Roadmap96: MAP16 - FTP File Compression
| RM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 -B 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 XT XT 26 XT 27 |
MAP16: FTP FILE COMPRESSION
"Travel is glamorous only in
retrospect."
-- Paul Theroux, quoted in The Observer
Own a personal computer for any amount of time and you will quickly realize that the amount of storage space on your computer is limited. One way to deal with this problem is to use a compression software program that "squishes" your unused computer programs, thus freeing up a little more of your disk space for other programs.
It turns out that storage space problems are not limited solely to personal computers. As the number of files that are available through FTP increases daily, FTP sites are actively looking for ways to squeeze more files into a limited amount of space. The FTP sites usually accomplish this by using file compression.
The good news is that a compressed file takes up a lot less space on the FTP site's computer. The bad news is that a compressed file is absolutely useless until you uncompress (or "decompress") it.
Wait ... it gets worse. Before you can uncompress a file, you have to know what compression method was used to compress the file in the first place. Unfortunately, there is no one standard FTP file compression method; there are HUNDREDS of different file compression methods in use today. :(
If you have to know what compression method was used before you can uncompress a file, how are you ever going to figure out which method was used? Well, it is actually pretty easy:
- Most FTP directories have a READ.ME file (or README, README.TXT, README-uploads, etc.) that shows an index of all the files that are in that directory. Some really nice FTP sites have expanded READ.ME files that mention what compression method was used and where you can get a free copy of the software needed to uncompress the files.
- Look at the files' extensions. By looking at the extensions and comparing them to the chart below, you will be able to determine what compression method was used and what particular software is needed to uncompress the file.
Fortunately, most uncompression software is either public domain (meaning that it is completely free) or shareware (meaning that you can get a copy of it for free, but the author expects you to send him or her some money for the program if you decide to keep it and use it). Best of all, most uncompression software is available through FTP! :)
The list below shows some of the most popular extensions that you are bound to encounter during your visits to FTP sites around the world. It also shows transfer modes needed to retrieve files with these extensions, what uncompress software package you need to uncompress the files after you retrieve them, and it even gives some additional comments about each of the extensions.
Paraphrasing something I said in MAP01, I want you to be aware that the one compression method that is not listed below is going to be the one compression package that you ADORE. Please do not take this personally. There are literally HUNDREDS of compression methods in use today and there is no way that I can list all of them.
SUGGESTION: Save the following list, and use it as a reference tool when you encounter an extension that you have never seen before. Also, please notice that the following list talks about "archie". Archie is an FTP search tool that we will discuss tomorrow.
The following list was adapted, with permission, from "The EFF's Guide to the Internet."
FILE TRANSFER UNCOMPRESS
EXTENSION MODE PACKAGE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
------------ ------ ---------- -------------------
.txt or .TXT ASCII By itself, this means the file is
a document rather than a program,
and does not need to be
uncompressed.
.ps or .PS ASCII A PostScript document (in Adobe's
page description language). You
can print this file on any
PostScript-capable printer or use
a previewer, like the GNU
project's GhostScript.
.doc or .DOC ASCII Another common extension for text
documents. Be careful, though:
.doc and .DOC extensions are also
sometimes used for Microsoft Word
documents (which are Binary
files). The duck theory will
help you determine the
difference. No decompression is
needed, unless it is followed by:
.Z Binary uncompress This indicates a Unix compression
method. After you download the
file, you can uncompress it by
typing
uncompress filename.Z
and pressing ENTER on your host
system's command line. "u16.zip"
is an MS-DOS program that will
let you download .Z files and
uncompress them on your own
computer. The Macintosh
equivalent program is called
MacCompress (use "Archie" to find
these).
.zip or .ZIP Binary PKZip or This indicates the file has been
Zip/Unzip compressed with a common MS-DOS
compression program, known as
PKZIP (use "Archie" to find
PKZIP204G.EXE or later). Many
Unix systems will let you un-ZIP
a file with a program called
"unzip".
.gz Binary gunzip A Unix version of ZIP. To
uncompress, type
gunzip filename.gz
on your host system's command
line.
.zoo or .ZOO Binary zoo A Unix and MS-DOS compression
format. Use a program called
"zoo" to uncompress.
.shar or .Shar Binary unshar Another Unix format. Use
"unshar" to uncompress.
