Path: sdcc12!network.ucsd.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!decwrl!netcomsv!mork!profile
From: aftp-list@netcom.com (Tom Czarnik, Coordinator)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.sources.wanted,alt.sources.wanted,comp.archives.admin,news.answers
Subject: Anonymous FTP List - FAQ
Summary: monthly anonymous ftp list faq posting
Keywords: annonymous ftp list public archive sites files
Message-ID: <post.faq_704894850@netcom.com>
Date: 3 May 92 12:07:36 GMT
Expires: Sun, 31 May 92 12:07:30 GMT
Reply-To: aftp-list@netcom.com
Followup-To: comp.archives.admin
Organization: Anonymous FTP Directory
Lines: 300
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
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Xref: sdcc12 comp.misc:16383 comp.sources.wanted:21550 alt.sources.wanted:1997 comp.archives.admin:566 news.answers:826
Archive-name: ftp-list/faq
Anonymous FTP List
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This FAQ is posted to the following groups monthly: comp.archives.admin,
comp.misc, comp.sources.wanted, alt.sources.wanted, & news.answers.
Comments welcome and urged. --Tom Czarnik (aftp-list@netcom.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I keep a directory of Internet sites accepting anonymous FTP and mail
retrieval of their files, and post a listing of these sites on the Usenet:
comp.misc, comp.sources.wanted, alt.sources.wanted, & news.answers. An
example of this list can be found below, along with answers to some
questions about the list and anonymous FTP in general.
I also produce other lists in a variety of formats, which are available
directly from me. All these lists can be distributed freely.
SITES - site names in alphabetic order:
o Site name o Date of last audit (ISO format)
o IP address(s) o GMT difference
o Site manager o Country/Region (in ISO codes)
o Organization o Types of files
o E-mail server if available o Restrictions
* Topics *
1) Understanding the ISO date.
2) Retrieving the list from alternate sources.
3) Retrieving it directly from the coordinator.
4) Using FTP without direct Internet access.
5) Problems with a site.
6) Setting up a public FTP site.
7) Information presented is wrong or outdated.
8) Getting a site listed or changes made.
9) Making the list publicly available.
10) Using the general mail server at DEC's Western Research Labs.
11) What is Archie and how does it relate to the list?
12) What is and how do I use the FTP program?
* Answers *
1) Understanding the ISO date.
A) Format: Year.Month.Day (1991.12.30 is 30 December 1991).
2) Retrieving the list from alternate sources.
A) It is available from various FTP sites which are noted in the
Sites/Files list. Look for 'ftp-list' or 'news.answers' archives
in the files section.
3) Retrieving it directly from the coordinator.
A) I don't have time to mail copies to people. Ask your system
administrator to make the lists available in a common area.
I make exceptions to people who redistribute it to closed systems
or areas that don't have access to the newsgroups. Don't abuse
this! Send me mail to be put on the mailing list.
4) Using FTP without direct Internet access.
A) It is possible to get files from a site by using a general mail
server or many sites have their own servers. If you're on BITNET,
ask your sysadmin or technical support group about PUCC. For
non-BITNET sites, try using DEC's; you will find instructions
for using it below, in answer #10.
5) Problems with a site.
A) Mail the problems to the address shown in the Sites list. If a FTP
comments address is not shown, attempt to use 'ftp@site_name';
subsitute 'site_name' with the name of the troublesome site. If
that fails, post a note to comp.archives.admin (the newsgroup for
archive administrators).
6) Setting up a public FTP site.
A) First, make sure you're in the position to do this. Read the man
page for 'ftpd' and 'ftp'. You may want to retrieve two files
from gator.netcom.com in /pub/profile:
iafa-wg.Z IAFA-WG's Guide to FTP Site Administration.
Use gator.netcom.com only during non-peak (1800-0600) hours.
7) Information is wrong or outdated.
A) Send mail to me detailing the incorrect information and the
corrections. If you are the site manager for the archive, please
see below (topic #8) for the information I need.
8) Getting a site listed or changes made.
A) Send the following information to aftp-list@netcom.com.
o Site name(s), main IP address & any additional.
o Manager(s) full name & email address(es).
o Address for FTP related issues (problems, comments, etc...).
o General description of the types of files available.
o Directories that are for anonymous FTP use (besides /pub).
o The country where located & ISO code.
o The organization that runs it.
o GMT difference.
o Any restrictions; can it be used 24 hours/day?
o Is an E-mail server available? Instructions for retrieving
help or an index.
9) Making the list publicly available.
A) Please let me know if there is a site that archives either the
Sites or Files list. I will include it in future updates; the
more people who have access, the better.
All I ask: update the list as changes are made.
10) Using the general mail server at DEC's Western Research Labs.
A) Send mail to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com with 'help' in the body of
the letter. You CANNOT send a blank letter, commands are not
optional.
11) What is Archie and how does it relate to the list?
A) Archie is a special server that keeps file listings from different
FTP sites. You can Telnet to a server or use a client program to
search for specific files. There are sites which do not appear in
an Archie server and you can use the lists for these.
Here are some sites; send mail to 'archie@site_name' for a help file.
archie.ans.net (North America)
archie.sura.net (North America)
archie.mcgill.ca (Canada)
archie.funet.fi (Finland/Mainland Europe)
archie.au (Australia/New Zealand)
archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (Great Britain/Ireland)
archie.unl.edu (North America)
cs.huji.ac.il (Israel)
12) What is and how do I use the FTP program?
