File Transfer Protocol -- An Introduction

An easy way to post and retrieve files in the psn area on csf is via
anonymous ftp, a procedure supported between most Internet sites.  One
reaches csf via ftp with a one line command like

     ftp  csf.colorado.edu      or       ftp  128.138.173.17

where the last address is the unique Internet number which should work
if the verbal nickname on the left fails.  Once connection is made to
csf, you will be prompted for your username. Please reply with
"anonymous" (w/o the quotes).  (Sometimes there are intermediate steps
and one has to use "user anonymous".)  One is then prompted for a
password and most ftp sites appreciate your username@hostname in
response to the password prompt -- it enables the site to keep track
of users. 

After the login procedure, one can obtain a listing of various conferences
with the "dir" command.  One can enter a particular conference/subdir with
the "cd" or change directory command.  One can go into psn with (and these
are all small letters)

ftp> cd psn

One can always distinguish between files, which can be downloaded, and
directories by using the "dir" command.  As with any ftp area such
as csf, the letter "d" on the left of the screen (in response to the
"dir" command) means that the line entry refers to a directory.
                               
One can download most files in an ftp area.  Most files in csf are
ascii files and can be downloaded with the simple
ftp> get filename

Unix is case sensitive -- the filename must be spelled exactly as it appears.

It is easy to mistake a filename with a directoryname -- if you say
ftp> get dirname
it won't let you.  But if you use
ftp> dir
and look on the far left of the screen you will see what's a directory
and what is a file. 

To back out of a particular subdirectory, use the standard unix/dos command
ftp> cd ..
(that's cd, a space, and two periods :-)
To determine what directory you are in, use
ftp> pwd     for present-working-directory

     ====> MGET and the wildcard (*) <====
If files have long names, typing w/o mistakes can be ardous.  
Ftp software will allow one to use the wildcard (*) if you use, instead
of get, the multiple-get or mget command.  One can use
ftp> mget ap*
and you will be prompted for all files with name starting with
the letters "ap"

UPLOADING
 Ftp is important for uploading as well as downloading.
One can upload or leave a file off in any subdirectory called "incoming"
or "input".  There is an incoming subdirectory within psn.  One can use

ftp> cd incoming      or      ftp> cd psn/incoming  

to get into the incoming subdirectory, depending on your starting point.
One can then upload an ascii file with

ftp> put filename

If you would like to change the name of your file as you upload, use

ftp> put filename-on-local-machine  filename-for-posting-on-csf

People occasionally put a paper up and then they think of a few changes
they would like to make.  So who is going to delete the old version after
the new version is posted?  In many cases the answer is hopefully, 'you.'
  The incoming subdirectory is "owned" by the (pseudo)user, ftp.
Anyone who comes in by anonymous ftp can delete as well as write files
to this subdirectory.  Until your file is moved from the incoming
subdirectory, you can return via ftp and use the "del" command.

Once you are sure of the paper, you can write Martha Gimenez
(gimenez@csf.colorado.edu) or myself (roper@csf) and we will move your
file from the incoming subdirectory to a more secure directory, viz.,
psn or one of its future children (subdirs).

Hope this works for you

.. don roper
roper@csf.colorado.edu