Ian & Stuart's Australian Mac: Not for Sale/Another.not.for.sale (Australia).iso/fade into you/being there/Organisations/EFF/About EFF/eff_ftp.faq

Text File | 1994-09-28 | 19KB | 408 lines

* EFF FTP FAQ *   2.0

README file for ftp.eff.org - currently 192.77.172.4


Last update: Aug. 10, 1994

Recent changes:
2.0 - added items 23-24, added coast.cs.purdue.edu mirror site

The Electronic Frontier Foundation
==================================
1001 G Street NW, Suite 950 E
Washington DC 20001 USA
[phone] (voice)
[phone] (fax)
[phone] (BBS)
Internet: [e-mail]
Internet fax gate: remote-printer.EFF@9.0.5.5.3.9.3.2.0.2.1.tpc.int



Contents:

1) Introductory Info
2) Notes on EFF's Guide to the Internet (formerly Big Dummy's Guide)
3) Notes on EFF's electronic Publications archive - CuD and /pub/journals/
4) Notes on other EFF files that have moved: /pub/irc, /pub/airliners/, etc.
5) Redistribution information
6) Notes on binary and text (ASCII) files
7) Notes on compressed/archived files (.tar.*, .Z, .z, .gz, etc.)
8) How/where to get more help (try documentation and your sysadmin FIRST!)
9) Uploading to EFF
10) Notes on how to get "best of EFF" collections
11) Where are our files mirrored on other sites?
12) "How come when I type 'cd publications' or 'chdir groups' it get an error?"
13) "How come when I type 'get EFF' or 'mg Publications' I get an error?"
14) "How come when I type 'get *.eff' or 'get l???x.txt' I get an error?"
15) "How come these wildcards don't behave right?"
16) "How come when I type 'put newfile.txt' I get an error?"
17) "What are those .Links, .cap, and zzz files and directories?"
18) "How come when I type 'cd pub/Net_info/' or 'cd ~ftp/pub/EFF/' I get
    an error?"
19) Date format used on this server
20) File indexes
21) HTML (WWW) links to other sites
22) "Can I get these files by any other method?"
23) "What do I do if I can't get directory listings and have other probs?"
24) A hint for Delphi ftp users


1) Introductory Info

This is ftp.eff.org (currently 192.77.172.4). Most of the files
reside in the "pub" directory. If you want general information on the EFF
look in the "pub/EFF" directory,  specifically at the file
"pub/EFF/about.eff".  There are lots of neat features about this site,
so read on!  One in particular you might like to know about is that all
directories (except those under the CAF tree) begin with upper-case letters.
Files, on the other hand begin with (and usually fully consist of) only
lower case characters (besides numbers, etc.)  Indexes are called 00-INDEX.*,
and all README files are README.*  This makes it easy to find stuff, since
you don't have to look for files like some_file.readme, this_directory.index,
etc., and you can tell at a glance which listings are directories (they
also show up in the list before most files).


2) Notes on EFF's Guide to the Internet (formerly Big Dummy's Guide)

EFF's Guide (contrary to what WIRED magazine said) is in
/pub/Net_info/EFF_Net_Guide/
The basic ASCII text implementation of the latest version is always
in the file netguide.eff, regardless of version number.

Special versions (WWW/html, TeX DVI, Texi, PostScript, Windows .HLP,
AmigaGuide, GeoWorks Write, MS Word 5.x, DOS self-displaying hypertext,
Gnu info, and more) are in: /pub/Net_info/EFF_Net_Guide/Other_versions/


3) Notes on EFF's electronic publications archive - CuD and /pub/journals/

Note! the EFF Zine Stand has moved! All the zines and journals
previously kept here are now on etext.archive.umich.edu.  The CuD e-pub
archives are still here however, in pub/Publications/CuD.


4) Notes on other EFF files that have moved: /pub/irc, /pub/airliners/, etc.

The IRC archive has now been moved to ftp.kei.com:/pub/irc
including all of the irc mailing list archives.

The Airline info directory has likewise moved to ftp.kei.com, in pub/airliners


5) Redistribution information

Any and all files in the EFF online archives may be freely distributed at
will, unless otherwise noted, as long as the content of the files is not
altered.  It is appreciated if you make it known where the file originated,
so people can get more info or updated versions.  The Big Dummy's Guide may
also be redistributed.  This includes posting on BBSs, FTP sites and any
other means of distribution, so long as it is not modified and not sold for
profit.

Items that have a copyright notice:  You may wish to contact the authors
before distributing them further, just in case.


