RFC 1068 (rfc1068) - Page 1 of 27
Background File Transfer Program (BFTP)
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group A. DeSchon
Request for Comments: 1068 R. Braden
ISI
August 1988
Background File Transfer Program (BFTP)
Status of This Memo
This memo describes an Internet background file transfer service that
is built upon the third-party transfer model of FTP. No new
protocols are involved. The purpose of this memo is to stimulate
discussion on new Internet service modes. Distribution of this memo
is unlimited.
1. Introduction
For a variety of reasons, file transfer in the Internet has generally
been implemented as an interactive or "foreground" service. That is,
a user runs the appropriate local FTP user interface program as an
interactive command and requests a file transfer to occur in real
time. If the transfer should fail to complete for any reason, the
user must reissue the transfer request. Foreground file transfer is
relatively simple to implement -- no subtleties of queuing or stable
storage -- and in the early days of networking it provided excellent
service, because the Internet/ARPANET was lightly loaded and
reasonably reliable.
More recently, the Internet has become increasingly subject to
congestion and long delays, particularly during times of peak usage.
In addition, as more of the world becomes interconnected, planned and
unplanned outages of hosts, gateways, and networks sometimes make it
difficult for users to successfully transfer files in foreground.
Performing file transfer asynchronously (i.e., in "background"),
provides a solution to some of these problems, by eliminating the
requirement for a human user to be directly involved at the time that
a file transfer takes place. A background file transfer service
requires two components: a user interface program to collect the
parameters describing the required transfer(s), and a file transfer
control (FTC) daemon to carry them out.
DeSchon & Braden
