File Transfer Protocol
 FTP Commands
http://www.simotime.com
 Copyright © 1987-2009 SimoTime Enterprises, LLC  All Rights Reserved
  Table of Contents Version 09.05.17 
  Introduction
  An Interactive FTP Session
  An Automated, Batch FTP Session
  An FTP Command List
  An FTP Extended Command List
  Summary
 
  Links to Similar Pages of Interest
  Glossary of Terms
  Comments or Suggestions
  About SimoTime
 

Introduction
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The following information is provided as a reference for the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) commands. This document describes a typical process for an interactive and automated, batch FTP session running on a PC with Windows/2000 and connecting to a UNIX system. This process may vary slightly depending on the hardware and software configurations of the local and remote systems.

An Interactive FTP Session
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To start an FTP interactive session type "ftp" from a DOS Command window.

C:\> ftp

The DOS prompt should be replaced with the FTP prompt. The FTP program is now running on the local system. A connection (or session) to a remote system has not been established.

The help command or ? (question mark) may be executed without being attached to a remote system and will do a print (usually to the screen) of the FTP commands. The following is a typical result of the help command running on a PC with Windows.

ftp> help
Commands may be abbreviated. Commands are:
!           delete      literal     prompt      send
?           debug       ls          put         status
append      dir         mdelete     pwd         trace
ascii       disconnect  mdir        quit        type
bell        get         mget        quote       user
binary      glob        mkdir       recv        verbose
bye         hash        mls         remotehelp
cd          help        mput        rename
close       lcd         open        rmdir
ftp>

The following commands will establish a connection (or session) by doing a logon between the local FTP program and a remote system.

ftp> open domain.name
Connected to domain.name
220 antigonous FTP server ready.
User (domain.name:(none)): User-Name
331 Password required for user-name
Password: password
230 User user-name logged in.
ftp>

The following command will change the directory on the remote system.

ftp> cd /web
250 CWD command successful.
ftp>

The following command will find out the pathname of the current directory on the remote system and display the information.

ftp> pwd
257 "/web" is the current directory.
ftp>

The following command will set the file transfer mode to ASCII (this is the default and transmits seven bits per byte).

ftp> ascii
200 Type set to A.
ftp>

The following command will copy a file from the local system to the remote system. 

ftp> put d:\simoweb1\filename.txt
200 PORT command successful.
Opening ASCII mode data connection for filename.txt
226 Transfer complete
ftp>

The following command will set the file transfer mode to binary (the binary mode transfers all eight bits per byte and must be used to transfer non-ASCII files).

ftp> binary
200 Type set to I.
ftp>

The following command will copy a file from the local system to the remote system. 

ftp> put d:\simoweb1\filename.zip

200 PORT command successful.
Opening BINARY mode data connection for filename.zip
226 Transfer complete
ftp>

The following command will exit the FTP environment (same as "bye").

ftp> quit
221 Goodbye.

When the preceding command is finished the DOS prompt will be displayed.

C:\>

The preceding is a typical process for an interactive FTP session running on a PC with Windows/2000 and connecting to a UNIX system. This process may vary slightly depending on the hardware and software configurations of the local and remote systems.

An Automated, Batch FTP Session
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The following batch file (UPWIP001.BAT) will start an FTP session and pass the name of a text file (UPWIP001.TXT) to the FTP program. This text file will be processed by the FTP program and each of the statements in the text file will be processed in the sequence they appear.

@echo OFF
echo * *******************************************************************
echo *                   This program is provided by:                    *
echo *                    SimoTime Enterprises, LLC                      *
echo *           (C) Copyright 1987-2001 All Rights Reserved             *
echo *             Web Site URL:   http://www.simotime.com               *
echo *                   e-mail:   helpdesk@simotime.com                 *
echo * *******************************************************************
echo *
echo * This batch and text file illustrate the use of FTP to upload an
echo * ASCII file and an EBCDIC or Binary file. The UPWIP001.BAT file
echo * references UPWIP001.TXT that contains...
echo *
echo *   user
echo *   password
echo *   cd /web
echo *   pwd
echo *   ascii
echo *   put d:\simoweb1\cbltxn01.htm
echo *   binary
echo *   put d:\simoweb1\cbltxn01.zip
echo *   quit
echo *
ftp -s:upwip001.txt www.simotime.com

The following is a listing of the contents of the text file (UPWIP001.TXT).

user
password
cd /web
pwd
ascii
put d:\simoweb1\cbltxn01.htm
binary
put d:\simoweb1\cbltxn01.zip
quit

An FTP Command List
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The following is a summary of the commonly used FTP Commands.

Command Description
! Preceding a command with the exclamation point will cause the command to execute on the local system instead of the remote system.
? Request assistance or information about the FTP commands. This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
ascii Set the file transfer mode to ASCII (Note: this is the default and transmits seven bits per byte).
bell Turns bell mode on / off. This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
binary Set the file transfer mode to binary (Note: the binary mode transfers all eight bits per byte and must be used to transfer non-ASCII files).
bye Exit the FTP environment (same as quit). This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
cd Change directory on the remote system.
close Terminate a session with another system.
debug Sets debugging on/off. This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
delete Delete (remove) a file in the current remote directory (same as rm in UNIX).
dir Lists the contents of the remote directory.The asterisk (*) and the question mark (?) may be used as wild cards. For example:

dir b* This will display all entries that start with the letter "b". For example, the following will be displayed.
bet, ben, bingo, born, boon, bipartisan, bandit, boy
dir b*n* This will display all entries that start with the letter "b" and have the letter "n" somewhere after the letter "b". For example, the following will be displayed.
ben, bingo, born, boon, bipartisan, bandit
The following will not be displayed.
bet, boy
dir b?n This will display all entries that start with the letter "b", have the letter "n" in the 3rd position and have a three character name. For example, the following will be displayed.
ben
The following will not be displayed.
bet, bingo, born, boon, bipartisan, bandit, boy
dir b?n* This will display all entries that start with the letter "b" and have the letter "n" in the 3rd position. For example, the following will be displayed.
ben, bingo, bandit
The following will not be displayed.
bet, born, boon, bipartisan, boy
get Copy a file from the remote system to the local system.