6) Notes on binary and text (ASCII) files.

All files other than ASCII text files (most of the files on this site are
text files) must be transferred as binary files, or you'll get them as
worthless gibberish. This holds true for ANY ftp site.  Files with
extensions like .gif, .zip., .tar.z, .Z., .gz, .sea, etc. are binaries.
Some files that may look like binaries but aren't, are files that end with a
.hqx or .ps extension (note, however that a .ps PostScript file that has
been compressed, e.g. filename.ps.gz, has become a binary.)  For most ftp
software, all you have to do is give the "binary" command (no quotes) to
enter binary mode.  In most cases, transferring text files in binary mode
works fine, too, especially if you are on a Unix machine.  It will actually
be faster.  This is a Unix site, and MS-DOS and Macintosh handle ASCII
end-of-line markers differently, so you should transfer text files in the
slower ASCII mode, so they are translated properly, if you are on a DOS or
Mac machine.

If the file you just got looks like garbage, ask yourself first and
foremost:
               "Did I remember to use binary mode?"


7) Notes on compressed/archived files (.tar.*, .Z, .z, .gz, etc.)

All compressed and tar-archived files are binaries, and must be
transferred in binary mode!

.z and .gz files are GZip (GnuZip) compressed archives, NOT
Unix "compress" archives (.Z files). If you don't have gzip on
your system, you can get these files uncompressed by 'get'ing the filename
w/o the .z/.gz extension.  If you find some-file-I-want.z (or .gz), you can
get the uncompressed version by:

ftp> get some-file-I-want
rather than:
ftp> get some-file-I-want.z
or
ftp> get some-file-I-want.gz

The .z/.gz will be decompressed for you on the fly.
If you want them in .Z compress format, substitute .Z for .z or .gz:

ftp> get some-file-I-want.Z

Note that files that end in .tar.* (e.g file.tar.Z, file.tar.gz, etc.)
are archives produced with the unix "tar" program.  You should be able
to find an un-tarring utility for your computer at garbo.uwasa.fi or
perhaps wuarchive.wustl.edu (look for tell-tale directories like
pc/compression, mac/archivers, etc.)  It may take a while to find it, but
the tools are there.  In most cases .tar.* files will be of little use to
those not on Unix machines anyway.


8) How/where to get more help (try documentation and your sysadmin FIRST!)

If you have problems, comments or requests to pass on, please mail
[e-mail].  Note that ftphelp is a person, not an infobot, so please
make your messages detailed and specific.  If possible include captures of
the relevant parts of your session.

** PLEASE!  For basic help with ftp and other net services, talk to your
local admins, and try "man <commandname>" (example: man ftp) to get the
manual pages on the command you are trying out.  EFF is not in the
business of net.consulting, so please use local resources first.  Don't
hesitate to point out problems with our system though, if you are certain
that there are bugs or other mistakes on our part.  Thanks!


9) Uploading to EFF

** ALL UPLOADS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY EITHER A TEXT FILE DESCRIBING
   WHAT IT IS, OR AN EMAIL TO [e-mail] DESCRIBING THE FILES.
   Files that don't have either an email or uploaded explanation
   are very likely to be deleted, unless we are expecting it, or
   otherwise can be expected to know what it is.

The /incoming (uploads) directory is for EFF-related material only.
E.g., something like the text of a bill, a guide to online resources, a
notice about a national networking conference, etc. are all apropriate.
GIFs, shareware, pornographic text files, and solar flare reports are not.
Please don't upload junk in here, it will just get deleted.  If you do
have something good to add to the archives, then by all means please do
upload it, provided it is redistributable material.

Also note that after the upload, you will not be able to see the file in
the directory, as incoming is write-only to prevent it being misused to
nefarious purposes like software piracy or whatever.

The turnaround time on processing the uploads might be a week or so, but
then again it might be 5 minutes.  If you want faster processing, send me
an email explaining that you just uploaded something and what it is.


10) Notes on how to get "best of EFF" collections

We have a collection of the "best of EFF" files, called the Frontier Files
disks, the content of which can be downloaded from this site, at
/pub/EFF/Misc/Frontier_Files/ - 3 versions are available.

They are available from us (see top of this file for address) on disks for
Macintosh, DOS, and Amiga.  If you'd like such a disk please send us a
self-addressed, 52-cent-stamped diskette mailer, and a disk if you can,
to help defray costs.  The disks are available in 3.5" DD only.  It is
perferred (probably by you too!) to get the archives from the ftp site,
rather than send off for a disk.


