Question & Answer
Question
Using Data Transfer Modes
Answer
Using Data Transfer Modes
Thefollowing three modes are used for data transfers (see RFC 959):
- ASCII
- IMAGE (Binary)
- EBCDIC
The following tables contain summaries of the behavior of the Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork whencommon FTP client commands are sent in each transfer mode.
ASCII Transfer Mode
ASCII mode is the defaultand is intended for transferring text files.
| Client Command | Command | Server Response |
|---|---|---|
| put mput | STOR | successful transfer of ASCII data |
| getmget | RETR | successful transfer of ASCII data |
| ls | NLST | successful transfer of ASCII data |
| dir | LIST | successful transfer of ASCII data |
IMAGE Transfer Mode
IMAGE mode is used totransfer binary files and does not allow any changes to the contentsof the file. IMAGE file transfer mode is also sometimes referred toas binary mode. EBCDIC mode is used most often for transferring textfiles when both the client and server use the EBCDIC character set.Mainframes and AS/400? machinesare the most common EBCDIC-oriented hosts.
| Client Command | Command | Server Response |
|---|---|---|
| put mput | STOR | successful transfer of EBCDIC data |
| getmget | RETR | successful transfer of EBCDIC data |
| ls | NLST | 451 Error message |
| dir | LIST | 451 Error message |
EBCDIC Transfer Mode
Sterling B2B CollaborationNetwork usesan IBM? mainframeand the EBCDIC character set. When the FTP Gateway receives a requestfor an ASCII transfer the server automatically performs a conversionon each character in the transferred file so that EBCDIC charactersare changed to their ASCII equivalents and ASCII characters are changedto their EBCDIC equivalents. Customers who communicate from EBCDIC-orientedhosts can transfer files in EBCDIC or IMAGE transfer mode. This allowsyou to bypass the character set conversions.
| Client Command | Command | Server Response |
|---|---|---|
| put mput | STOR | successful transfer of EBCDIC data See Notebelow. |
| getmget | RETR | successful transfer of EBCDIC data. See Notebelow. |
| ls | NLST | successful transfer of EBCDIC data |
| dir | LIST | successful transfer of EBCDIC data |
Note: When transferringfiles in EBCDIC mode the new line character (EBCDIC x'15') is reservedby RFC 959 for record separation. Because this is a common choicefor ANSI X12 segment terminator characters EBCDIC transfer mode isnot recommended for transfers of EDI data. IMAGE transfer mode offersthe same benefits and has no restrictions on the use of the new linecharacter. |
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Document Information
More support for:
Sterling Total Payments for Financial Services
Software version:
All Versions
Document number:
758569
Modified date:
08 December 2018
UID
ibm10758569