Re: bash scripting: automatically download via ftp

On Sat Mar 22 2003 at 20:08, Nguyen Vu Hung wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> How can I write a bash script that connect to a ftp
> server, enter username and password( hardcoded in the
> script), cd to /some/dir and get some files?

You run ftp with an ~/.netrc file that has an entry for the ftp
server you want to connect to.

For example, this is generated by a cron job... this entry in
/root/.netrc will automatically generate output with a list of the
currently available virus definition files at the McAfee ftp site.
(This is on a busy network server with lots of windows boxes, they
use their product).

========8<--------- cut ----------------
# if you use this, change email address in the password
machine ftp.nai.com
login anonymous
password [email protected]

macdef init
  prompt
  lcd /usr/local/uvscan
  cd virusdefs/4.x
  dir
  bye
========8<--------- cut ----------------

With that entry in ~/.netrc, all you need to do is this:

$ ftp ftp.nai.com

The init "script" will carry out those commands, and log out.  The
script language is basic but functional enough - a sort of macro
language with a few extensions.  On this rh73 box I have a man page
for netrc(5).

I have several cron scripts that re-write /root/.netrc to do
particular tasks with ftp.

  Continued dxample: after the initial check, if the cron script
  finds that there are virus updates available, then ~/.netrc is
  re-written by the script to login again but this time download the
  necessary files.  And so the windows clients are kept happy.

> Thanks

Have fun!

Cheers
Tony