RFC 430 (rfc430) - Page 2 of 8

Comments on File Transfer Protocol

RFC 430            COMMENTS ON FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL      FEBRUARY 1973


      (b) The same definitional problem occurs for restart markers.

      (c) Why does the restart marker have to be greater than 8 bits?

      (d) Note that changing the Descriptor coding to bit flags would
          abolish the implied eor as well as the problem of RFC 385, P.
          2, #6.

   4. RFC 414, P. 5 (11.iii)

          Note that text mode is not possible for any EBCDIC coded file.
          Since EBCDIC is an 8-bit code, Telnet control characters
          (128-255) cannot be used to distinguish either eor or eof.
          Stream and block modes will work, however.  We have found the
          diagram on the last page to be useful for keeping track of the
          three-dimensional space of FTP parameters.

   5. RFC 354, P. 17, PASS Command

          There is no mechanism within FTP for changing a password.  A
          user shouldn't have to use a different protocol (e.g., log
          into a time sharing system) to merely change his password.

   6. RFC 385, P. 3 (9.), TYPE Before BYTE

      This admonition (to send TYPE before BYTE) should be clearly
      labeled as a recommended procedure for user FTP, not a restriction
      on a server FTP.

   7. RFC 385, P. 2-3 (7) Order of 255 Reply

      Some of the participants felt (strongly) that the timing problem
      dealt with in this item is the result of bad NCP implementations
      and ought not be dignified in the protocol.  The issue here is the
      old, familiar, and touchy one of queueing RFC's or not. (My own
      view is that the protocol asymmetry forced by NCP's which can't
      queue RFC's is at least unaesthetic, and makes some elegant
      solutions impossible.  For examples, see RFC 414 and the comments
      below on server-server interaction, and RFC 438 on Reconnection
      Protocol).

   8. RFC 354, P. 15, Restart

      Following a RESTart command, APPend and STORe presumably have
      identical meanings.






Braden