UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Probably the lamest question of them all I'm a web geek and I need to push a file to the server. Something is botched with my FTP account and everyone is off for the holidays, so I'm trying to put the file from a telnet session.

The trouble is, I haven't the foggiest idea about the proper syntax for the "put" command. How do I designate the path to the file on my local machine? I've already navigated to the directory on the server where the file needs to go.

I'm also pushing from the Mac OS X, if that is useful.

Thank you so much!

Melissa

Melissa, I am not a Mac user, but ftp is pretty standard. On a PC, I would:

change to the directory where my local file is
ftp <myserver>
(reply to username and password prompts)
cd <the remote source directory>
ascii (if it is an ascii file)
put myfile
bye

Optionally, instead of first changing to the local directory, you can get into ftp and do a "local change directory":

lcd <my local directory>

Good luck.

Well, ftp is meant to transfer files while telnet itself really isn't. You can see if you can use "kermit" or "zmodem" to transfer the file. Depending on the telnet client, you may be able to cut and paste into a text file (if that's what it is)...

Hope that helps at least a little.

u can use mput as well, like this:

mput myfile*

it will put myfile.out, myfile.txt and so on together

remember to enter "prompt"

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong but if all you have is Telnet, you don't have any real method by which to transfer a file. That's what ftp is for. If the file is small and you are using an emulator that will allow cut and past, maybe you can cut it from your machine, telnet to the remote machine and paste it there using a text editor.

Thanks everyone I got hold of the sys admin and he corrected my access so I was able to FTP file over with no worries.

Whew!