MGET to an IBM Host FTP Server Returns Garbage Characters (164542)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q164542 SYMPTOMS
When you use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) utility MGET command to an
IBM Host FTP server, the server may return garbage characters when the mode
is set to Image (Binary). For example, here is a sample of the output you
may receive:
ftp> bin
200 Representation type is Image
ftp> mget txt*
mget ptpnptp=ptp=ptp(? Y
Error opening local file ptpnptp=ptp=ptp(
ptpnptp=ptp=ptp(:Invalid argument
ftp>
CAUSE
IBM Host (mainframe or mini-computer(S/38 or AS/400)) uses EBCDIC (Extended
Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code) as the character representation
scheme. Personal computers use ASCII. EBCDIC is an 8-bit code while ASCII
is 7-bit.
When you set the mode to Image mode and send the MGET command as in the
previous example, the NLST command is sent to the IBM Host FTP server in
binary format. The IBM Host FTP server has no way of knowing if the client
making the request is an ASCII or EBCDIC client. It returns the list of
files in its default encoding scheme, which is EBCDIC. This causes the
problem because personal computers do not understand EBCDIC.
RESOLUTION
Apply the hotfix mention in this article.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT versions 3.51
and 4.0.
This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 U.S. Service
Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 8/8/2001 |
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| Keywords: | kbbug kbnetwork KB164542 |
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