TNFTPD(8) BSD System Manager's Manual TNFTPD(8)
NAME
tnftpd -- Internet File Transfer Protocol server
SYNOPSIS
tnftpd [-46DdHkKlnQqrsUuWwXzZ] [-a anondir] [-C user[@host]] [-c confdir] [-e emailaddr] [-h hostname] [-L xferlogfile] [-P dataport]
[-V version]
DESCRIPTION
tnftpd is the Internet File Transfer Protocol server process. The server uses the TCP protocol and listens at the port specified in the
``ftp'' service specification; see services(5).
Available options:
-4 When -D is specified, bind to IPv4 addresses only.
-6 When -D is specified, bind to IPv6 addresses only.
-a anondir
Define anondir as the directory to chroot(2) into for anonymous logins. Default is the home directory for the ftp user. This can
also be specified with the ftpd.conf(5) chroot directive.
-C user[@host]
Check whether user (as if connecting from host, if provided) would be granted access under the restrictions given in ftpusers(5), and
exit without attempting a connection. tnftpd exits with an exit code of 0 if access would be granted, or 1 otherwise. This can be
useful for testing configurations.
-c confdir
Change the root directory of the configuration files from ``/private/etc'' to confdir. This changes the directory for the following
files: /private/etc/ftpchroot, /private/etc/ftpusers, /private/etc/ftpwelcome, /private/etc/motd, and the file specified by the
ftpd.conf(5) limit directive.
-D Run as daemon. tnftpd will listen on the default FTP port for incoming connections and fork a child for each connection. This is
lower overhead than starting tnftpd from inetd(8) and thus might be useful on busy servers to reduce load.
-d Debugging information is written to the syslog using a facility of LOG_FTP.
-e emailaddr
Use emailaddr for the ``%E'' escape sequence (see Display file escape sequences)
-H Equivalent to ``-h `hostname`''.
-h hostname
Explicitly set the hostname to advertise as to hostname. The default is the hostname associated with the IP address that tnftpd is
listening on. This ability (with or without -h), in conjunction with -c confdir, is useful when configuring 'virtual' FTP servers,
each listening on separate addresses as separate names. Refer to inetd.conf(5) for more information on starting services to listen
on specific IP addresses.
-k Allow use of the CCC command.
-K Require authenticated credentials.
-L xferlogfile
Log wu-ftpd style 'xferlog' entries to xferlogfile.
-l Each successful and failed FTP session is logged using syslog with a facility of LOG_FTP. If this option is specified more than
once, the retrieve (get), store (put), append, delete, make directory, remove directory and rename operations and their file name
arguments are also logged.
-n Don't attempt translation of IP addresses to hostnames.
-P dataport
Use dataport as the data port, overriding the default of using the port one less that the port tnftpd is listening on.
-Q Disable the use of pid files for keeping track of the number of logged-in users per class. This may reduce the load on heavily
loaded FTP servers.
-q Enable the use of pid files for keeping track of the number of logged-in users per class. This is the default.
-r Permanently drop root privileges once the user is logged in. The use of this option may result in the server using a port other than
the (listening-port - 1) for PORT style commands, which is contrary to the RFC 959 specification, but in practice very few clients
rely upon this behaviour. See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS below for more details.
-s Require a secure authentication mechanism like Kerberos or S/Key to be used.
-U Don't log each concurrent FTP session to /var/run/utmp. This is the default.
-u Log each concurrent FTP session to /var/run/utmp, making them visible to commands such as who(1).
-V version
Use version as the version to advertise in the login banner and in the output of STAT and SYST instead of the default version infor-
mation. If version is empty or '-' then don't display any version information.
-W Don't log each FTP session to /var/log/wtmp.
-w Log each FTP session to /var/log/wtmp, making them visible to commands such as last(1). This is the default.
