NAME

ftpd - FTP daemon that runs on the Sun MediaCenter. Enables use of standard ftp commands for moving content.

SYNOPSIS

ftp [-dgintv] [hostname]

AVAILABILITY

Available with the Sun MediaCenter server software. On a Sun MediaCenter server, this binary replaces the ftpd that is shipped with Solaris.

DESCRIPTION

ftpd is the FTP daemon shipped with the Sun MediaCenter server. It supports all standard ftp commands, plus commands (of the same names as standard commands) that support the movement of video content between a local file system and the Media File System (MFS) on a Sun MediaCenter server. This means that you can load content onto a Sun MediaCenter server from any platform that has an FTP-protocol-conformant ftp client.

Note: The FTP daemon described here is a superset of the standard FTP daemon. Thus, this man page supplements the ftpd (1M) man page that is shipped with Solaris.

The video-file functions of the FTP daemon are invoked with the keyword smc: For example, you enter a command such as the following to obtain a listing of all titles on a Sun MediaCenter server:

ftp> ls smc:title=\*

Note that you must use a backslash (\) to escape the asterisk.

OPTIONS

See the ftp (1) man page for a description of that program's options. The Sun MediaCenter FTP daemon supports all of the standard ftp options, on all platforms.

VIDEO FILE ATTRIBUTES

Video content is stored on the Sun MediaCenter server in data and index files that collectively make up a title. A title is identified by a string of the format:

smc:attr_name=value, [attr_name=value] ...

A fully-qualified title identifier has the form:

smc:name=name,speed=speed,type= [data|index],rate=rate,format=format

Title attributes are described as follows:

name

Name of the movie or video clip. There is no default value.

speed

Refers to the speed and play direction of the title's bit stream, as compared to normal-play, forward direction. The default is 1000, meaning normal play speed, forward direction.

type

"Data" or "index". A data file contains an MPEG bit stream. An index file identifies splice points within a bit stream. The default is "data".

rate

Rate at which the file containing the video bit stream was encoded, expressed in bits per second. Applies only to data files, not index files. There is no default value.

format

Format of the bit stream. Can be either MPEGTS or MPEG1SYS. Other stream formats are supported by the server, but not by the FTP daemon. Note that for MPEGTS-format titles, the FTP daemon automatically generates index files for titles that contain trick play streams.

FTP COMMANDS

Listed below are the ftp commands for video files supported by the Sun MediaCenter FTP daemon. These commands accept video file attributes as arguments. Some use only a name; others require a name plus other attributes.

FTP allows the use of the asterisk (* )wildcard character in specifying filenames. You must use a backslash (\) to escape the asterisk. (Some PC-based implementations of FTP clients do not require a backslash.) For video files, the asterisk stands for "all video files," including both data and index files.

The video-file commands have the same semantics as the Solaris implementation of the ftp commands.

The example commands assume that the user has successfully established an FTP connection with a Sun MediaCenter server.

You should always use binary mode when transferring video files.

delete

ftp> del smc:title=title_name

dir

ftp> dir smc:title=title_name

get

ftp> get smc:title=title_name,speed=speed,type=[data|index] path_to_local_file

For get, you should specify, in addition to name, the speed and type attributes. If you do not specify speed and type, they take default values, which might not be appropriate for your title. The rate and format attributes are recommended, especially if you might later need to put files back on a Sun MediaCenter server. For example, if you use get to backup titles, specify rate and format so that, if you ever need to restore titles (using put), the values for those attributes will be available.

ls
        ftp> ls smc:title=title_name
mget
        ftp> mget smc:title=\* path_to_local_file
mls

ftp> mls smc:title=title_name [smc:title=title_name]... output_file

For output file, you can use a hyphen (-) to indicate stdout.

mput

ftp> mput local_files

For mput, local_files must have the same format as used for the destination argument for put. See the following command.

put

ftp> put local_file smc:title=title_name,speed=speed,\

type= [data|index],rate=rate,format=format

If you do not specify speed and type attributes for put, the default values are used. You must specify the rate and format attributes for this command.

rename

ftp> rename smc:title=title_name

rename accepts only a name attribute. You are prompted for a new name after entering the command.

EXAMPLES

All examples assume a successful FTP connection with a Sun MediaCenter server.

ftp> dir smc:

ftp> ls smc:title=\*

The two preceding commands return a list of the titles stored on the server, with their attributes.

ftp> get smc:title=bambi,speed=1000,type=data,rate=3000000 \ /home/backup/bambi.data

The preceding command copies the title "Bambi", with relevant attributes, to a file in the local file system.

ftp> put /home/backup/batman.data \

smc:title=bambi,speed=1000,type=data,rate=3000000,format=MPEG1SYS

The preceding command copies the data file for "Bambi" from a local file system to a Sun MediaCenter server.

The following sequence might be used to backup and restore video files on a Sun MediaCenter server:

1. Establish FTP connection to Sun MediaCenter server:

   # ftp server_name

Logon as root.

2. Check on titles:

ftp> ls smc:title=\*

smc:title=bambi,format=MPEGTS,speed=1000,type=data,rate=3072000

3. Use output from previous command to backup titles:

   ftp> get smc:title=bambi,format=MPEGTS,speed=1000,type=data,rate=3072000 \ /home/backup/bambi.vid

You might also use: mget smc:title=\*

ftp> put /home/backup/bambi.vid \

smc:title=bambi,format=MPEGTS,rate=3072000

In the preceding command, note that the speed and type attributes are not specified. Speed defaults to 1000 and type defaults to data, which are appropriate choices for this example. Also note that format and rate are specified, which is a requirement for a put command.

SEE ALSO

The Sun MediaCenter Administrator's Guide

smc_copy (1), smc_tar (1), smc_ls (1), smc_rm (1)