Subject: [ftpext] Expired FTP ID review: draft-peterson-streamlined-ftp-command-extensions-06

From: Anthony Bryan <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:00:31 -0400

this ID describes 6 new commands, of which HOST is more fully
described in draft-hethmon-mcmurray-ftp-hosts.

the other 5 commands:

Remove Directory All (RMDA)
Directory Size (DSIZ)
Available Octets (AVBL) [similar to LOCAL DISK SIZE (LDSIZE) from
draft-dilip-ftpext-safe-transfer-00]
Retrieve Thumbnail of Remote Image File (THMB)
Client / Server Identification (CSID)

these are mostly self-explanatory, but I have quoted a bit on each:

Remove Directory All (RMDA)

   The FTP command REMOVE DIRECTORY ALL (RMDA) removes a directory from
   the server and all of its contents including all files and
   subdirectories.  The RMDA command is considered analogous to
   recursively deleting all files and directories contained in a given
   remote directory (including the directory itself) one at a time.

Directory Size (DSIZ)

   The FTP command DIRECTORY SIZE (DSIZ) returns the number of octets
   (8-bit bytes) on the remote file system occupied by a given directory
   and its contents.

Available Octets (AVBL)

   The FTP command AVAILABLE OCTETS (AVBL) can be used to retrieve the
   number of octets available to receive uploads in a specified remote
   directory.

Retrieve Thumbnail of Remote Image File (THMB)

   The THMB FTP command allows the server-FTP process to locally
   generate a thumbnail of a requested image type and transfer the
   resulting image instead of the entire contents of the original image
   file.

Client / Server Identification (CSID)

   The FTP command CLIENT / SERVER IDENTIFICATION (CSID) allows the
   client and server to exchange relevant identifying information about
   the programs and underlying platforms being used for the FTP
   communication.

-- 
(( Anthony Bryan ... Metalink [ http://www.metalinker.org ]
  )) Easier, More Reliable, Self Healing Downloads

---

From: TJ Saunders <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:07:05 -0700 (PDT)

>    (8-bit bytes) on the remote file system occupied by a given directory

A different way of providing this information, rather than creating a new 
FTP command, is use the size fact for a directory file in an MLST/MLSD 
response.

Cheers,
TJ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   No man can justly censure or condemn another,
   because indeed no man truly knows another.

   	-Sir Thomas Browne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

From: "Mark P. Peterson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:44:41 -0500

The problem with that is this can be a very lengthy operation.  With a separate
command one already knows it's going to be lengthy.

Mark P. Peterson - President
http://www.RhinoSoft.com
Voice: +1(262) 560-9627
FAX: +1(262) 560-9628  

--------------------------------------------------
From: "TJ Saunders" <[email-masked]>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 5:07 PM
To: "Anthony Bryan" <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [ftpext] Expired FTP ID review: draft-peterson-streamlined-ftp-command-extensions-06

Cheers,
TJ

   -Sir Thomas Browne

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_______________________________________________
ftpext mailing list
[email-masked]
https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ftpext

---

From: TJ Saunders <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:58:56 -0700 (PDT)

> The problem with that is this can be a very lengthy operation.  With a 
> separate command one already knows it's going to be lengthy.

How about an OPTS MLSD request for a different fact name, e.g. 'sizd', 
which is apparently already used by some FTP servers?  At least pure-ftpd 
uses such a non-standard fact.  But this would give a server a chance to 
refuse the OPTS request, if the server policy is such that providing such 
a fact would be too expensive.

Cheers,
TJ

   The years teach much which the days never know.

     -Ralph Waldo Emerson

---

From: "Mark P. Peterson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:57:03 -0500

Seems it would be clearer to support a simple command such as DSIZ.  Can be
documented and understood very clearly, no complexity with the requirement of
multiple commands.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "TJ Saunders" <[email-masked]>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 5:58 PM
To: "Mark P. Peterson" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Anthony Bryan" <[email-masked]>; <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [ftpext] Expired FTP ID review: draft-peterson-streamlined-ftp-command-extensions-06

Cheers,
TJ

     -Ralph Waldo Emerson

---

From: TJ Saunders <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:54:50 -0700 (PDT)

> Seems it would be clearer to support a simple command such as DSIZ.  
> Can be documented and understood very clearly, no complexity with the 
> requirement of multiple commands.

It's no more or less complex to add DSIZ than to use OPTS MLST, which 
already exists.  Adding a new DSIZ command brings up the question of the 
relation between the value returned for DSIZ, if any, and the reported 
MLSD/MLST size fact for a directory.  If they differ, what is the client 
implementation to make of it?

Cheers,
TJ

   Absence is to love what wind is to fire: it extinguishes the
   small, it enkindles the great.

   	-Comte de Bussy-Rabutin