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Newsgroups: alt.comp.fsp,alt.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!Q.icl.co.uk!dsbc!jura!pete
From: pete@sst.icl.co.uk (Pete Bevin)
Subject: FSP Frequently Asked Questions (Read This Before Posting!)
Message-ID: <fsp-faq_749182081@sst.icl.co.uk>
Followup-To: alt.comp.fsp
Summary: This posting contains a list of frequently asked questions
(and their answers) about the FSP protocol. Please read this
before you post to alt.comp.fsp.
Originator: pete@jura
Sender: news@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Usenet)
Supersedes: <fsp-faq_748577281@sst.icl.co.uk>
Nntp-Posting-Host: sst.icl.co.uk
Reply-To: pete@sst.icl.co.uk (Pete Bevin)
Organization: International Computers Ltd
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 02:08:04 GMT
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
Expires: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 02:08:01 GMT
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Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.comp.fsp:709 alt.answers:947 news.answers:12937
Archive-name: fsp-faq
Last-modified: 21st August 1993
Frequently Asked Questions about FSP
------------------------------------
- ** Please read this before posting to alt.comp.fsp. ***
##########################################################################
### IMPORTANT NOTICE: EVERYONE PLEASE READ THIS!
###
### Joseph Traub is no longer the FSP maintainer, and the site he
### maintained at seismo.soar.cs.cmu.edu no longer runs an FSP daemon.
### Please do NOT mail anyone at CMU about the FSP server -- the admins
### there have complained about the volume of unwanted mail.
###
### If you have questions about FSP, please mail one of the new
### maintainers -- see below for details.
##########################################################################
This is the answers to some of the frequently asked questions about FSP.
It is posted weekly to alt.comp.fsp, alt.answers and news.answers.
This article answers the following questions.
Section 1: Introduction and Help
Q1.1 What's alt.comp.fsp? What's FSP?
Q1.2 Where can I get FSP?
Q1.3 Help! I don't understand how to use FSP!
Q1.4 What are those funny "R" and "I" characters?
Q1.5 Why should I, as a site admin, run an FSP daemon?
Section 2: FSP software and resources
Q2.1 Where can I get an FTP-like interface for FSP?
Q2.2 Where can I get a graphical interface for FSP?
Q2.3 Where can I get hold of a list of sites?
Q2.4 Where can I get hold of hundreds of pictures of naked women
in compromising positions?
Section 3: Technical Issues
Q3.1 What are the main differences between FSP and FTP? How
does FSP work?
Q3.2 How secure/anonymous is FSP?
Q3.3 Why not add passwords to FSP?
Q3.4 So what *does* FSP stand for?
Section 4: Who's who in FSP?
Q4.1 Who wrote FSP?
Q4.2 Who helped put this FAQ together?
This FAQ is written and maintained by Pete Bevin (pete@sst.icl.co.uk)
with help from Phil Richards (pgr@sst.icl.co.uk).
If you have any comments, suggestion, or additions, send me (Pete) some mail.
Section 1: Introduction and Help
Q1.1: What's alt.comp.fsp? What's fsp?
Alt.comp.fsp is a Usenet newsgroup for discussing the FSP file
transmission protocol. It was created on Tuesday 4th May 1993
by Wen-King Su (wen-king@cs.caltech.edu) after there was no
objection on alt.config. Before the newsgroup, there was a
mailing list (fsp-discussion) for talking about FSP software
internals. This newsgroup is for discussion of both writing and
using the software.
FSP is a protocol, a bit like FTP (but see below), for moving
files around. It's designed for anonymous archives, and has
protection against server and network overloading. It doesn't
use connections, so it can survive things falling over.
Quote: `FSP is what anonymous FTP *should* be'.
Q1.2: Where can I get FSP from?
The `official' place for FSP distributions is ftp.germany.eu.net
(192.76.144.75), in the directory /pub/network/inet/fsp. It is
available both by FTP and FSP: the FSP server is on port 2001.
