Subject: Ftp-WG: mdtm and mlsd commands

From: "Anthony R. Gold" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 05:30:08

Hello,

Is this list active?  Since subscribing a couple of days ago I've received
four empty emails and nothing else.

2) Could someone explain to me the status of the mdtm command?

I've found both clients and servers which allow mdtm to be used to set the
modify-fact of files on servers, but I don't see that documented in any
RFC or proposal.  Is this use of mdtm in any standard or in any proposal
for standard?  And if not, is there any standardized method for setting a
file's modify-fact?

2) What is the status of the command "mlsd directory" in terms of a
standard or a track towards it?

Tony

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From: Robert Elz <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 08:36:24

Date:        Sat, 24 Jan 2004 05:30:08 
    From:        "Anthony R. Gold" <[email-masked]>
    Message-ID:  <[email-masked]>

  | Is this list active?

Not very.

  | 2) Could someone explain to me the status of the mdtm command?

Perhaps.... Its definition should appear in an RFC sometime relatively
soon, we hope.

  | I've found both clients and servers which allow mdtm to be used to set the
  | modify-fact of files on servers, but I don't see that documented in any
  | RFC or proposal.

Anything that does that is broken, it is a query command only.  There
are no standardised "set attributes" command, for any attributes I'm
aware of (possibly excluding the name...)

  | Is this use of mdtm in any standard or in any proposal for standard?

No.

  | And if not, is there any standardized method for setting a
  | file's modify-fact?

Not that I know of.

  | 2) What is the status of the command "mlsd directory" in terms of a
  | standard or a track towards it?

It is approved as a proposed standard.   The RFC should appear soon
(for all WG members, the delay is while we're trying to work out the
best way of handling the over-long example lines in the draft - it is
likely now that the outcome of this will be the text format rfc missing
some of the examples, and a postscript format version with everything
included - not ideal, but anything else that remains correct, and meets
the rfc editor restrictions is going to take too long to accomplish).

kre

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From: "Anthony R. Gold" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 05:46:16

> Perhaps.... Its definition should appear in an RFC sometime relatively

Thank you.
 
> aware of (possibly excluding the name...)

That's a real shame as it prevents FTP from being used in mirroring.

I'll keep tuned in here.

Regards,

Tony

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From: "Brad Clements" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 08:28:10

On 25 Jan 2004 at 5:46, Anthony R. Gold wrote:

> >   | I've found both clients and servers which allow mdtm to be used to
> >   set the | modify-fact of files on servers, but I don't see that
> >   documented in any | RFC or proposal.
> >
> > Anything that does that is broken, it is a query command only.  There are
> > no standardised "set attributes" command, for any attributes I'm aware of
> > (possibly excluding the name...)
> 

Our FTP server for NetWare supports a site specific command. I think we copied this 
idea from some other server, but I can't recall, its been 10 years.

site chmdtm <filename> <modtime> [<acctime>] -- change modification/access time of 
file

-- 
Brad Clements,                [email-masked]   (315)268-1000
http://www.murkworks.com                          (315)268-9812 Fax
http://www.wecanstopspam.org/                   AOL-IM: BKClements

---

From: "Anthony R. Gold" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 09:46:41

> site chmdtm <filename> <modtime> [<acctime>] -- change modification/access time of 

Sounds fine, but I wonder why the working group is ignoring an absent but
apparently needed facility which software developers are now programming
around in a common but, of necessity because of the lack of any standard,
a non-compliant manner.

http://www.noisette-software.com/products/windows/GetIt/docs/UserGuide.pdf
http://www.noisette-software.com/products/windows/ShareIt/docs/UserGuide.pdf
http://www.southrivertechnologies.com/support/titanftp/webhelp/mdtm.htm
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email-masked]/msg01268.html

Regards,

Tony