FTPS server on OpenVMS (again)

[Roger tucker_1]

Yes, we are still in need of an FTPS Server for OpenVMS that runs under HP's TCPIP stack and uses HP openSSL library. We need a server not a client. For the client side I have found: KERMIT and CURL. My company may be willing to let me port one of the open source FTPs servers to OpenVMS; we have considered one of the following: vsftpd - used on red hat linux, PureFtp, or ProFTPd. Before we do this I have several questions:

1. Is OpenVMS engineering working on an FTPs server? I don't want to take on a possibly many month project if someone is already working on it.

2. Is there anyone out there needing an FTPS server who might want to share development effort. I would do the majority of the work, but it might be nice to have some help.

[Andy Bustamante]

Have you considered using Stunnel, http://h71000.www7.hp.com/opensource/opensource.html#stunnel to secure ftp traffic? This may meet your requirements for secure access.



Andy

[Jim_McKinney]

> Stunnel

Stunnel expects to map a single port on the local system to another on the remote. FTP unfortunately uses two ports - one as a control channel (authorization and commands)and a second to transfer data. You could probably secure the control channel but the data would still be be in the clear.

[Hoff]

Ring up HP OpenVMS Engineering, and ring up Process Software, and ask them directly. That's the best way to get the answer to your first question -- ftps is not listed in the current OpenVMS roadmap -- and to potentially get something added onto the roadmap.

If sftp or some other approach won't work and you're locked into ftps, you're likely going to have to port something -- even if this feature is included or it gets added, the next OpenVMS release for OpenVMS Alpha is V8.4, and that's somewhere around two years out, based on the current roadmap. That's probably longer than you want to wait.

As for your quest, I might well start here:
http://search.cpan.org/~kral/Net-FTPSSL-0.04/FTPSSL.pm

At least for a look at the code, if not the use of the Net::FTPSSL module and its related pieces. (I have no experience with this particular Perl module.)

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs