The other SFTP that never was

For reasons, I'm doing some research into the history of FTP (File Transport Protocol) when I come across an RFC (Request For Comments) for SFTP. Only this isn't the SFTP (Secure File Transport Protocol) [1] that is used today, but instead the Simple File Transfer Protocol [2] from 1984. Unlike TFTP (Trivial File Transport Protocol), it uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and unlike FTP, it only uses a single network connection.

But this bit is why I'm writing about this:

Random Access

Pro: Wouldn't it be nice if (WIBNIF) SFTP had a way of accessing parts of a file?

Con: Forget it, this is supposed to be SIMPLE file transfer. If you need random access use real FTP (oops, real FTP doesn't have random access either – invent another protocol?).

Resolution: I have not made any provision for Random Access.

That “other protocol” would take several more years to be invented, and then take over the networking world.

=> [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSH_File_Transfer_Protocol | [2] https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc913.txt

=> Gemini Mention this post | Contact the author