A)
By:
John Granrose (odin@pilot.njin.net)
Mike Jones (mjones@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu)
Tom Czarnik (profile@netcom.com)
This is not a definitive guide to FTP, but will give a novice a
general idea of what it is and how to do it.
What is FTP?
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows a person to transfer files
between two computers, generally connected via the Internet. If
your system has FTP and is connected to the Internet, you can
access very large amounts of archives available on a number of
systems. If you are on Bitnet or a UUCP host, you should look for
servers that work through the mail. A good source of information
on archives in general, is the Usenet newsgroup comp.archives.
What is Anonymous FTP?
Many systems throughout the Internet offer files through anonymous
FTP. These include software, documents of various sorts, and files
for configuring networks. Archives for electronic mailing lists are
often stored on and available through anonymous FTP. Note that all
this is subject to change.
Commands
All the normal FTP commands may be used to retrieve files. Some FTP
commands are the same on different computers, but others are not.
Usually, FTP will list the commands if you type 'help' or type a
question mark (?). Also, your computer's help command may have
information about FTP. Try 'man ftp' or 'man ftpd'.
Some useful commands available on most systems include:
get copy a file from the remote computer to yours
ls/dir list the files in the current directory
cd Change directory
binary Switch to binary mode. For transferring binary files
ascii Switch to ascii mode. Ascii mode is the default mode
Procedure
Anonymous FTP is a facility offered by many machines on the Internet.
This permits you to log in with the user name 'anonymous' or the
user name 'ftp'. When prompted for a password, type your e-mail
address -- it's not necessary, but it's a courtesy for those sites
that like to know who is making use of their facility. Be courteous.
You can then look around and retrieve files. (Most anonymous ftp
sites do not permit people to store files)
Typically, a directory called 'pub' is where the interesting things
are stored. Some sites will have a file with a name like ls-lR,
that contains a complete list of the files on that site. Otherwise,
you can type ls -lR and get such a listing -- for some sites, this
can take a LONG time.
Usually, files are grouped in archive files, so you don't have to
get many small files separately. The most common archival file format
for the Internet is tar. Occasionally, people use shell archives
(shar) instead. Tar archives can be unpacked by running the 'tar'
command -- you may want to first do a 'tar t' on the file to see what
it contains before unpacking it. Be careful when unpacking shell
archives since they have to be run through the Bourne shell to unpack
them. (The simplest way is to use the unshar command)
Files are often stored compressed -- for Unix, the most common scheme
is the compress program, indicated by a .Z suffix on the file name.
Sometimes, people use programs like Arc or Zoo, which are combined
archival and compression formats. (There are probably other archival
formats as well - talk to the systems staff if you encounter them and
don't know how to deal with them)
When retrieving non-text files, you must use binary mode, otherwise
the file gets messed up. To do this, use the 'binary' command. (It's
safe to set this for text files. If the site at the other end is
non-Unix, you may need to use some other mode -- see the documents
for that site and for FTP)
The simplest way to initiate FTP would be to give the command 'ftp
<system-name>'. The <system-name> is the remote system you are
connecting to, either a name (wsmr-simtel20.army.mil, if you
have an entry in /etc/hosts or are accessing a Domain Name Server)
or the Internet address (26.2.0.74 for Simtel20). After a short
wait, you will be prompted for your username. If you do not have
an account on the remote system, some systems allow you to use
'anonymous'. This gives you a restricted access path.
You would then be prompted for a password. Some systems will tell
you to send your real identity as the password. What you type doesn't
matter, but it is suggested to give your mail address. Other systems
need a password of 'guest', or something similar.
After that, you should receive the FTP prompt ( usually ftp> ) and
have access. You can get a directory of files be giving a 'dir'
command or if the remote system is Unix-based, 'ls -l' will give
the familiar output. On Simtel20, there is a file available in the
default anonymous ftp directory that explains what Simtel20 is and
where files are located. The name is 'SIMTEL-ARCHIVES.INFO.nn, where
".nn" is a file generation number. You don't need to specify the file
generation number when requesting the file. In fact, it's better not
to because you will always get the latest generation that way.
Unix systems will all have the familiar directory structure, and
moving around is done with the familiar 'cd' or 'cwd' command.
TOPS-20 systems have a different structure, but movement is still
accomplished with the 'cd' command.
Different systems have different organizations for their files, and
the above example is the way most archives have it set up. By looking
around other systems, you can learn how their files are arranged and
move around much faster. Note, however, that FTP will not allow you
outside the FTP 'root' directory. Moving about the entire system is
not permitted.
These are the common Unix file types:
SUFFIX FTP TYPE
------ --------
.Z bin compress
.arc bin ARChive
.shar ascii SHell ARchive
.tar bin Tape ARchive
.uu ascii uuencode/uudecode
.zip bin Zip
.zoo bin Zoo
To get a list of all file compression/archiving methods and the
programs to uncompress/unarchive (on the PC, Mac, Unix, VM/CMS,
AtariST and Amiga systems), FTP to the following sites and
retrieve the listed file:
ftp.cso.uiuc.edu /doc/pcnet/compression
gator.netcom.com /pub/profile/compression.Z
(make sure to set the binary mode with 'bin')
This could be helpful to people new to FTP that don't know how
to unpackage the file they have just transferred.