UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I am using VSFTPD on amazon web services and have a remote service that uploads files to server via FTP. The files comes through fine and when I log in via FTP client I see them. The problem is the files are supposed to be moved once uploaded but the files are not visible via command line thus the mv command doesn't work. I tried numerous variations of ls (various arguments) and although I get the correct directory count but nothing shows any of the files. I tried as root, I tried as the ftp user, I changed file permissions to 777 via FTP client...nothing works. This is entirely bizzare.

This is on Ubuntu btw.

You have several possibilities

1. the directory you are ftp-ing into does not allow the process to write files, example you have the nobody account as the ftp user.

2. the files are not going where you think they are going - try using the find command

3. the ftp code you wrote has an error -example: one of the env variables is null.

4. You log on as anonymous, and the files went some really strange place.

There are loads more possibilities. You have to work backwards to fix the problem:

Start by using find to locate one of the files. You need a defiinite name so you don't have to look at partial matches. Assume one of the file names is "download.txt"

Code:

find / -type f -name download.txt -exec ls {} \; 2>/dev/null

Yep..that was the error. I thought it was going to /home/ubuntu/downloads but it turns out it was going to /home/ubuntu/home/ubuntu/downloads
The FTP client put me in /home/ubuntu and I couldn't go up so I thought I was navigating from / but I was instead going from /home/ubuntu/

Thanks.