RFC 913 (rfc913) - Page 1 of 15

Simple File Transfer Protocol

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Network Working Group                                     Mark K. Lottor
Request for Comments: 913                                            MIT
                                                          September 1984

                     Simple File Transfer Protocol


STATUS OF THIS MEMO

   This RFC suggests a proposed protocol for the ARPA-Internet
   community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

INTRODUCTION

   SFTP is a simple file transfer protocol.  It fills the need of people
   wanting a protocol that is more useful than TFTP but easier to
   implement (and less powerful) than FTP.  SFTP supports user access
   control, file transfers, directory listing, directory changing, file
   renaming and deleting.

   SFTP can be implemented with any reliable 8-bit byte stream oriented
   protocol, this document describes its TCP specification.  SFTP uses
   only one TCP connection; whereas TFTP implements a connection over
   UDP, and FTP uses two TCP connections (one using the TELNET
   protocol).

THE PROTOCOL

   SFTP is used by opening a TCP connection to the remote hosts' SFTP
   port (115 decimal).  You then send SFTP commands and wait for
   replies.  SFTP commands sent to the remote server are always 4 ASCII
   letters (of any case) followed by a space, the argument(s), and a
   .  The argument can sometimes be null in which case the command
   is just 4 characters followed by .  Replies from the server are
   always a response character followed immediately by an ASCII message
   string terminated by a .  A reply can also be just a response
   character and a .

       : =  []  : =  USER ! ACCT ! PASS ! TYPE ! LIST ! CDIR
                 KILL ! NAME ! DONE ! RETR ! STOR

       : =  []  : =  + | - |   | !

       can contain 

   Commands that can be sent to the server are listed below.  The server


Lottor
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