IBM Support

FTP client gets password prompt but is not given time to enter a password

Troubleshooting


Problem

User is running interactively and logs onto a remote system. The userid is entered and-immediately after receiving the password prompt, a blank line and message are received from the remote server.

Symptom

The message returned indicates that a password failure occurred, and may be similar to one of the following:


    501 password missing from PASS command
    500 'PASS': command not understood
    530 Login incorrect.

An example is seen in the following z/OS FTP client attempt to connect to a z/OS FTP server.
    ftp mvsa.tcp.raleigh.ibm.com
    EZY2640I Using 'USER35.FTP.DATA' for local site configuration parameters.
    EZA1450I IBM FTP CS V1R9
    EZA1466I FTP: using TCPCS
    EZA1554I Connecting to: name name port: 21.
    220-FTPD1 IBM FTP CS V1R9 at name, 18:41:41 on 2006-11-14.
    220 Connection will close if idle for more than 20 minutes.
    EZA1459I NAME (host:USER35):

    EZA1701I >>> USER user35
    331 Send password please.
    EZA1789I PASSWORD:

    EZA1701I >>> PASS
    501 password missing from PASS command
    EZA1460I Command:

A packet trace between the client system and the remote server shows that FTP sent a null password.

Cause

The TSO profile of the client is set to NOPROMPT, which can be verified by entering the following TSO command from the TSO READY line (followed by sample output):


    prof

    IKJ56688I CHAR(0) LINE(0) NOPROMPT INTERCOM NOPAUSE MSGID NOMODE NOWTPMSG NORECOVER PREFIX(USER35) PLANGUAGE(ENU) SLANGUAGE(ENU) VARSTORAGE(LOW)

    IKJ56689I DEFAULT LINE/CHARACTER DELETE CHARACTERS IN EFFECT FOR THIS TERMINAL


With NOPROMPT on, when FTP requests the password and sets up to have the password display suppressed, TSO returns a null response which is then forwarded to the remote FTP server.

NOTE: When NOPROMPT is set in the TSO profile, this problem can also occur under the following conditions:

    • when running a clist which stacks commands to FTP
    • running above clist in TSO BATCH or interactively invoking FTP in TSO BATCH

Resolving The Problem

Enter the following command at a TSO READY prompt to turn on prompting:


    prof prompt

NOTE: If you run a REXX clist where the password will be stacked, handle the prompt setting the following way:
    • before invoking FTP, set the appropriate prompt

        • state saved_prompt_state = PROMPT('ON'')
    • after FTP has executed, reset the prompt state to its previous setting

        • temp = PROMPT(saved_prompt_state)

[{"Product":{"code":"SSSN3L","label":"z\/OS Communications Server"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Component":"All","Platform":[{"code":"PF035","label":"z\/OS"}],"Version":"1.6;1.7;1.8;1.9;1.10;1.11;1.12;1.13;2.1;2.2;2.3","Edition":"All Editions","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB35","label":"Mainframe SW"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
15 June 2018

UID

swg21379494

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