From: barmar@alum.mit.edu   
      
   In article ,   
    Jorgen Grahn  wrote:   
      
   > On Thu, 21 May 2009 18:05:18 +0200, pk  wrote:   
   > > On Thursday 21 May 2009 17:36, Bill wrote:   
   > ...   
   > >> Also I am interested in FTP file transfer over Ethernet (TCP/IP). Can   
   > >> someone please point me to some documentation or books or your personal   
   > >> comments on "How exactly a file (binary) is fragmented at the sender end   
   > >> and recovered at the receiver end?".   
   > >   
   > > It isn't. FTP uses TCP, which treats data (from the application point of   
   > > view, at least) as a single stream.   
   >   
   > You're right in principle of course, but doesn't FTP have some special   
   > oddity so that it (at least optionally) "fragments" the file in the   
   > FTP protocol itself?   
      
   Yes, there's a block-mode transfer option, which allows you to specify   
   particular blocks to transfer.  This is useful to be able to start a   
   transfer in the middle of the file, usually to resume a transfer that   
   was interrupted earlier.   
      
   > I think file transfer over HTTP would be a better first example for   
   > Bill.  FTP is so old and strange.   
      
   True, although HTTP has some esoteric options, like chunked mode.   
      
   FTP's age has an advantage, though.  I think TCP/IP Illustrated has   
   chapters that illustrate it, but I don't recall if it talked much about   
   HTTP (it was still relatively new at the time it was written).   
      
   --   
   Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu   
   Arlington, MA   
   *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***   
      
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