get filename-1 Copy (or replace) filename-1 from the current remote directory to a file with the same name in the current local directory.
get filename-1 filename-2   Copy (or replace) filename-1 from the current remote directory to filename-2 in the current local directory.
help Request a list of all available FTP commands. This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
lcd Change directory on your local system (same as CD in UNIX).
ls List the names of the files in the current remote directory.
mget Copy multiple files from the remote system to the local system. (Note: You will be prompted for a "y/n" response before copying each file).

mget  *    Copies all the files in the current remote directory to the current local directory, using the same filenames. Note the use of the asterisk (*) as a wild card character.
mkdir Make a new directory within the current remote directory.
mput Copy multiple files from the local system to the remote system. (Note: You will be prompted for a "y/n" response before copying each file).
open Open a connection with another system.
put Copy a file from the local system to the remote system.
pwd Find out the pathname of the current directory on the remote system.
quit Exit the FTP environment (same as "bye"). This command does not require a connection to a remote system.
rmdir Remove (delete) a directory in the current remote directory.
trace Toggles packet tracing. This command does not require a connection to a remote system.

An FTP Extended Command List
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The following are additional commands that are used when tranferring files between an IBM Mainframe and a Windows or UNIX client swystem. Also, the following includes commands required when working with files containing variable length records.

user
password
CD ..
PWD
VERBOSE
BINARY
LITERAL SITE RDW LRECL=80 RECFM=FB TRACKS PRIMARY=10 SECONDARY=5
PUT c:\SimoDemo\TestLib1\DataFtp1\CARDFILE.DAT SIMOTIME.DATA.CARDFILE
QUIT
Command Description
literal Will send an argument to the remote FTP Server. This statement is similar in purpose as the "QUOTE" statement.
locsite LOCSITE This statement may be used at the mainframe for commands specific to the mainframe
quote Will send an argument to the remote FTP Server. This statement is similar in purpose as the "LITERAL" statement.
site This statement is used at the client system and is used to transfer a function (via the literal or quote) to the host site. The following is a summary of the commonly used SITE/LOCSITE Commands.
Command Description
BLKSIZE BLocKSIZE=nnnn where nnnn is the block size (BLKSIZE)
CYLINDERS CYlinders To indicate that space should be allocated in cylinders
DIRECTORY DIrectory=nnn where 'nnn' indicates the number of directory blocks to be allocated for the directory of a PDS
LRECL LRecl=nnn where nnn is the logical record length (LRECL)
PRIMARY PRImary=nnn where nnn indicates the number of primary space units (tracks or cylinders)
RDW RDW will cause each record of a variable length record to be preceded with a four byte Record Descriptor Word (RDW) and possible four byte Block Descriptor Word (BDW).
RECFM RECfm=format where format is: F, FA, FB, FBA, FBM, FM, U, V, VA, VB, VBA, VBM, or VBS
SECONDARY SECondary=nnn where nnn indicates the number of secondary space units (tracks or cylinders)
TRACKS TRacks To indicate that space should be allocated in tracks.

Summary
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The purpose of this document is to provide a quick reference for connecting and exchanging information between two systems. This document describes a typical process for an interactive or automated, batch File Transfer Protocol (FTP) session running on a PC with Windows/2000 and connecting to a UNIX system. This process may vary slightly depending on the hardware and software configurations of the local and remote systems.

This document is made available on an "as-is" basis and may be downloaded, copied and modified for specific situations as long as the copyright information is not removed or changed. As always, it is the programmer's responsibility to thoroughly test all programs.

Links to Similar Pages of Interest
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Check out   The SimoTime Library   for a wide range of topics for Programmers, Project Managers and Software Developers.

To review all the information available on this site start at   The SimoTime Home Page  .

Glossary of Terms
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Check out  The SimoTime Glossary  for a list of terms and definitions used in the documents provided by SimoTime.

Comments or Suggestions
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If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please call or send an e-mail to: helpdesk@simotime.com

About SimoTime Enterprises, LLC
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Founded in 1987, SimoTime Enterprises is a privately owned, Limited Liability Corporation located in Novato, California. We specialize in the creation and deployment of business applications using new or existing technologies and services. We have a team of individuals that understand the broad range of technologies being used in today's environments. This includes the smallest thin client using the Internet and the very large mainframe systems. There is more to making the Internet work for your company's business than just having a nice looking WEB site. It is about combining the latest technologies and existing technologies with practical business experience. It's about the business of doing business and looking good in the process. Quite often, to reach larger markets or provide a higher level of service to existing customers it requires the newer Internet technologies to work in a complementary manner with existing corporate mainframe systems. Whether you want to use the Internet to expand into new market segments or as a delivery vehicle for existing business functions simply give us a call or check the web site at http://www.simotime.com

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