RFC 463 (rfc463) - Page 1 of 3
FTP comments and response to RFC 430
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group Abhay K. Bhushan
RFC # 463 MIT-DMCG
NIC # 14573 February 21, 1973
FTP Comments and Response to RFC 430
Most of the comments in RFC 430 by Bob Braden are useful suggestions
which should be included in the forthcoming official FTP specification.
This RFC represents my response to Braden's comments and other views.
These comments should be useful for the FTP meeting on March 16 at BBN
(announcement warning AAM NIC #14417). The results of the FTP subgroup
meeting held at BBN on January 25 will be published in RFC 4541 (are
published?).
SPECIFIC RESPONSES TO RFC 430.
Item A1 - I will let Bob Braden handle the "print file" issues (the
"still" should be removed).
Item A2 - I agree that concessions are undesirable and should be
removed unless people cannot "live" without them.
Item A3 - I strongly support "bit flag coding" for descriptors.
Other definition improvement suggestions are ok too.
Item A4 - The diagram was useful. An alternate one is given on page
17 of RFC 454. I prefer the latter.
Item A5 - The FTP may not be privileged enough to alter passwords
in many Host systems (e.g. Multics). I know that CCN allows changing
passwords on-line. We can define a format for changing passwords in
the pass command, but I don't think we can require that all servers
allow password changing. This is a minor problem that can be easily
solved.
Item A6 - Yes, the comment that TYPE should be before BYTE was for
bad implementations. The server should reject data transfer
parameters only when the data transfer command is received. The
order of the parameter-change commands is not important.
Item A7 - I do agree that NCP's should be fixed. A 255 (socket
number) reply should be required at a specific time, and NCP's
should be able to provide it (this also permits the proposed GSOC
command). Let us find out at next meeting if there is anyone who
cannot live with this new requirement.
Bhushan