ftp_command

ftp_command_line

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A command line FTP client has been included in all versions of Windows released since Windows 95. For those not familiar with this interface, some notes are listed below.

First, open a Command Prompt through the Start Menu. In Windows 9x, this is called the MS-DOS prompt. Here are some basics for working with the Windows Command Prompt:

Before starting the FTP client, move to the directory containing the files you want to upload or the directory to which you want to download.
- The change directory command is cd.
- To move up one directory level, type cd ..
  - There does not have to be a space between the cd and the .. in Windows but when FTPing to a Unix/Linux machine, there does have to be a space between the two. Best practice is to always put a space between the two.
- To move into a directory, type cd directory_name
- To move down several directory levels at once, type cd directory_name/sub_directory_name
  - Windows machines seperate directories and sub-directories by a backslash \. Unix/Linux machines seperate directories and sub-directories by a forwardslash /.

Using FTP from the command line:

To start the ftp client program, type ftp
- To connect to your Tivo after starting the ftp client, type open 192.168.xxx.xxx
- To start the ftp client and connect to your Tivo in one command, start the ftp client by typing ftp 192.168.xxx.xxx
You can obtain a list of all FTP commands by typing help at the ftp prompt.
- To find out how to use one of the listed commands, such as pwd, type help pwd and you will see the following explanation: pwd Print working directory on remote machine
After connecting to your Tivo, you will be prompted for a username and password. By default, these are not needed to connect to the tivo ftp server. Hit enter for each one or type something in and hit enter. It doesn't matter.
Once you have connected, you will want to determine which directory you are in by typing pwd
To move up a directory level on the Tivo, type cd ..
To move into a sub-directory such as var on the Tivo, type cd var
- To change the current directory on the local PC, type lcd directory_name
- If a directory name contains a space, type cd "directory name"
To list the contents of the current directory on the Tivo, type dir or ls
Before you transfer files to your Tivo, it is necessary to set the transfer type to binary by typing bin or binary
- ASCII is the default transfer method. Transfering an binary executable file using the ASCII transfer method can corrupt the file. Using the binary transfer method will not corrupt a file. ASCII mode is used only to speed up the transfer of text-only documents and is not ver useful.
To upload a file into the current directory on the Tivo, type put filename.ext
- You will not be able to list the files on the local PC when in the FTP prompt. Open Windows Explorer to see a list of the file names that need to be transferred.
- To upload a file from a sub-directory on the PC to the Tivo, type put sub_directory/filename.ext
- To upload multiple files, type mput filename1.ext filename2.ext
- To upload all files in the current PC directory, type mput *.*
To download a file from the current directory on the Tivo to the current directory on the PC, type get filename.ext
To quit the ftp client, type quit

As of 5-June-2002, the ftp server software running inside the Tivo only supports a very basic command set. It is not possible to make new directories through and ftp session, telnet must be used for that. Some ftp servers allow you to change the properties of the files on the server. Again, telnet must be used to do this instead.

Below is a complete listing of all commands available within the Windows FTP client. These commands apply to almost any command line FTP client in other operating systems such a Unix and Linux.

Command	Description	Usage [] commands optional
!	Escape from the ftp subsystem to the shell.	!
?	Displays descriptions for ftp commands. ? is identical to help.	? [command]
append	Appends a local file to a file on the remote computer using the current file type setting.	append local-file [remote-file]
ascii	Sets the file transfer type to ASCII, the default.	ascii
bell	Toggles a bell to ring after each file transfer command is completed. By default, the bell is off.	bell
binary	Sets the file transfer type to binary.	binary
bye	Ends the FTP session with the remote computer and exits ftp.	bye
cd	Changes the working directory on the remote computer.	cd remote-directory
close	Ends the FTP session with the remote server and returns to the command interpreter.	close
debug	Toggles debugging. When debugging is on, each command sent to the remote computer is printed, preceded by the string >. By default, debugging is off.	debug
delete	Deletes files on remote computers.	delete remote-file
dir	Displays a list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories.	dir [remote-directory] [local-file]
disconnect	Disconnects from the remote computer, retaining the ftp prompt.	disconnect
get	Copies a remote file to the local computer using the current file transfer type.	get remote-file [local-file]
glob	Toggles file name globbing. Globbing permits use of wildcard characters ( and ?) in local file or path names. By default, globbing is on.	glob
hash	Toggles number-sign (#) printing for each data block transferred. The size of a data block is 2048 bytes. By default, hash mark printing is off.	hash
help	Displays descriptions for ftp commands.	help [command]
lcd	Changes the working directory on the local computer. By default, the working directory is the directory in which ftp was started.	lcd [directory]
literal	Sends arguments, verbatim, to the remote FTP server. A single FTP reply code is expected in return.	literal argument [ ...]
ls	Displays an abbreviated list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories.	ls [remote-directory] [local-file]
mdelete	Deletes files on remote computers.	mdelete remote-files [ ...]
mdir	Displays a list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories. You can use mdir to specify multiple files.	mkdir directory
mget	Copies remote files to the local computer using the current file transfer type.	mget remote-files [ ...]
mkdir	Creates a remote directory.	mdir remote-files [ ...] local-file
mls	Displays an abbreviated list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories.	mls remote-files [ ...] local-file
mput	Copies local files to the remote computer using the current file transfer type.	mput local-files [ ...]
open	Connects to the specified FTP server.	open computer [port]
prompt	Toggles prompting. Ftp prompts during multiple file transfers to allow you to selectively retrieve or store files, while mget and mput transfer all files if prompting is turned off. By default, prompting is on.	prompt
put	Copies a local file to the remote computer using the current file transfer type.	put local-file [remote-file]
pwd	Displays the current directory on the remote computer.	pwd
quit	Ends the FTP session with the remote computer and exits ftp.	quit
quote	Sends arguments, verbatim, to the remote FTP server. A single FTP reply code is expected in return. Quote is identical to literal.	quote argument [ ...]
recv	Copies a remote file to the local computer using the current file transfer type. Recv is identical to get.	recv remote-file [local-file]
remotehelp	Displays help for remote commands.	remotehelp [command]
rename	Renames remote files.	rename filename newfilename
rmdir	Deletes a remote directory.	rmdir directory
send	Copies a local file to the remote computer using the current file transfer type. Send is identical to put.	send local-file [remote-file]
status	Displays the current status of FTP connections and toggles.	status
trace	Toggles packet tracing. Trace displays the route of each packet when running an ftp command.	trace
type	Displays the file transfer type.	type
user	Specifies a user to the remote computer.	user user-name [password] [account]
verbose	Toggles verbose mode. If on, all ftp responses are displayed. When a file transfer completes, statistics regarding the efficiency of the transfer are also displayed. By default, verbose is on.	verbose

Notes for launching the Windows FTP client from the command line:

Transfers files to and from a computer running an FTP server service(sometimes called a daemon). Ftp can be used interactively.

FTP [-v] [-d] [-i] [-n] [-g] [-s:filename] [-a] [-w:windowsize] [-A] [host]

-v	Suppresses display of remote server responses.
-n	Suppresses auto-login upon initial connection.
-i	Turns off interactive prompting during multiple file transfers.
-d	Enables debugging.
-g	Disables filename globbing (see GLOB command).
-s:filename	Specifies a text file containing FTP commands; the commands will automatically run after FTP starts.
-a	Use any local interface when binding data connection.
-A	login as anonymous.
-w:buffersize	Overrides the default transfer buffer size of 4096.
host	Specifies the host name or IP address of the remote host to connect to.

Notes:

mget and mput commands take y/n/q for yes/no/quit.
Use Control-C to abort commands.