-X Log wu-ftpd style 'xferlog' entries to the syslog, prefixed with ``xferlog: '', using a facility of LOG_FTP. These syslog entries
can be converted to a wu-ftpd style xferlog file suitable for input into a third-party log analysis tool with a command similar to:
sed -ne 's/^.*xferlog: //p' /var/log/xferlog > wuxferlog
-z Require authorization.
-Z Require authentication.
The file /etc/nologin can be used to disable FTP access. If the file exists, tnftpd displays it and exits. If the file
/private/etc/ftpwelcome exists, tnftpd prints it before issuing the ``ready'' message. If the file /private/etc/motd exists (under the
chroot directory if applicable), tnftpd prints it after a successful login. This may be changed with the ftpd.conf(5) directive motd.
The tnftpd server currently supports the following FTP requests. The case of the requests is ignored.
Request Description
ABOR abort previous command
ACCT specify account (ignored)
ADAT supply authentication data
ALLO allocate storage (vacuously)
APPE append to a file
AUTH select authentication paradigm
CCC force cleartext commands
CDUP change to parent of current working directory
CWD change working directory
DELE delete a file
ENC send privacy protected command
EPSV prepare for server-to-server transfer
EPRT specify data connection port
FEAT list extra features that are not defined in RFC 959
HELP give help information
LIST give list files in a directory (``ls -lA'')
LPSV prepare for server-to-server transfer
LPRT specify data connection port
MIC send integrity protected command
MLSD list contents of directory in a machine-processable form
MLST show a pathname in a machine-processable form
MKD make a directory
MDTM show last modification time of file
MODE specify data transfer mode
NLST give name list of files in directory
NOOP do nothing
OPTS define persistent options for a given command
PASS specify password
PASV prepare for server-to-server transfer
PBSZ set protection buffer size
PORT specify data connection port
PROT set data protection mode
PWD print the current working directory
QUIT terminate session
REST restart incomplete transfer
RETR retrieve a file
RMD remove a directory
RNFR specify rename-from file name
RNTO specify rename-to file name
SITE non-standard commands (see next section)
SIZE return size of file
STAT return status of server
STOR store a file
STOU store a file with a unique name
STRU specify data transfer structure
SYST show operating system type of server system
TYPE specify data transfer type
USER specify user name
XCUP change to parent of current working directory (deprecated)
XCWD change working directory (deprecated)
XMKD make a directory (deprecated)
XPWD print the current working directory (deprecated)
XRMD remove a directory (deprecated)
The following non-standard or UNIX specific commands are supported by the SITE request.
Request Description
CHMOD change mode of a file, e.g. ``SITE CHMOD 755 filename''
HELP give help information.
IDLE set idle-timer, e.g. ``SITE IDLE 60''
RATEGET set maximum get rate throttle in bytes/second, e.g. ``SITE RATEGET 5k''
RATEPUT set maximum put rate throttle in bytes/second, e.g. ``SITE RATEPUT 5k''
UMASK change umask, e.g. ``SITE UMASK 002''
The following FTP requests (as specified in RFC 959 and RFC 2228) are recognized, but are not implemented: ACCT, ADAT, AUTH, CCC, CONF, ENC,
MIC, PBSZ, PROT, REIN, and SMNT.
The tnftpd server will abort an active file transfer only when the ABOR command is preceded by a Telnet "Interrupt Process" (IP) signal and a
Telnet "Synch" signal in the command Telnet stream, as described in Internet RFC 959. If a STAT command is received during a data transfer,
preceded by a Telnet IP and Synch, transfer status will be returned.
tnftpd interprets file names according to the ``globbing'' conventions used by csh(1). This allows users to use the metacharacters
``*?[]{}~''.
User authentication
tnftpd authenticates users according to five rules.
1. The login name must be in the password data base, passwd(5), and not have a null password. In this case a password must be pro-
vided by the client before any file operations may be performed. If the user has an S/Key key, the response from a successful
USER command will include an S/Key challenge. The client may choose to respond with a PASS command giving either a standard pass-
word or an S/Key one-time password. The server will automatically determine which type of password it has been given and attempt
to authenticate accordingly. See skey(1) for more information on S/Key authentication. S/Key is a Trademark of Bellcore.
