Last Updated on November 21, 2016 by Dave Farquhar
I found this question on the Sys Admin magazine forum:
Can I create a batch file (or something else) to allow me to execute my file transfer from a Tru64 UNIX to a NT without having to type each command? This is what I’m doing now to transfer a recompiled data base from UNIX to NT: At the NT machine:
C:> cd\sandgis
sandgis> erase *.*
are you sure? Y
sandgis> ftp 000.00.000.0
name: *******
passwd: ********
ftp> cd /data/sandgis
ftp> prompt off
ftp> bin
ftp> mget *.*
ftp> cd /apps/sandcauv
ftp> mget par*.*
ftp> quit
sandgis> cd info
sandgis\info> erase *.*
are you sure? Y
sandgis\info> ftp 000.00.000.0
name: ****
passwd: *****
ftp> cd /data/sandgis/info
ftp> bin
ftp> prompt off
ftp> mget *.*
ftp >quit
(this is half of it)
Well, you get the idea… I can get a batch file to work until it goes into FTP, then it stops. Since I’ve got to do this on five NT machines twice a week and the total files size is near half a gig., this is very time consuming.
And here’s the response I submitted:
Put your pre-FTP commands in a batch file, as it sounds like you already have, then add the -s:[textfile] parameter to your FTP statements containing FTP commands, e.g. ftp -s:ftp1.txt 000.00.000.0.
The contents of ftp1.txt, based on your example:
name
password
prompt off
bin
mget *.*
cd /apps/sandcauv
mget par*.*
quit
Anything you put in a file specified by the -s parameter gets fed to your FTP client.
So, you’ll need a batch file, plus a text file for each FTP session, which could turn into a real mess of files, but it’s a whole lot better than typing all that garbage twice a week.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.