Another official site is taxus.uib.no (129.177.30.10), which
only runs an FSP server -- it's on port 9000. The directory
on taxus is /fspdist.
(Note: If you're using Unix, and you don't want to set up a
server, you will probably want to get one of the FTP-like clients
instead -- fspclient, fspcli, or fspsh -- from the same place).
The latest versions are:
Unix, VMS: fsp.271.tar.gz
OS/2: fsp2-03b.zip
MS-DOS: pcfsp104.zip
The Unix version is the `original', and was originally written by
Wen-King Su: Joseph Traub took over for a while, and Phil Richards
and Pete Bevin maintain it now. The same distribution contains
patches by Sven Pechler to make it run on VMS. Larkin Lowrey
wrote the OS/2 version, and Lindsey Smith wrote the MS-DOS
version. Email addresses are at the end.
(A note about .gz and .z files: they are compressed using GNU
gzip. Ask your local guru, or read the FAQ for comp.compression.)
There is no Mac version, and no VM version. If you want to get
famous, here's your chance to get on the FSP bandwagon :-)
Q1.3: Help! I don't understand how to use FSP!
If you're already familiar with FTP, you might want to use one
of the FTP-like clients instead, or even a graphical interface.
See the answers to questions 2.1 and 2.2 below for details of
how to get them.
The following tutorial is adapted from an article in
alt.comp.fsp by David DeSimone <fox@netcom.com>.
The original FSP seems to have been designed for use with csh
aliases, so if you use csh, try these aliases in your .cshrc:
# FSP aliases:
alias fcat '(set noglob; exec fcatcmd \!*)'
alias fcd 'setenv FSP_DIR `(set noglob; exec fcdcmd \!*)`'
alias fget '(set noglob; exec fgetcmd \!*)'
alias fgrab '(set noglob; exec fgrabcmd \!*)'
alias fls '(set noglob; exec flscmd -F \!*)'
alias fll '(set noglob; exec flscmd -l \!*)'
alias fpro '(set noglob; exec fprocmd \!*)'
alias fpwd 'echo "$FSP_HOST ($FSP_PORT): $FSP_DIR"'
alias frm '(set noglob; exec frmcmd \!*)'
alias frmdir '(set noglob; exec frmdircmd \!*)'
alias fhost 'set fsp_host=(\!*); source ~/bin/fhost; unset fsp_host'
The last alias, "fhost", is my own invention, and the ~/bin/fhost
file looks like this:
#!/bin/csh
#
# Since this script sets environment variables, it really needs
# to be source'd rather than executed. Thus the following alias
# should be used:
#
# alias fhost 'set fsp_host=(\!*); source ~/.bin/fhost; unset fsp_host'
#
if ( $#fsp_host > 0 ) then
setenv FSP_HOST $fsp_host[1]
if ( $#fsp_host > 1 ) then
setenv FSP_PORT $fsp_host[2]
else
setenv FSP_PORT 21
endif
if ( $#fsp_host > 2 ) then
setenv FSP_DIR $fsp_host[3]
else
setenv FSP_DIR /
endif
endif
if ( $?FSP_HOST ) then
echo "$FSP_HOST ($FSP_PORT): $FSP_DIR"
endif
This alias lets you "connect" to a host quickly and easily. For
instance, to start out I give the following command:
% fhost wuarchive.wustl.edu
wuarchive.wustl.edu (21): /
The "fhost" command tells me where I'm connected, on what port,
and in what directory.
