ftp access Q's to ftp.freeBSD & mirrors

[datora tehnika]

On 7/7/05, Robert Slade <bsd at bathnetworks.com> wrote:
>
> Ftp mirrors etc can be found at
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors-ftp.html

Yep ... thanks.  I've got the web pages for the mirrors, several at
this time.  Trying to establish the connection with something other
than a web browser is the problem.

OKay -- using WS FTP lite, I enter in the host name/address of
ftp.freebsd.org (have also used a couple dozen specifc directories
here & at various mirror sites).User ID is ''anonymous'' with no
password entered (have also used my email address as the password;
same result).

RESULT :

> WINSOCK.DLL: WinSock 2.0
> WS_FTP LE 5.08 2000.01.13, Copyright (c) 1992-2000 Ipswitch, Inc.
> - -
> ! Can't get "ftp.freebsd.org/" host entry
> ! Connection failed ftp.freebsd.org/

Connection type is binary, port is standard 21, using passive transfer.

So, using one of many mirrors I've tried as another example, the
problem remains :

> WINSOCK.DLL: WinSock 2.0
> WS_FTP LE 5.08 2000.01.13, Copyright (c) 1992-2000 Ipswitch, Inc.
> - -
> ! Can't get "ftp://ftp.lt.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/" host entry
> ! Connection failed ftp://ftp.lt.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/

ftp://ftp.lt.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ or
ftp.lt.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD yeilda same error.

So, willing to go with another FTP software.  I realize this old WSFTP
is just that .. old, but I've never had it fail me before ... so I'm
puzzled.  Knowing why this isn't working is pretty important. 
Shooting around in the dark at ''maybe'' is really just wasting time
required elsewhere.

As posted yesterday, the http:// connections keep breaking without the
ability to resume an interrupted transfer.  This is a local problem
due to power fluctuations and flaky cable service.

An ISO DL takes an estimated hour per 100 MB ... so the 550 CD1 ISO
for freeBSD is ~5 1/2 hour DL, up to 6 1/2 hours.  I have actually
managed partial DL'z up to 300 & 500 MB in the last several days ...
but, when they are interrupted, I have to begin from zero again using
a web browser.

So, drop back & punt:  use ftp software that has a resume function, as
recommended at http://freebsd.org.  This is what FTP is designed to
do.

Why can my standard ftp software not ''get'' the host entry ?  What am
I doing wrong here ?  Is this some *BSD-windows configuration war ...?
 I've used WSFTP for a decade now to connect to *nix servers from
Win9*/NT/2K and never had this issue.

So, thanks for the gozilla.com link; I'll check it out.  It just seems
cludgy to install plugins to a web browser when FTP should work &
should work faster/ more efficiently.

Sorry this thread got re-posted ... I've never run across a mail
listserv that didn't automatically take a reply-to back to the
listserv, so I had to repost the question under a different subject. 
Bizarre setting I'm sure I'll find out the 'why' about some day ...

Other caveat .. I am based in Riga, Latvia.  I could write a small
book about it, but let's just summarize that buying anything over the
internet from here is largely a waste of money and time.  An ebay
transaction for a ISO images would chew up weeks and cost stupid
amounts of money.  $10 USD is a food budget for an entire week here,
not to be thrown away lightly.

I should be able to connect via ftp & have both ISO's for freeBSD 5.4
in about 12 hours time, tops, if I can just find out the magic
settings to make the ftp servers show up in my ftp software.

Besides, I foresee the need to have to ftp from these sites for quite
a number of items as I need them.  Getting into two and three week
shipping/payment negotiations each time i need something (or _might_
need it & have to DL it to find out ...) is really a rather silly
methodology.

I'm having a hard time believing that nobody on this list has
established an ftp connection to one of these servers.  Understanding
what I'm doing wrong here seems to be the best approach.   ''throw
money at someone'' ''click here'' ''install that'' & pray are the
sorts of solutions that *BSD is supposed to NOT be about.  Have I
misunderstood that?

  --  datora
serfing the stream electric