Subject: questions about PASV mode

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 16:35:58 -0500 (EST)

Folks,
Is there a way to disable the use of PASV mode in WU 2.4 so that who
ever is requesting it will use standard mode. Also if you can't
disable it, can you limit the ports that are returned in the
handshake so that from a security standpoint/firewall you have
smaller window of open ports. This is from the point of view of the
ftp server being behind a firewall and the clients in the general
internet population.

Thanks
Doug

-- 
Doug Courtney
[email-masked]
(908)949-3597

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From: "Karl O. Pinc" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 15:59:09 -0600

>ftp server being behind a firewall and the clients in the general

If you do this, you will find that common ftp clients -- like netscape --
cannot connect to your server.  It's an ulgy fact of life with an RFC to
document it, I think something in the 1500's.  This RFC proposes that all
clients use PASV mode, in violation of the RFC which defines the ftp
protocol.  I'm pretty much resigned to it.

The solution is probably to use gopher instead of ftp -- although I seem to
recall the RFC proposes gopher do this too.  I'm blurry about this because
I thought that gopher used only one connection, which is why I say that
gopher is the solution.

Karl

May the Legos (TM) always be swept from your path in the night.