Can you find documentation regarding Windows ftp.exe and passive mode?

February 13, 2009 9:49 AM

The Windows ftp.exe command line program does not support passive mode. Can anyone point me to definitive documentation, preferably from Microsoft, that states this is true?

I know this is true from testing and network traces. You can, however, issue a QUOT PASV command, which returns a server response saying the server is now in passive mode. But, ftp.exe never then connects to the server, as it should in a passive session. I am having a hard time finding any documentation for this, and a lot of people on the internet seem to think that issuing the QUOT PASV command and getting a successful response means that you are now in passive mode. The successful response just means that the server has now been placed in passive mode, not the client. Please help me find this documentation to support this fact.

posted by Roger Dodger to computers & internet (3 comments total)

For reference: Active vs. Passive Explained
posted by Roger Dodger at 9:50 AM on February 13

First page of google results gives this Microsoft page which states "The FTP clients that ship with Windows do not support passive mode.".
posted by dmd at 10:00 AM on February 13

Thank you dmd. I don't know how I missed it. My search terms were pretty close, but without the quoted phrases.
posted by Roger Dodger at 10:09 AM on February 13