Since all "fhost" does is set up some environemnt variables, we
aren't REALLY connected. To find out if the site is responding,
just do a quick "fls":
% fls
README etc/ mirrors2/ pub/
README.NFS graphics/ mirrors3/ systems/
bin/ info/ mirrors4/ techreports/
decus/ languages/ multimedia/ usenet/
doc/ lost+found/ packages/ vendorware/
edu/ mirrors/ private/
Looks like we're up and running! Navigating with FSP is now
just like using the local filesystem, except the commands have
"f" in front of them. For instance:
% fcd /systems/amiga/incoming
directory mode: (owner: some other machine)(delete: NO)(create: NO)
% fls
AT3D-Demo.bad devel/ utils/
AT3D-Demo.readme fish/ wb30/
AT3D.lha games/ z_newfiles_Jul01
Amiga.help gfx/ z_newfiles_Jul02
DAKDUNGN.LZH hardware/ z_newfiles_Jul03
DAKDUNGN.README imagine/ z_newfiles_Jul04
DP_Desc_June.run ls-lR.incoming z_newfiles_Jun25
README.UPLOADER ls-lR.incoming.Z z_newfiles_Jun26
TREE misc/ z_newfiles_Jun27
archive/ mods/ z_newfiles_Jun28
audio/ news/ z_newfiles_Jun29
cam_list.zoo patch/ z_newfiles_Jun30
comm/ programming/
demos/ text/
Other nice commands like "fcat filename" let me see what's out
there, or for larger files, "fcat filename | less" is very
effective.
Once I see a nice file that I want copied to my local system, I
just give the "fget filename" command and away it goes. Usually
I type "fget filename &" which throws the transfer request into
the background. Then I can immediately go off and "fcd" to some
other directory and look for more files to grab, "fcat"-ing the
README files and such.
Q1.4 What are those funny "R" and "I" characters?
When FSP doesn't get any response from the server, it keeps on
sending requests. The first time it retries, it prints an "R",
(meaning "Retry"), and the second, third, and subsequent times,
it prints an "I". You might also see an "E", which means "error":
FSP got a packet, but it was corrupted for some reason.
Fspclient does it slightly differently: it starts by printing
"r" and "R" characters, and then uses "-\|/" characters to draw
a spinning bar. As Phil Richards (the author) says, `I quite
often see spinning bars, but usually only after the fifth pint'.
Q1.5 Why should I, as a site admin, run an FSP daemon?
Because it's one more way people can access your site, and it
won't cost you much extra load on the machine. The FSP daemon
never forks, so it won't increase your load average by more than
one. FSP doesn't add much to the network load either, and you
can limit the amount of data the daemon will send out (eg, to
2.5k/sec).
FSP allows comprehensive logging, running off inetd, README
files per directory, banning on per-host or per-network basis,
reverse naming and read-only sites. The only thing anonymous
FTP gives that FSP doesn't is having the user type in an email
address, and of course, this can easily be faked. FSP logs give
the user's hostname, which is harder to fake.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2: FSP software and resources
Q2.1 Where can I get an FTP-like interface for FSP?
The interface I use is Phil Richards' (pgr@sst.icl.co.uk)
fspclient. The latest version (still pre-alpha, but more
reliable than your average beta release) is fspclient.0.0-h.
You can get it by FTP from ftp.robots.ox.ac.uk as
/pub/ox.src/fspclient.0.0-h+.tar.Z .
Another interface to use is Nicolai Langfeldt's 'fspcli'. It
has a ftp like interface and more. It is in the release
directory on ftp.germany, and it has also been posted on
alt.sources. Another nice thing about it is that it's a
small(ish) perl script rather than a large compiled executable,
and it's not alpha OR beta. Presently the latest version is 1.2
Ove Ruben R Olsen (Ruben@uib.no) has written a client quite
similar to Nicolai's, but even smaller. It is available in
the fspsh directory on taxus.uib.no/9000 (see below).
Note that if you want to use either of the last two clients,
you'll have to have the Perl language installed. You can get
the latest version by FTP from prep.ai.mit.edu in
/pub/gnu/perl*, or by FSP from wuarchive (see below) in
/mirrors/gnu/perl*.
Q2.2 Where can I get a graphical interface for FSP?
Andy Doherty <ssudoher@reading.ac.uk> has written an xview client
for the X Window System. It is available from ftp.germany as
`fsptool-1.3.1.tar.gz'. Like fspcli and fspshell, it acts as
an interface to the standard FSP shell commands, rather than
rewriting them itself.
