File Integrity Checking

CuteFTP Server supports a few built-in custom commands to provide extended capabilities its client counterpart, CuteFTP. However other FTP clients can also access these custom commands.

One of these proprietary commands is XCRC.

This feature is useful for mission critical data transfers. Although TCP/IP checks that all packets are received, malformed packets or other mishaps can occur, leading the FTP client to believe that a transfer was successful when it was not.

The File Integrity Checking command is defined as “XCRC”. Once a client performs a transfer, it can request for the server to do a checksum calculation on the file. If it matches the checksum on the client, then the transfer is deemed successful.

Like the COMB custom command, XCRC is a proprietary command and is not defined nor endorsed by any FTP related RFC. Competing servers who wish to implement this command may do so using the syntax described below.

 

XCRC <File Name>

XCRC <File Name>, <EP>

XCRC <File Name>, <SP>, <EP>

 

SP = Starting Point in bytes (from where to start CRC calculating)

EP = Ending Point in bytes (where to stop CRC calculating)

 

Example from an FTP client log:

COMMAND:>      XCRC "/Program Files/MSN Gaming Zone/Windows/chkrzm.exe" 0 42575

 

Server replies:

250 <XCRC>. (returns calculated CRC value)

450 Requested file action not taken. (File is busy)

550 Requested action not taken. (File not found, no read permission, SP or EP not correct).

 

 

Related Topics

Create a custom command

Multi-Part Uploads (COMB custom command)