nee: SEL) hosts, we developed such a pipe of FTP commands. The user gets one prompt, Password:, then the stdin pipe continues with the transfer list. Our Amiga workstations connected to these Encore hosts use the Rexx language to interface an Amiga screen editor with the ethernet FTP and send the user and password without this intervention. You can parse FTP's stdout for errors/success and translate into a user friendly message. voice: (708)691-4747 Internet:dhansen@amiganet.chi.il.us