2. The login name must be allowed based on the information in ftpusers(5).
3. The user must have a standard shell returned by getusershell(3). If the user's shell field in the password database is empty, the
shell is assumed to be /bin/sh. As per shells(5), the user's shell must be listed with full path in /etc/shells.
4. If directed by the file ftpchroot(5) the session's root directory will be changed by chroot(2) to the directory specified in the
ftpd.conf(5) chroot directive (if set), or to the home directory of the user. This facility may also be triggered by enabling the
boolean ftp-chroot in login.conf(5). However, the user must still supply a password. This feature is intended as a compromise
between a fully anonymous account and a fully privileged account. The account should also be set up as for an anonymous account.
5. If the user name is ``anonymous'' or ``ftp'', an anonymous FTP account must be present in the password file (user ``ftp''). In
this case the user is allowed to log in by specifying any password (by convention an email address for the user should be used as
the password).
The server performs a chroot(2) to the directory specified in the ftpd.conf(5) chroot directive (if set), the -a anondir directory
(if set), or to the home directory of the ``ftp'' user.
The server then performs a chdir(2) to the directory specified in the ftpd.conf(5) homedir directive (if set), otherwise to /.
If other restrictions are required (such as disabling of certain commands and the setting of a specific umask), then appropriate
entries in ftpd.conf(5) are required.
If the first character of the password supplied by an anonymous user is ``-'', then the verbose messages displayed at login and
upon a CWD command are suppressed.
Display file escape sequences
When tnftpd displays various files back to the client (such as /private/etc/ftpwelcome and /private/etc/motd), various escape strings are
replaced with information pertinent to the current connection.
The supported escape strings are:
Escape Description
%c Class name.
%C Current working directory.
%E Email address given with -e.
%L Local hostname.
%M Maximum number of users for this class. Displays ``unlimited'' if there's no limit.
%N Current number of users for this class.
%R Remote hostname.
%s If the result of the most recent ``%M'' or ``%N'' was not ``1'', print an ``s''.
%S If the result of the most recent ``%M'' or ``%N'' was not ``1'', print an ``S''.
%T Current time.
%U User name.
%% A ``%'' character.
Setting up a restricted ftp subtree
In order that system security is not breached, it is recommended that the subtrees for the ``ftp'' and ``chroot'' accounts be constructed
with care, following these rules (replace ``ftp'' in the following directory names with the appropriate account name for 'chroot' users):
~ftp Make the home directory owned by ``root'' and unwritable by anyone.
~ftp/bin Make this directory owned by ``root'' and unwritable by anyone (mode 555). Generally any conversion commands should be
installed here (mode 111).
~ftp/etc Make this directory owned by ``root'' and unwritable by anyone (mode 555). The files pwd.db (see passwd(5)) and group
(see group(5)) must be present for the LIST command to be able to display owner and group names instead of numbers. The
password field in passwd(5) is not used, and should not contain real passwords. The file motd, if present, will be
printed after a successful login. These files should be mode 444.
~ftp/pub This directory and the subdirectories beneath it should be owned by the users and groups responsible for placing files
in them, and be writable only by them (mode 755 or 775). They should not be owned or writable by ftp or its group.
~ftp/incoming This directory is where anonymous users place files they upload. The owners should be the user ``ftp'' and an appropri-
ate group. Members of this group will be the only users with access to these files after they have been uploaded; these
should be people who know how to deal with them appropriately. If you wish anonymous FTP users to be able to see the
names of the files in this directory the permissions should be 770, otherwise they should be 370.
The following ftpd.conf(5) directives should be used:
modify guest off
umask guest 0707
upload guest on
This will result in anonymous users being able to upload files to this directory, but they will not be able to download
them, delete them, or overwrite them, due to the umask and disabling of the commands mentioned above.
~ftp/tmp This directory is used to create temporary files which contain the error messages generated by a conversion or LIST com-
mand. The owner should be the user ``ftp''. The permissions should be 300.
