Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!TGV.COM!adelman
From: adelman@TGV.COM (Kenneth Adelman)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: FTP "STRU VMS" extension
Message-ID: <890129222237.9d@TGV.COM>
Date: 30 Jan 89 06:22:37 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: Adelman@TGV.COM (Kenneth Adelman)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 28


    One of the problems with implementing FTP under VMS is mapping VMS
file types into FTP TYPEs and STRUctures. Within the confines of the
FTP protocol specification, it isn't possible to, for all VMS file
types (e.g. ISAM files), FTP them in a particular fashion (i.e. TYPE I
or STRU R) and between two VMS machines and get the same file you
started with.

    MultiNet has a non-standard extension to FTP to allow
transfer of arbitrary VMS files between consenting VMS machines
called "STRU VMS". We have an agreement with one other VMS TCP
vendor to implement STRU VMS in a compatible fashion.

    STRU VMS works by prefixing the file contexts with a structure
which describes the RMS attributes of the file, and then sending the
contents of the file, uninterpreted, by using VMS block I/O.  The
structure is designed to allow the addition of new RMS attributes,
while still preserving upward and downward compatibility with the
original specification.

    I would be interested in hearing from any other VMS FTP
implementors, including our competitors, for the purpose of starting a
discussion about the proposed extension to FTP. When we reach a
consensus about how STRU VMS should work, we will publish the
resulting specification in RFC form.

						Kenneth Adelman
						TGV, Incorporated