RFC 414 (rfc414) - Page 1 of 5

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) status and further comments

Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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Network Working Group                                         A. Bhushan
Request for Comments: 414                                        MIT-MAC
Updates: RFC 354, RFC 385                               29 November 1972
NIC: 12406


        FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP) STATUS AND FURTHER COMMENTS

   A number of HOSTs have working server and user FTPs now.  The
   following reflects the status of FTP implementations to the best of
   my knowledge:

      BBN(A and B), SRI-ARC, UTAH, CASE, USC-ISI, CCA, MIT-AI MIT-
      Mathlab, MIT-DMCG, CMU, AMES-67, and SU-AI have fully functionning
      server and user FTPs.

      MIT-Multics has user and server FTPs but the server does not
      listen on socket 3 (it can be started by normal login and the
      command ftp_server).  UCSB will soon have user and server FTP's.

   The servers at all the TENEX systems are more or less identical
   (developed by Bob Clements at BBN).  The servers at MIT-AI and MIT-ML
   are also identical (developed by Pitts Jarvis of MAC).  Others
   currently involved with FTP include Arvola Chan (AC@MIT-DMCG), Ken
   Pogran (Multics), Greg Hicks (HICKS@UTAH), Wayne Hathaway (AMES-67),
   Ralph Gorin (SU-AI), Rick Werme (CMU), and Ron Stoughton (UCSB).

   The User-FTP or the user interface to FTP is where desirable and
   interesting features can be put in.  An example of such a features is
   the BBN (and other TENEXes) "SNDMSG USER@HOST" feature which allows a
   local user to send messages (or mail) to other network users.  If the
   remote host is not up, the message is stored as "--UNSENT-MAIL--
   USERHOST" in the user's directory and a background job periodically
   checks for such files to send mail.  MIT-AI and MIT-ML have a "TRANS"
   command which allows convenient transfer of files.  At MIT-DMCG we
   have developed under the "CALICO" subsystem, generalized commands
   which allow local users to send mail, copy files efficiently, and
   list users and directories over the network in a manner similar to
   local usage (that is without having to explicitly connect, login, and
   send commands to a remote HOST).  We also allow TELNET, FTP, and RJS
   users to automatically "login" and perform other command sequences
   from an "initial" file.

   It should be noted that file transfer between PDP-10's in "Image 36"
   is an order of magnitude faster (and more efficient) than in "ASCII
   8".  Note also that it is useful to provide a "Quote" or "talk" mode
   in user-FTP, to enable a user to input commands directly to the FTP
   server (i.e. commands not implemented in user-FTP).  It is desirable



Bhushan
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