Note that to use this package, you will need the xview libraries:
if you're using a Sun workstation, you're OK: otherwise, you
may have to get and compile them yourself.
If you're an OS/2 user, you can use the OS/2 client by Albert
Crosby <acrosby@uafhp.uark.edu>. It wraps around the OS/2
FSP software (see above), and also requires RexxMenu and RxU.
It can read a list of files in the standard FSP host listing
format, and uses RexxMenu's point-and-click interface.
Q2.3 Where can I get hold of a list of sites?
Dan Charrois <ae277@freenet.carleton.ca> maintains a list of FSP
servers, and you can get more information about it by sending a
message to "charro@ee.ualberta.ca" with the subject "fsp list" and
the word "help" on a line by itself in the body of the message.
You can get the latest list by saying "list" instead of "help".
The help message will tell you how to add new site information.
You are also encouraged to post site information to alt.comp.fsp,
and if you post in the format below, most people will be able
to slurp your list straight into their front-end programs.
There's an unofficial standard for the format, which you can
find on taxus in the file "fsplist.std".
In the meantime, here's a list to get you going.
128.52.46.11 21 alpha / # GNU Alpha releases
158.125.220.8 21 genie / # small UK site
192.76.144.75 2001 germany / # big German archive
fsp.luth.se 6969 luth / # Top of Europe
131.215.131.148 21 mosaic / # BSD386/Usenet
134.109.132.2 21 pyrrhus / # OS2, linux, simtel, etc.
146.169.2.1 21 src / # big UK site
129.177.30.10 9000 taxus / # fspadm, fsp-shell tools
131.155.140.128 21 terra / # big Netherlands site
18.172.1.2 21 tsx / # linux
fsp.warwick.ac.uk 21 warwick / # Computer Underground Digest
128.252.135.4 21 wu / # everything you ever wanted
Q2.4 Where can I get hold of hundreds of pictures of naked women in
compromising positions?
Don't ask me, I only edit the FAQ :-)
Seriously, FSP has a reputation of being for "crooks and
perverts". If you know any good sites carrying illegal
material, then do them a favour and keep them to yourself.
Posting them won't make you any friends.
If someone posts a list of sites, and you didn't want them to,
please don't publicly flame them. It doesn't endear you to
anyone. If you must put them right, send email. Thank you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3: Technical Issues
Q3.1 What are the main differences between FSP and FTP? How does FSP work?
From the user's point of view, the differences are not that
great, except that some of the more annoying features of FTP
are gone. Here are the main differences.
a. The protocol can stand things going down: if the
server or the network falls over in the middle of a
transfer, you can just wait until it comes back up.
You don't have to reconnect, and even better, if the
server went down 90% through grabbing a file, you can
continue from where you left off.
b. The protocol doesn't need a username or password.
You just throw packets at the server. You don't have
to identify yourself (though you're not completely
anonymous -- see below).
c. It's harder to kill off a site with an FSP server
than with an FTP server. The FSP daemon is designed to
be as lightweight as possible: it doesn't fork off any
sub-processes, and it takes steps to limit the amount
of traffic it handles.
d. The user interface is completely different. The
interface that comes with the package consists of
eleven commands that you can call from the shell. In
effect, your shell is providing all the nice functions
like command line editing. This makes the interface
much more versatile than FTP's. (See below for how to
get an FTP-like interface, though).
e. FSP is a bit slower than FTP. This is a feature,
not a bug. The point is to keep the communication
lightweight, and not to flood the net.
From the programmer's point of view, fsp is a complete rewrite.
a. Instead of TCP sockets, it uses datagrams to
communicate, so that the connection doesn't break on a
flaky line.
b. FTP works by opening a port, and then asking the
server to send a file to it. FSP uses the same port
all the time for communication, and asks for segments
of a file. So you can start off a transfer half way
through a file, if you really want to.
c. The server tries to make sure you don't ask for
packets too quickly. Each packet it sends out has a
random identification number, which the client must
return on the next request. (If the client loses the
number, it must wait a few seconds before the server
accepts another packet from it). Therefore, the client
has to wait for an answer to each request before it
sends out the next one.
