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Table Of Contents  The TCP/IP Guide
 9  TCP/IP Application Layer Protocols, Services and Applications (OSI Layers 5, 6 and 7)
      9  TCP/IP Key Applications and Application Protocols
           9  TCP/IP File and Message Transfer Applications and Protocols (FTP, TFTP, Electronic Mail, USENET, HTTP/WWW, Gopher)
                9  TCP/IP General File Transfer Protocols (FTP and TFTP)
                     9  File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
                          9  FTP Commands and Replies

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FTP Replies, Reply Code Format and Important Reply Codes
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FTP Sample User and Internal Command Dialog
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FTP User Interface and User Commands
(Page 3 of 3)

Typical FTP User Commands

To discover the specific commands supported by an FTP client, consult its documentation. In a command-line client, you can enter the command “?” to get a list of supported commands. Table 232 shows some of the common commands encountered in typical FTP command-line clients, along with the typical parameters they require.


Table 232: FTP User Commands

User Command

Description

account <account-name>

Sends the ACCT command to access a particular account on the server.

append <file-name>

Appends data to a file using APPE.

ascii

Sets the ASCII data type for subsequent transfers.

binary

Sets the Image data type for subsequent transfers. Same as the image command.

bye

Terminates FTP session and exits the FTP client (same as exit and quit).

cd <directory-path>

Change remote server working directory (using CWD protocol command.)

cdup

Go to parent of current working directory.

chmod <file-name>

On UNIX systems, change file permissions of a file.

close

Closes a particular FTP session but user stays at FTP command line.

debug

Sets debug mode.

delete <file-name>

Deletes a file on the FTP server.

dir [<optional-file-specification>]

Lists contents of current working directory (or files matching the specification).

exit

Another synonym for bye and quit.

form <format>

Set transfer format.

ftp <ftp-server>

Open session to FTP server.

get <file-name> [<dest-file-name>]

Get a file. If the “<dest-file-name>” parameter is specified, it is used for the name of the file retrieved; otherwise, the source file name is used.

help [<optional-command-name>]

Displays FTP client help information. Same as “?”.

image

Set Image data type, like the binary command.

ls [<optional-file-specification>]

Lists contents of current working directory (or files matching the specification). Same as dir.

mget <file-specification>

Gets multiple files from the server.

mkdir <directory-name>

Create directory on remote server.

mode <transfer-mode>

Set file transfer mode.

mput <file-specification>

Sends (“puts”) multiple files to the server.

msend <file-specification>

Same as mput.

open <ftp-server>

Open session to FTP server (same as ftp).

passive

Turns passive transfer mode on and off.

put <file-name> [<dest-file-name>]

Sends a file to the server. If the “<dest-file-name>” parameter is specified, it is used as the name for the file on the destination host; otherwise, the source file name is used.

pwd

Prints current working directory.

quit

Terminates FTP session and exits FTP client (same as bye and exit.)

recv <file-name> [<dest-file-name>]

Receives file (same as get). If the “<dest-file-name>” parameter is specified, it is used for the name of the file retrieved; otherwise, the source file name is used.

rename <old-file-name> <new-file-name>

Renames a file.

rhelp

Displays remote help information, obtained using FTP HELP command.

rmdir <directory-name>

Removes a directory.

send <file-name> [<dest-file-name>]

Sends a file (same as put). If the “<dest-file-name>” parameter is specified, it is used as the name for the file on the destination host; otherwise, the source file name is used.

site

Sends a site-specific command to the server.

size <file-name>

Show size of remote file.

status

Displays current session status.

struct <structure-type>

Sets file structure.

system

Shows the server's operating system type.

type <data-type>

Sets data type for transfers.

user <user-name>

Log in to server as a new user. Server will prompt for password.

? [<optional-command-name>]

Displays FTP client help information. Same as help.


Note how many of these commands are actually synonyms, such as bye, exit and quit. Similarly, one can use the command “type ascii” to set the ASCII data type, or just use the ascii command. This is all done for the convenience of the user and is one of the benefits of having a flexible user interface that is distinct from the FTP protocol command set.

Finally, an alternative way of using FTP is through the specification of an FTP Uniform Resource Locator (URL). While FTP is at its heart an interactive system, FTP URLs allow simple functions, such as retrieving a single file, to be done quickly and easily. They also allow FTP file references to be integrated with hypertext (World Wide Web) documents. See the discussion of URL schemes for more on how FTP uses URLs.

 


Previous Topic/Section
FTP Replies, Reply Code Format and Important Reply Codes
Previous Page
Pages in Current Topic/Section
12
3
Next Page
FTP Sample User and Internal Command Dialog
Next Topic/Section

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