11) Where are our files mirrored on other sites?

Mirror sites are sites that keep copies of another site's material, so it
is more widely available.  Many sites mirror our files.

This is NOT an exhaustive list; if you find more, let us know.

coast.cs.purdue.edu, /pub/mirrors/ftp.eff.org/
 mirrored directories:
  /pub/EFF/Legal/
  /pub/EFF/Legislation/
  /pub/EFF/Policy/Anonymity/
  /pub/EFF/Policy/Crypto/
  /pub/EFF/Policy/Privacy/
  /pub/EFF/Policy/Security/
  /pub/Publications/CuD/CuD/
  /pub/Publications/CuD/Law/
  /pub/Publications/CuD/Phrack/
 and subdirectories thereof

wuarchive.wustl.edu, /pub/doc/EFF/
 mirrored directories:
  /pub/CAF/
  /pub/EFF/
  /pub/Publications/
 and subdirectories thereof

uceng.uc.edu, /pub/wuarchive/doc/EFF/
 This is a mirror of a mirror, same material as wuarchive.wustl.edu

ftp.std.com, /src/wuarchive/doc/EFF/
 This is a mirror of a mirror, same material as wuarchive.wustl.edu,
 may or may not be active (last I looked it was, probably temporarily,
 not available due to NFS problems.)

ftp.std.com, /obi/EFF/
 a small collection of misc EFF files (mostly older files, but some of the
 basic intro material).

ftp.glocom.ac.jp, /mirror/ftp.eff.org/
 mirrored directories:
   /pub/EFF/
   /pub/CAF/
   /pub/Publications/Bruce_Sterling/
   /pub/Publications/CuD/
  and subdirectories thereof (that's most of the site).

bric-a-brac.apple.com, /alug/EFF/
 partial mirror of /pub/Net_info/EFF_Net_Guide/

mailer.fsu.edu, /pub/DDuke/EFF/
 a small collection of some introductory EFF info, mainly stuff that can
 be found at /pub/EFF/ and /pub/EFF/History/ at ftp.eff.org.

CuD-only mirror sites (may or not be complete mirrors of /Publications/CuD):
  UNITED STATES:  etext.archive.umich.edu (141.211.164.18)  in /pub/CuD/
                  aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud/
                  ftp.halcyon.com (192.135.191.2) in pub/disk1/cud
                  ftp.std.com in /obi/Computer.U.Digest/ (partial mirror)

  EUROPE:         nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/cud/ (Finland)
                  ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom)


12) "How come when I type 'cd publications' or 'chdir groups' it get an error?"

Unix, the operating system our site runs on, is *case-sensitive*, unlike DOS,
Macintosh, etc.  This means that a file or directory name like "publications"
is NOT the same as one called Publications or PUBLICATIONS or pUbLiCaTiOnS.
If you get a bad directory name error when trying to cd (chdir) into it, or
a bad filename error when trying to get a file, look at the case and make
sure you are typing it as it appears.  As a side note, on some systems, you
may encounter file names like FILE.TXT;1 in which case you need to include the
";1", while on others you may find filenames with spaces in them, in which
case you need to enclose the entire name, spaces and all, in
double-quotes, like "file name".  You won't run into either of these problems
on our server, however.

13) "How come when I type 'get EFF' or 'mg Publications' I get an error?"

You can't use get or mget (mg) on directories, only on files.  You need to
go INTO the directory (cd EFF, cd Publications, etc.), do a dir or ls
command to see what's in there and do a get on the file you want, or an
mget on the set of files you want.

14) "How come when I type 'get *.eff' or 'get l???x.txt' I get an error?"
"get" does not support wildcards (* and ?), only mget (mg) does.

15) "How come these wildcards don't behave right?"
If you are used to DOS wildcards, you should be aware that the Unix ones,
though similar, are don't work exactly the same.  In particular, be aware that
"." is not considered a special character, a divider.  In Unix, it's Just
Another Character. Thus if you have 3 files, fnord.1, fnord.2 and foobar.1,
doing mg * or mg *.* will get them all.  Doing mg *.1 or mg *1 will get
both fnord.1 and foobar.1, and doing mg fnord* or mg fnord.* (or mg f* for
that matter) will get fnord.1 and fnord.2.

16) "How come when I type 'put newfile.txt' I get an error?"
Only one directory on the system is set up so that anyone can upload to it.
This is /incoming.  Please see /README.incoming before uploading.  Thanks.

