Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!lts!amanda
From: amanda@lts.UUCP (Amanda Walker)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: FTP implemetation issues (was Re: FTP "STRU VMS" extension)
Message-ID: <881@lts.UUCP>
Date: 3 Feb 89 16:25:02 GMT
References: <8902021658.AA01193@sneezy.lanl.gov>
Reply-To: amanda@lts.UUCP (Amanda Walker)
Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation, Reston, VA
Lines: 30


In our Macintosh TCP/IP product, we face the same issue of exchanging
non-vanilla files between like systems, and so far my preference is to
use "SITE" commands to modify the interpretation of Image mode.  I don't
want to leap into the fray here, that's just how I read the RFC.

Something else that we do with our FTP client is to make it as intelligent
as possible if it can figure out what it's talking to.  Theoretically,
this is pretty easy: just use the SYST command.  Unfortunately, very
few FTP servers seem to implement it, even though it's dead simple to
do.  We get along pretty well by looking at the HINFO fields in DNS
replies, but that doesn't help us differentiate from, say, half a
dozen different VMS FTP servers.

I encourage anyone working on an FTP server to add the SYST command.  I'd
also be interested to know what the responses are from any servers out
there that aleady do implement it.  Just to get things started, here's
what our products return:

	200 MAC-OS TCP/Connect for the Macintosh Version x.x
	200 MS/DOS TCP/Connect for the PC Version x.x

Even if you don't think anyone else cares :-), please at least mail it
to me...

-- 
Amanda Walker			...!uunet!lts!amanda / lts!amanda@uunet.uu.net
			  InterCon, 11732 Bowman Green Drive, Reston, VA 22090
--
"NO one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"