TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options

G. Malkin; A. Harkin

doi:10.17487/RFC2349

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This is a modified version of the Internet RFC suitable for machine-translating. Original version is available here: RFC2349

DRAFT STANDARD

Network Working Group                                          G. Malkin
Request for Commments: 2349                                 Bay Networks
Updates: 1350                                                  A. Harkin
Obsoletes: 1784                                      Hewlett Packard Co.
Category: Standards Track                                       May 1998

TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options

Status of this Memo

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

The Trivial File Transfer Protocol [1] is a simple, lock-step, file transfer protocol which allows a client to get or put a file onto a remote host.

This document describes two TFTP options. The first allows the client and server to negotiate the Timeout Interval. The second allows the side receiving the file to determine the ultimate size of the transfer before it begins. The TFTP Option Extension mechanism is described in [2].

Timeout Interval Option Specification

The TFTP Read Request or Write Request packet is modified to include the timeout option as follows:

      +-------+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+
      |  opc  |filename| 0 |  mode  | 0 | timeout| 0 |  #secs | 0 |
      +-------+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+

opc
The opcode field contains either a 1, for Read Requests, or 2, for Write Requests, as defined in [1].

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RFC 2349    TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options     May 1998

filename
The name of the file to be read or written, as defined in [1]. This is a NULL-terminated field.

mode
The mode of the file transfer: "netascii", "octet", or "mail", as defined in [1]. This is a NULL-terminated field.

timeout
The Timeout Interval option, "timeout" (case in-sensitive). This is a NULL-terminated field.

#secs
The number of seconds to wait before retransmitting, specified in ASCII. Valid values range between "1" and "255" seconds, inclusive. This is a NULL-terminated field.

For example:

      +-------+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+-------+---+
      |   1   | foobar | 0 | octet  | 0 | timeout| 0 |   1   | 0 |
      +-------+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+-------+---+

is a Read Request, for the file named "foobar", in octet (binary) transfer mode, with a timeout interval of 1 second.

If the server is willing to accept the timeout option, it sends an Option Acknowledgment (OACK) to the client. The specified timeout value must match the value specified by the client.

Transfer Size Option Specification

The TFTP Read Request or Write Request packet is modified to include the tsize option as follows:

      +-------+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+
      |  opc  |filename| 0 |  mode  | 0 | tsize  | 0 |  size  | 0 |
      +-------+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+---~~---+---+

opc
The opcode field contains either a 1, for Read Requests, or 2, for Write Requests, as defined in [1].

filename
The name of the file to be read or written, as defined in [1]. This is a NULL-terminated field.

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RFC 2349    TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options     May 1998

mode
The mode of the file transfer: "netascii", "octet", or "mail", as defined in [1]. This is a NULL-terminated field.

tsize
The Transfer Size option, "tsize" (case in-sensitive). This is a NULL-terminated field.

size
The size of the file to be transfered. This is a NULL- terminated field.

For example:

      +-------+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+
      |   2   | foobar | 0 | octet  | 0 | tsize  | 0 | 673312 | 0 |
      +-------+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+--------+---+

is a Write Request, with the 673312-octet file named "foobar", in octet (binary) transfer mode.

In Read Request packets, a size of "0" is specified in the request and the size of the file, in octets, is returned in the OACK. If the file is too large for the client to handle, it may abort the transfer with an Error packet (error code 3). In Write Request packets, the size of the file, in octets, is specified in the request and echoed back in the OACK. If the file is too large for the server to handle, it may abort the transfer with an Error packet (error code 3).

Security Considerations

The basic TFTP protocol has no security mechanism. This is why it has no rename, delete, or file overwrite capabilities. This document does not add any security to TFTP; however, the specified extensions do not add any additional security risks.

References

[1] Sollins, K., "The TFTP Protocol (Revision 2)", STD 33, RFC 1350,
October 92.

[2] Malkin, G., and A. Harkin, "TFTP Option Extension", RFC 2347,
May 1998.

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RFC 2349    TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options     May 1998

Authors' Addresses

Gary Scott Malkin Bay Networks 8 Federal Street Billerica, MA 01821

Phone: (978) 916-4237 EMail: gmalkin@baynetworks.com

Art Harkin Internet Services Project Information Networks Division 19420 Homestead Road MS 43LN Cupertino, CA 95014

Phone: (408) 447-3755 EMail: ash@cup.hp.com

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RFC 2349    TFTP Timeout Interval and Transfer Size Options     May 1998

Full Copyright Statement

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.

This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than English.

The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Malkin & Harkin Standards Track [Page 5]

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