NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/sys/next/misc/23454

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-01 | 6.5 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!sugar!tghost!unkaphaed!biff!biff
From: [e-mail] (Dwight Everhart)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.misc
Subject: Re: ?: FTP via e-mail to Purdue, help needed
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 17:52:06 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail] (Dwight Everhart)
Lines: 134

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

>Apparently one can do a pseudo-FTP to the Purdue archives using e-mail.
>Since I don't have FTP capabilities, I would like to do this.

I don't know what Purdue has set up, but DEC has a FTP by email system.  To
use it, send mail to [e-mail].  Send a message with "HELP" in
the body to receive a help file.

I learned about this service through the following article posted to
comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest (V92 #183):

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Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 07:50:56 EST
From: Message Center <[e-mail]>
Subject: FTP for Internet sites with E-Mail only.

One of the features of the Internet is the ability to connect to
another location and obtain files stored at that location.  This
capability is called "FTP" (for "File Transfer Protocol".)  This
means that an installation can place important sources or binaries on
a particular machine and then "advertise" the place where the
material is stored.  Then, anyone who wants or needs this material
can use FTP to request it.  There are two types of FTP, one where you
have advance permission and have a specific account and password on
that system, and one where the system allows anyone to request files
from it.  The latter is done by using the "standard" account name of
"anonymous" with your internet address as your password, and is known
as "anonymous FTP".

Note:  If you are using a system on BITNET, you have special
capabilities through a different method.  See the bottom of this memo
for additional details.

FTP can be for small to enormous file areas.  Columbia University
provides an anonymous FTP site to allow people to obtain the sources
to the Kermit file transfer protocol.  In some cases, such as the
massive SIMTEL20 archive operated by the White Sands Missle Range,
this includes thousands of files which can be used by the IBM-PC,
Macintosh, Amiga and other systems.

While some people who either have university or commercial service
accounts have the ability to do FTP directly to their local machine,
then download the files from their local machine, a lot more people
have E-Mail only access to Internet, and thus have no means available
to do FTP and acquire these files.

However, there is a way to obtain files from FTP sites and retrieve
files by E-Mail.  This service is available by sending E-Mail
messages to the FTPMAIL service provided by Digital Equipment
Corporation to anyone with an Internet E-Mail address.  In fact, DEC
operates an anonymous FTP site called "gatekeeper" that if you don't
ask for a specific other site, it will make requests from gatekeeper.

To be able to do E-Mail based FTP, you need to know the name of the
site, then you simply tell FTPMAIL and ask it to obtain the files for
you if that site permits "anonymous" FTP, i.e. where anyone can
obtain any file from the system.  You send the message, and FTPMAIL
eventually will either (1) send you back confirmation or (2) send you
back a note saying you made a mistake.  If you got (1), it will then
send you the requested files, in chunks of 64K or less.  If the file
is smaller than 64K, you get it in one message.  If the file is
larger than 64K, you get it in multiple messages.  (If you are on
Compuserve, you need to set this limit to 49K; send a HELP message to
find out about the CHUNKSIZE command.)

I personally have used this method to send over 10 megabytes of files
to me at my account on MCI Mail.  Note that you must know the system
you want to retrieve and the exact file names.  In almost all
instances, the particular case, UPPER OR lower, is critical and must
be done exactly as indicated based on a listing from a DIR request.

The way to make E-Mail FTP requests is to send a message to:

        [e-mail]

where a set of commands are sent as the text of the message.  (The
title of the message is not used except to identify file(s) returned
to you.)

The full instructions can be obtained by sending a message with: HELP
as a line in the text of the message.  The complete FTPMAIL
capability includes other features including non-anonymous FTP,
ability to retrieve a file in different sized pieces, and special
password capability.

The general method of sending a request is as follows (lines
beginning with ; are comments; these comments are not included on
FTPMAIL requests):

TO:  [e-mail]
; FTPMAIL's address
CONNECT WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL
; This is the name of the system I want to request from
REPLY [e-mail]
; Here is where I want files I receive sent to
BINARY
UUENCODE
; These two lines indicate I will be receiving 8-bit character
; files and they should be sent to me as uuencoded binary so
; that they can be sent as E-Mail.  If you are only doing DIR
; requests, you can skip both of these
GET PD1:<MSDOS.DBASE>WAMPUM42.ZIP
; Here I am requesting the system send me a particular file
; I am interested in.  Note that you can only request 10 files
; at a time, more than that and your request is rejected
DIR PD1:<MSDOS>
; Here I want a directory listing.  This will come back as a
; separate message
QUIT
; This is an optional command indicating that there are no more
; FTPMAIL commands.  If your system appends tag lines or disclaimers,
; to your messages, you should put this in so FTPMAIL will ignore
; them.

NOTE:  If your local system is a BITNET system, however, you can use
the BITFTP server from Princeton, whose syntax is slightly different,
and allows special features including direct binary transfers as
opposed to DEC's FTPMAIL which, since it is running on the Internet
as opposed to internal BITNET transfers, cannot provide this
capability.  To use the BITNET server, you should send a message with
HELP as the text to "[e-mail]".  BITFTP will not send files
to non-BITNET sites.

Paul Robinson -- [e-mail]  -- These opinions are mine alone.

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--
Dwight Everhart          "You can't do a musical number about elephants
Houston, Texas            without it being obvious." -- Roger Ebert
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