is the
RETURN or ENTER key The DOS ftp client accomplishes the same task as the Windows-based Rapid Filer. The DOS ftp client transfers files from a remote computer to your PC drive or from your PC drive to a remote computer. As with Rapid Filer, the DOS ftp requires a networked computer with LAN WorkPlace for DOS installed. The Windows95 ftp client through an MS-DOS prompt works much the same as the LAN WorkPlace for DOS ftp client. The DOS ftp client is not as easy to use as Rapid Filer.
Important Terms/Commands
binary - switch file transfer mode to binary for binary files. Binary files are files that contain software code other than text. A spreadsheet or WordPerfect file are binary files.
ascii - switch file transfer mode to text (default mode). A text file contains just text. A WordPerfect file saved as a DOS text file is a text file.
get - copy a file from a remote computer to your PC disk.
put - copy a file from your PC disk to a remote computer
cd - change directory - change the current directory on the remote host to a new directory
lcd - local change directory - change the current directory on your local computer (your PC drive) to a new directory.
pwd - show current working directory on the remote host
lpwd - show current working directory of your PC drive
dir - list contents of remote directory
ldir - list contents of local PC directory
quit - close the ftp connection
dir -l - see a list of files
rename oldfile newfile - rename files within ftp
delete filename - to delete files within ftp
mput *.* - uploads all files within the present directory. Just answer 'y' or 'n' to select files. Saves typing.
mput *.html - uploads all files that end with .html.
mput *.jpg - uploads all files that end with .jpg ...and so on with the mput command.
help - view a list of additional ftp commands)
Examples
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RETURN or ENTER key
Sending a File from Your PC Drive to a UNIX Remote Computer
Step One - Change the current directory on your PC hard drive to the directory where the file you wish to send is located. While it is possible to send files from your A or B drive, it is a good idea to send them from your C drive because reading and writing files is normally quicker from that drive.
C:\>cd windows
C:\WINDOWS>
Step Two - Start the ftp session by entering ftp from your DOS prompt followed by the name of the remote computer (hostname) that you wish to send your file to. In the case below, I am connecting to the panther computer at GSU.
The remote panther computer will respond with the Remote User Name prompt and then Remote Password:. You will need a userid and password on the remote computer to connect. There are many anonymous ftp sites that let you use "anonymous" as your userid and your e-mail address as a password. See the handout on Anonymous FTP.
C:\WINDOWS>ftp advantecon.net
Remote User Name:
Remote Password:
ftp>
Step Three - Once you have entered your userid and password, you will see the ftp> prompt. This means that you have successfully connected to the remote computer. Your remote computer and PC are effectively linked together. It is a good idea to ascertain your current working directories on both the remote computer and your PC drive. Use the pwd command for the remote computer and the lpwd command for your local PC drive.
ftp> pwd
"/gsu/hcs/hcsdar" is current directory.
ftp> lpwd
"c:\windows" is current directory.
ftp>
In the case above my current working directory is my home or personal directory on the remote panther host. Whenever you connect to a remote UNIX computer and logon, your current working directory is always your home or personal directory where disk space is allocated to you. The current working directory on my local PC drive is c:\windows. Notice that, in Step Two, the c:\windows directory was the current directory where I entered the ftp command.
Step Four - Let's assume that I am satisfied with my current working directories. I want to send a file called monet.bmp which is located in my c:\windows directory to my home or personal directory on the panther remote host. I could have used the cd command to change the current working directory on panther or the lcd command to change the current working directory on my PC hard drive as shown below:
ftp> cd /tmp
ftp> pwd
"/tmp" is current directory.
ftp> lcd \temp
ftp> lpwd
"c:\temp" is current directory.
ftp>
Step Five - The file I want to send (monet.bmp) is a binary file. It's actually a reproduction of a Monet painting in bmp or bit-mapped format. Knowing this, I set my binary switch. I can use the status command to confirm that the current transfer status is binary.
ftp> binary
ftp> status
Connection-independent Flags:
ftp> put monet.bmp
294294 bytes transmitted in 4 seconds (73573 bytes/s) ftp>
Step Seven - The file is now transferred. 294294 bytes were transferred. It is a good idea to check that the size of the file on your PC hard disk corresponds to the same file that now also resides on your panther personal or home directory.
ftp> dir *.bmp
-rw-r--r-- 1 hcsdar hcs 294294 May 22 16:35 monet.bmp
ftp> ldir *.bmp
monet.bmp 294294 12-08-94 8:22 A
1 File(s)
ftp>
You can use wild cards such as the asterick * to narrow your search to certain files with both the dir and ldir commands.
Sending a File from a UNIX Remote Computer to Your PC Drive
Follow Step One through Step Five above.
For Step Six, instead of using the command put, use the command get. Follow Step Seven above.