Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!ucla-cs!zen!ucbvax!RUTVM1.BITNET!A024012 From: A024012@RUTVM1.BITNET (Ross Patterson) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: FTP advisory messages Message-ID: <8709162008.AA24011@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: Wed, 16-Sep-87 15:47:52 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8709162008.AA24011 Posted: Wed Sep 16 15:47:52 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 19-Sep-87 11:42:23 EDT References: Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 21 Rick, According to RFC 959, the SYST command should be used for verifying the type of server you're using. It's documented as having no parameters, and returning as the first word of the response, a system name defined in the Assigned Numbers RFC (whatever it's called this week). The SITE command is specifically intended for necessary, but non-universal, parameters. The only system I've seen that actually uses it (UCLA's IBM MVS implementation) has 20 different parameters that it accepts. It can specify the disk on which to store a file; what sort of disk it is; whether to do tab expansion, and if so, how wide; disk storage format (record lengths, etc); even that the next file sent is to be run as a batch job. My point is that any attempt to standardize the use of the SITE command is improper. If you want a standard facility, change another command or add a new one. SITE is for those systems that have other needs and/or capabilities, beyond the standards. Ross Patterson Rutgers University