Question & Answer
Question
About File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Answer
About File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a communications protocolassociated with TCP/IP to send files over the Internet. Basic FTPsupport is usually provided as part of a suite of programs that comewith TCP/IP. However if you want an FTP client program with a graphicaluser interface you usually must purchase it separately.
You must have an FTP server or FTP client installed on your computerbefore you can use FTP.
Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork complieswith RFC 959 which is the generally accepted standard for FTP implementation.RFC 959 defines commands that must be accepted by FTP servers andcontains a general set of rules that FTP clients and servers mustfollow. It does not however mandate any rules regarding the FTPclient user interface.
Each FTP client can have a distinct look and feel. Commands thatwork on one client may not work on another. This section providesexamples that apply to most command-line FTP clients. However theymay not work with the FTP client used at your company. Refer to yourFTP client documentation for more information.
RFC 959 also defines a set of responses that FTP servers shouldreturn in certain situations. For example a typical server responsecan use any of the following formats:
226 Transfer complete.
226 Transfer Complete.
226 Transfer complete. 1416 bytes sent.
RFC 959 defines only the numeric portion of each server message(?226? in the previous examples). The text of the message (?Transfercomplete? in the previous examples) is provided for convenience andcan vary from client to client. Each of the three examples listedis a correct response to a successful file transfer.
The topics in this section provide example server messages thatare typical of Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork.However IBM? reservesthe right to alter the text portion of any message as needed.
How to Use FTP
Whenyou use FTP you log in to an FTP server where you have access toyour mailbox which contains directories where you can send and receivefiles. You upload (put) files to your mailbox to send to Sterling B2B CollaborationNetworkand you download (get) files from your mailbox that Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork hassent to you.
Using FTP to access your Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork mailboxis similar to using a remote Telnet session where subdirectoriesand files are viewed using a list or directory command. You accessor move between directories using a change directory command. Thesecommands are supported on Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork andare used to access upload files to and download files from eachmailslot in your mailbox.
Exactly how your mailbox is set updepends on which server you log in to. Which commands you can usedepends both on the server you log in to and your FTP client. Formore details refer to the appropriate sections based on the URL youwere given by the Network Implementation team.
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Document Information
Modified date:
08 December 2018
UID
ibm10758513