Q3.2 How secure/anonymous is FSP?
By default, the FSP daemon keeps logs of transactions, along
with their site names. An FSP administrator could use this to
find out who you are, with a reasonable degree of certainty.
In short, FSP gives you no more privacy than anonymous FTP.
Anyone who tells you different has a less devious mind than most
FSP admins I know.
Why not make FSP more anonymous? Well, it's impossible to make
a protocol with complete anonymity, since at some point, the
remote site will have to send a file back to you, and it needs
at least an address to send it to.
If you really need privacy, you can encrypt any files you make
available, and only give out the decryption password to a select
few. But of course, you have to trust them to keep the password
safe.
Q3.3 Why not add passwords to FSP?
(Thanks to Joseph Traub for the material for this section)
1. They don't add much security. If you use one password for
the whole site, then you might just as well set up the site
and only tell a few people its port number. That's no more
or less secure than using a password. Besides, it's easier
just to set up the server only to respond to certain hosts.
2. Any other password system is likely to be a big lose on
efficiency, since you'll have to check every single packet.
3. The main use of server passwords appears to be so that people
can move pirated software around, and the authors don't want
to add code to support that.
To quote Joseph Traub, the ex-FSP maintainer:
If you really want to do passworded file transfer, grab
a copy of the ftpd source code (which is also on my
server) and modify it to a) use a higher port number
(Yes virginia, you CAN specify port numbers to most ftp
clients) and b) to read a file other than /etc/password
to look up user information.
This capability does NOT belong in FSP because it gets
away from the concept of lightweight simple file
transfers.
And to quote Phil Richards, one of the current FSP maintainers:
I agree.
Just for added emphasis, the other FSP maintainer adds:
Me too :-)
Q3.4 So what *does* FSP stand for?
As of 12th August 1993, FSP stands for `File Service Protocol'.
Thanks to mg@ac.duke.edu (Michael Grubb) for the words, and
Wen-King for the initials.
Other suggestions were:
File Slurping Protocol
Flaky Stream Protocol
FTP's Sexier Partner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 4: Who's Who?
Q4.1: Who writes and maintains FSP software?
Wen-King Su (wen-king@cs.caltech.edu) wrote the original Unix
version (versions 1.0 to 2.6.4).
Joseph Traub (was jtraub@cs.cmu.edu) was maintainer from Dec
1992 to July 1993 (versions 2.6.5 to 2.7.1).
The current maintainers are Phil Richards (pgr@sst.icl.co.uk)
and Pete Bevin (pete@sst.icl.co.uk). Phil is also the maintainer
of fspclient, an FTP-like interface for FSP.
Sven Pechler (S.A.Pechler@bdk.tue.nl) wrote and maintains a VMS
version. OS/2 is handled by Larkin Lowrey (llowrey@ucsd.edu),
and Lindsey Smith, of the MS-DOS rewrite is SMITH@fgs200.fgs.com.
Q4.2 Who helped put this FAQ together?
The following people have contributed to the FAQ. Thanks very
much to all of them.
Pete Bevin <pete@sst.icl.co.uk>
Tony Brannigan <tbrann@ox.ac.uk>
Maurizio Codogno <mau@beatles.cselt.stet.it>
David DeSimone <fox@netcom.com>
Ian Dickinson <vato@violet.csv.warwick.ac.uk>
Andy Doherty <ssudoher@reading.ac.uk>
Jan Nicolai Langfeldt <janl@ifi.uio.no>
Ove Ruben R Olsen <Ruben@uib.no>
Lutz Prechelt <prechelt@ira.uka.de>
Phil Richards <pgr@sst.icl.co.uk>
Lindsey Smith <SMITH@fgs200.fgs.com>
Wen-King Su <wen-king@cs.caltech.edu>
Joseph Traub <jtraub@cs.cmu.edu>