# Need help with FTP.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 18, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903 "2003-02-18T16:14:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![yme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/35a633/32.png) [@yme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yme)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903/1 "2003-02-18T16:14:03Z")

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I’m having trouble changing directorys. I’ve search Google and the like for answers, but all I see is Questions unanswered. Since this is mainframe based, I can’t use FTP clients like Cute or other Windows based FTP clients. Of course I could work around it, but for the job to be automated, it has to work this way.

How does an OS/390 or DOS based FTP clients change directorys on windows based servers that are long file named? Of course I could shorten up the directory names or put them together, but let’s just say I can’t.

Example. MVS FTP client logs into Windows FTP Server:

Assume my target directory on the server is: /123/abc/Deal File

FTP winftp.ftp.ftp  
username  
password  
cd /123/abc/Deal File \>\>\>This doesn’t work.  
cd /123/abc/DealFi~1 \>\>\>This doesn’t work either.  
cd /123/abc/dealfile \>\>\>Nope.  
cd /123/abc/DealFile \>\>\>Uh huh.  
Are FTP command interpreters incapable of resolving long directory or file names?

Sorry if this doesn’t belong here, but it’s driving me crazy.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903/2 "2003-02-18T16:22:03Z")

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WAGs:

What happens when you try to change directories one level at a time?

cd 123  
cd abc  
etc

How about sticking a \ in front off the spaces?  
cd Deal\ File

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**Author:** ![yme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/35a633/32.png) [@yme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yme)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903/3 "2003-02-18T16:43:10Z")

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Yes, all the directorys work when changing from one at a time.

Good Idea with the Deal\ thing, but that didn’t work either.

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**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903/4 "2003-02-18T17:03:56Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by yme \*  
> \*\*Yes, all the directorys work when changing from one at a time.
> 
> Good Idea with the Deal\ thing, but that didn’t work either. \*\*

cd “abc/Deal File” (with the quotes)

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**Author:** ![yme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/35a633/32.png) [@yme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yme)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-ftp/155903/5 "2003-02-18T17:16:44Z")

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Thanks **Gyan9**!!! That worked!