17) "What are those .Links, .cap, and zzz files and directories?"
They are just control files for the gopher system, and you can ignore them.
They aren't very interesting.  Bonus trivia for the day: On many systems
running a different kind of gopher server, the .Links and .cap stuff are
all in one file, called .menu.


18) "How come when I type 'cd pub/Net_info/' or 'cd ~ftp/pub/EFF/' I get
    an error?"
The proper syntax is "cd /pub/Net_info" or "cd /pub/EFF/".  You may need
to use "chdir" instead of "cd", depending upon your ftp client.  When
cd'ing through several directories like that the initial "/" is required.
"~ftp" is just a customary notation indicating the "ftp" is actually the
root directory for anonymous ftp.  You don't actually include it as part
of the path when using cd (chdir).  Note also that the trailing "/" is
optional.

19) Date format used on this server
In general, dates that appear in filenames are in the traditional US order:
month, day, year.  Ex: 080494 and 8/4/94 both mean August 8th, 1994.
Exceptions: there may be a few files here and there with day, month, year
order (e.g. in the text of non-EFF articles), and there may also be a few
files with the canonical unix date format (year, month, day: 940804) in them.
These are pretty uncommon, though.

20) File indexes
Indexes of our file areas are available in files with names of the pattern
00-INDEX.<directory_name>, where <directory_name> is the name of the
current directory, a reasonable abbreviation thereof, or .TXT in a few
cases (mainly old indexes that haven't been updated.)  These indexes
include descriptions, though most are not complete yet, and even when
fairly complete, they may not be updated the instant new files arrive (all
of this takes time, and that's a scarce resource here.  If you'd care to
volunteer to help us with our site indexing, please email [e-mail]).

A file listing of the entire ftp site is available at
/00-master_filelist.Z.  This is just a directory-by-directory listing of
file names and file sizes; it does not include descriptions.

21) HTML (WWW) links to other sites
In many directories on this site, you will find 00-links*.html files.
These are World Wide Web HTML hypertext documents, and if you are using
a smart gopher client or a WWW browser to view this archive, you can select
this file to get a menu of other resources related to the subject of the
current directory.  If you see more than one 00-links*.html file, select
00-links.html - the rest are submenus of the main menu in 00-links.html.

NOTE: This feature does NOT work for normal ftp users, only for those
using a smart gopher (e.g. the unix gopher client, but not Mac TurboGopher),
or a WWW client like lynx, Mosaic, Cello, or MacWeb.  For gopher users,
the gopher actually shells out to lynx to perform the www applications.
This is why it doesn't work for ftp or dumb-gopher users.  If you are
using gopher, and enter one of these items and wish to get out, just hit Q
to <Q>uit, and you'll be back in gopher.

22) "Can I get these files by any other method?"
YES.  Our ftp site, our gopher site, and a portion of our WWW site are all
the same thing.  They point to the exact same files.  To get any
particular file, say ftp.eff.org /pub/EFF/about.eff, via gopher, just replace
ftp.eff.org with gopher.eff.org, and replace /pub/ with 1/ in the path.
Note that gopher just goes to directories in the path, not the file name, so
leave the filename off, then when you get into the directory, select the file
manually. For instructions on how to specificy a path name to your gopher
client, please see your documentation.  All gopher clients work a little
differently.  To get the file via WWW, replace ftp.eff.org with
http://www.eff.org and make a URL-format address/path out of it (e.g.
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/about.eff - the only difference is the site name
change, and attaching the path to the end of the site name so it's all one
statement.)

Many of our files are also available from our BBS, "Outpost - EFF Online",
[phone] - 8N1; 300-14400bps (baud), V.32bis, V.42bis; 16800bps ZyXEL
[phone] - 8N1; 300-14400bps, V.32bis, V.42bis
If you wish to login anonymously, you can do so by logining in as ANONYMOUS
password GUEST.  Anon access is limited, but you can download any of the
files (limitations apply primarily to message areas).

23) "What do I do if I can't get directory listings and have other probs?"
If you can't get directory listings except in the top levels, the display
looks messed up, automatic messages don't display correctly, you have
trouble getting files, etc. (especially if you are using HyperFTP), try
logging in with a - before your "password" (email address).  Example:
Password: [e-mail]

24) A hint for Delphi ftp users
Please remember that the Delphi ftp client requires you to enclose
case-sensitive directory and file names in "quotes" like that.


  -- Stanton McCandlish <[e-mail]> EFF Online Activist/Archivist
     Dan Brown <[e-mail]>  EFF Systems Administrator