Subject: WU-FTPD-2.4.2-Beta5 configuration

From: Ken Chen <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 16:20:46 -0400 (EDT)

Hi folks,

I just tried my luck at compiling BETA 5 which, overall, was 
successful........ The FTPD behaves correctly except for one hitch.  It 
doesn't display any of the banners or messages specified in the ftpaccess 
file.

It's been a while since I compiled the previous version of wu-ftpd, but I 
recall that I had to make a few changes before compiling the 
application.  After digging through all the *.h files I finally figured 
it out that it was pathnames.h file that the variables are located.  This 
file also looks a little different from the previous 'real' release of 
the wu-ftpd sources.  I've modified the file to reflect my old 
pathnames.h, but the compiled daemons never recognize where my ftpaccess 
file is located...... or it's not reading the commands correctly.

Any thoughts?  In the past hour and a half, I must have recompiled the 
daemon 4 or 5 times each with a different pathnames.h file.....  Ugh!
Maybe I can live with these 'hanging' ftp sessions.......

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Ken

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From: "Michael E. Deisher" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 14:16:26 +0700

> successful........ The FTPD behaves correctly except for one hitch.
> It doesn't display any of the banners or messages specified in the
> ftpaccess file.

Here's your answer:

On Tue, 1 Aug 1995 10:40:07 -0500 (CDT), Michael Brennen <[email-masked]> said:

> On Tue, 1 Aug 1995, Michael E. Deisher wrote:
>> announcement of the beta version.  Has the syntax of the config
>> files changed???  Have these features been intentionally disabled
>> for some reason???
> Make sure the -a option is on the ftpd command line (in inetd.conf).
> I think the beta version disables using the ftpaccess file unless -a
> is used.  This may be important, because most of that stuff is
> called out in ftpaccess.

--Mike

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From: Ken Chen <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 23:45:57 -0400 (EDT)

First I'd like to thank everyone who helped me out on this one!

It actually turned out to be an oversight on my part.  The new ftpd
actually has a default of -A which ignores the ftpaccess file.  To 
reverse this, simply add the -a option to the command line in your 
inetd.conf.  This was plainly stated in the NOTES file included with the 
package.

The more I think about this, the more I tend to think it shouldn't be the 
default.  I don't know about everyone else, but security and 
ease/flexibility of configuratoin were the main reasons for me switching 
to wu-ftpd.  For a new wu-ftpd admin this default would definitely drive 
me up the wall...... as if ftpaccess wasn't difficult enough to figure 
out the first go around.

Oh well, everything is fine and dandy.  All my hard work in setting up 
nice banner messages are back.  Also teaches me not to skim through 
documentation in the future!

Thanks, again for all the help!
Ken

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From: [email-masked] (Ma Bell)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 08:25:58 -0400 (EDT)

> me up the wall...... as if ftpaccess wasn't difficult enough to figure 

You wanted less security?

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From: Ken Chen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 09:36:44 -0400 (EDT)

> You wanted less security?

No, that's the last thing I want.
  
I was merely pointing out the default not to read the ftpaccess file in
the new package.  Without the FTPACCESS file you lose a lot of wu-ftpd's
configurability.  Which was one of the reasons I decided to switch to 
wu-ftpd in the first place.   

If I wanted less security, I would have stuck with the vendor's original
ftp daemon along with saving myself the trouble of installing
tcp_wrappers....... 

Ken