If you don't enable conversion commands, or don't want anonymous users uploading files here (see ~ftp/incoming above),
then don't create this directory. However, error messages from conversion or LIST commands won't be returned to the
user. (This is the traditional behaviour.) Note that the ftpd.conf(5) directive upload can be used to prevent users
uploading here.
To set up "ftp-only" accounts that provide only FTP, but no valid shell login, you can copy/link /sbin/nologin to /sbin/ftplogin, and enter
/sbin/ftplogin to /etc/shells to allow logging-in via FTP into the accounts, which must have /sbin/ftplogin as login shell.
FILES
/private/etc/ftpchroot List of normal users whose root directory should be changed via chroot(2).
/private/etc/ftpd.conf Configure file conversions and other settings.
/private/etc/ftpusers List of unwelcome/restricted users.
/private/etc/ftpwelcome Welcome notice before login.
/private/etc/motd Welcome notice after login.
/etc/nologin If it exists, displayed and access is refused.
/var/run/ftpd.pids-CLASS
State file of logged-in processes for the tnftpd class 'CLASS'.
/var/run/utmp List of logged-in users on the system.
/var/log/wtmp Login history database.
SEE ALSO
ftp(1), skey(1), who(1), getusershell(3), ftpchroot(5), ftpd.conf(5), ftpusers(5), login.conf(5), syslogd(8)
STANDARDS
tnftpd recognizes all commands in RFC 959, follows the guidelines in RFC 1123, recognizes all commands in RFC 2228 (although they are not
supported yet), and supports the extensions from RFC 2389, RFC 2428, and RFC 3659.
HISTORY
The tnftpd command appeared in 4.2BSD.
Various features such as the ftpd.conf(5) functionality, RFC 2389, and RFC 3659 support was implemented in NetBSD 1.3 and later releases by
Luke Mewburn.
BUGS
The server must run as the super-user to create sockets with privileged port numbers (i.e, those less than IPPORT_RESERVED, which is 1024).
If tnftpd is listening on a privileged port it maintains an effective user id of the logged in user, reverting to the super-user only when
binding addresses to privileged sockets. The -r option can be used to override this behaviour and force privileges to be permanently
revoked; see SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS below for more details.
tnftpd may have trouble handling connections from scoped IPv6 addresses, or IPv4 mapped addresses (IPv4 connection on AF_INET6 socket). For
the latter case, running two daemons, one for IPv4 and one for IPv6, will avoid the problem.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
RFC 959 provides no restrictions on the PORT command, and this can lead to security problems, as tnftpd can be fooled into connecting to any
service on any host. With the ``checkportcmd'' feature of the ftpd.conf(5), PORT commands with different host addresses, or TCP ports lower
than IPPORT_RESERVED will be rejected. This also prevents 'third-party proxy ftp' from working. Use of this option is strongly recommended,
and enabled by default.
By default tnftpd uses a port that is one less than the port it is listening on to communicate back to the client for the EPRT, LPRT, and
PORT commands, unless overridden with -P dataport. As the default port for tnftpd (21) is a privileged port below IPPORT_RESERVED, tnftpd
retains the ability to switch back to root privileges to bind these ports. In order to increase security by reducing the potential for a bug
in tnftpd providing a remote root compromise, tnftpd will permanently drop root privileges if one of the following is true:
1. tnftpd is running on a port greater than IPPORT_RESERVED and the user has logged in as a 'guest' or 'chroot' user.
2. tnftpd was invoked with -r.
Don't create ~ftp/tmp if you don't want anonymous users to upload files there. That directory is only necessary if you want to display the
error messages of conversion commands to the user. Note that if uploads are disabled with the ftpd.conf(5) directive upload, then this
directory cannot be abused by the user in this way, so it should be safe to create.
To avoid possible denial-of-service attacks, SIZE requests against files larger than 10240 bytes will be denied if the current transfer TYPE
is 'A' (ASCII).
BSD
May 1, 2009 BSD