Message-Id: <199403022141.QAA20049@wilma.cs.utk.edu>
From: Keith Moore <moore@cs.utk.edu>
To: timbl@www0.cern.ch
Subject: Re: FTP URL mapping
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 02 Mar 1994 17:52:34 +0100."
<9403021652.AA06442@ptpc00.cern.ch>
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 1994 16:41:18 -0500
Tim writes...
> It has been pointed out that the mapping of FTP URLs onto
> FTP protocol is not well defined. In fact it seems we
> can arrive at a definition which allows current methods or
> working, with fall-back wallowing URLs to be created for things on
> flat file systems like VM, and non-unix hierarchical systems.
>
> What do you think of the following, folks?
I'd like to see the ftp part of the URL spec defined as a precise, step-by-step
algorithm for translating an ftp URL to a series of ftp commands.
It should specify things equivalent to the MIME external-body ftp access type, so you
can map between them: host, username, password, directory, filename, and transfer
mode (ascii or binary). (Are there any systems which require multiple to access
a file? I thought one was always sufficient.)
It should also specify how you know whether a URL is a file or a directory
(in which case the "filename" is the argument to LIST/NLST, maybe even a
wildcard pattern).
Keith