.tar Binary tar Another Unix format, often used
to compress several related files
into one large file. All Unix
systems will have a program
called "tar" for "un-tarring"
such files. Often, a "tarred"
file will also be compressed with
the "gz" (.tar.gz or .tgz)
method, so you first have to use
"uncompress" and then "tar".
.sit or .Sit Binary StuffIt A Macintosh format that requires
the StuffIt program.
.sea or .SEA Binary none A Macintosh format that is a
self-extracting archive. No
decompression program is needed.
.bin or .BIN Binary MacBinary+ A Macintosh format that requires
MacBinary+ to uncompress.
.ARC Binary ARC or Another MS-DOS format, which
ARCE requires the use of the ARC
or ARCE programs.
.LHZ Binary LHARC Another MS-DOS format; requires
the use of LHARC.
There are a few last words of caution from our friends at the EFF:
Check the size of a file before you get it. The Net moves data at phenomenal rates of speed. But that 500,000-byte file that gets transferred to your host system in a few seconds could take more than an hour or two to download to your computer if you're using a 2400-baud modem. Your host system may also have limits on the amount of bytes you can store on-line at any one time.
Also, although it is really extremely unlikely you will ever get a file infected with a virus, if you plan to do much downloading over the Net, you'd be wise to invest in a good anti-viral program, just in case. (1)
Also, if you are a PC user, you'll want to avoid downloading files with extensions like ".sit" or ".hqx". Those are Macintosh files that probably will not run on your PC.
FTPMAIL AND BINARY FILES
In MAP15, I showed you that it is possible to get FTP files using e-mail by sending an e-mail letter to an FTPmail server with the following commands in the body of your e-mail letter
reply <your Internet address>
connect <FTP site address>
<transfer mode>
chdir <directory>
get <filename>
quit
Before I introduce you to the new stuff, there are a couple of things that I want to review with you.
First, the
reply <your Internet address>
command tells the FTPmail address where you want the file sent. If you use the example that I gave you yesterday
reply [email protected] connect rs.internic.net ascii chdir /internic/faq get roadmap.faq quit
without changing the "reply" address, FTPmail is going to send the file to *ME*, not to you. Please remember to change the "reply" line to include *YOUR* Internet e-mail address.
Also, I did not mention this yesterday but FTPmail limits you to only one CHDIR command per letter. Finally, yesterday I asked you to contact your local Internet Service Provider to see if they place any size limits on file transfers. If they do, there is an additional command that you need to add to your list of commands
chunksize <size>
This command will break the files into chunks that your system can handle. If your system has a 50,000-character limit on messages from the Internet, your chunksize command should be
chunksize 49000
(you want to make sure that you set your chunksize smaller than what your system's limits are). This command will break your file into 49,000-character chunks and will then send the chunks to you.
You already know how to retrieve ASCII files using FTPmail. Today, I am going to show you how to retrieve Binary files using FTPmail.
Binary file transfers using FTPmail are not difficult ... they just require a few additional steps. Because all e-mail has to be in ASCII form, FTPmail has to encode your Binary file into ASCII before it can e-mail the file to you. Once you get the file, you can then decode the file back into Binary.
Fortunately, there are two ways that FTPmail can encode Binary files into ASCII. The first way it can do this is through something called "uuencode." As long as you have a "uudecode" program -- and "uudecode" programs are all over the place (chances are your site has "uudecode" stored on its system) -- the whole process is simple. The second encoding type that you can use is called "btoa" (Binary to ASCII). Your local Internet Service Provider will be able to tell you a little more about "btoa".
So, to get ASCII files using FTPmail, you would use the following commands in the body of your letter to the FTPmail address:
reply <your Internet address>
connect <FTP site address>
ascii
chdir <directory>
chunksize <size>
get <filename>
quit
and to get Binary files using FTPmail, you would use the following commands in the body of your letter to the FTPmail address:
reply <your Internet address>
connect <FTP site address>
<uuencode or btoa>
chdir <directory>
binary
chunksize <size>
get <filename>
quit
HOMEWORK
Take a break. You have earned it. :)
SOURCES
(1) "The EFF's Guide to the Internet." Reprinted by permission.
Start Lesson Seventeen | Go to the Roadmap96 Syllabus | Go to the Roadmap96 Homepage
Originally written by Patrick Douglas Crispen
Find a programming school near you