hihi, ftp newbie here, i've installed proFTP (come with rpm package from mdk 9.2)
everything looks good, installed and what not.

when i start ftp sever:
root@localhost download]# proftpd start

and to check to see if port 21 is open using nmap:

Starting nmap 3.30 ( http://www.insecure.org/nmap/ ) at 2004-02-12 22:06 CST
Interesting ports on adsl-68-248-xxx-xxx.dsl.mdsnwi.ameritech.net (68.248.xxx.xxx):
(The 1640 ports scanned but not shown below are in state: closed)
Port State Service
21/tcp open ftp
111/tcp open sunrpc
6000/tcp open X11
10000/tcp open snet-sensor-mgmt
Device type: general purpose
Running: Linux 2.4.X|2.5.X
OS details: Linux Kernel 2.4.0 - 2.5.20
Uptime 2.034 days (since Tue Feb 10 21:18:08 2004)

Nmap run completed -- 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 7.149 seconds


looks like port 21 is open for ftp... now when i ftp there:

[allen@localhost download]$ ftp 68.248.xxx.xxx
Connected to 68.248.xxx.xxx.
500 FTP server shut down (going down at Wed Feb 11 22:54:13 2004) -- please try again later
ftp>

p.s: i tried the same test again by shutting down ftp sever and restart ftp sever again (wtf? using windoze attitude <shut down restart> to deal with application in linux? sorry my bad )
and still getting the same can't connect msg....

if u interested at what my /etc/proftp.comf look like:

ServerName "ProFTPD Default Installation"
ServerType standalone
DefaultServer on
AllowStoreRestart on
Port 21
Umask 022
MaxInstances 30
User test
Group test
<Directory />
AllowOverwrite on
</Directory>
PersistentPasswd off
[root@localhost etc]#

to save spaces, i delete all the # lines....

thanks for your help and advise

ok.... after slack off at work whole day, i finally got this problem resolve, hope this would help anyone else if they run into the same problem.

there's a file call shutmsg under /etc if the time in shutmsg is earilier then your system time, or that file is there as matter of fact, ftp sever won't run.

here's the list of ftp code i'll put here as reference for myself and to other newbies:

Common HTTP Server Error Codes


400 Bad File Request - Usually means the typed address used, the url, is incorrect (e.g. uppercase letter should be lowecase letter; wrong punctuation marks).

401 Unauthorized - Server is looking for some encryption key from the viewer's browser, such as is used by banking websites for secure access to personal info, and is not getting it. Also, wrong password may have been entered. Try it again, paying close attention to case sensitivity.

403 Forbidden/Access Denied - Similar to 401, special permission needed to access the site -- a password and/or username incorrect or not entered.
.
404 File Not Found - Server cannot find the file you requested. File has either been moved or deleted, or you entered the wrong url or document name. Look at the url. If a word looks misspelled, then correct it and try it again. .

408 Request Timeout - The viewer stopped the page from loading before the server finished retrieving it. A user will either hit the stop button, close the browser, or click on a link before the page loads. Usually occurs when servers are slow or file sizes are large.

500 Internal Error - Couldn't send the webpage because of server-configuration problems. Contact site administrator or the webhost.

501 Not Implemented - Web server doesn't support a requested feature. As an example, the webserver must have expensive software on it for a website to stream certain media files such as Real Media and most web servers do not support it.

502 Service Temporarily Overloaded - Server congestion; too many connections; high traffic. Keep trying until the page loads.

503 Service Unavailable - Server busy, site may have moved, you lost your internet connection or the quality your internet connection is poor at the time.

File Contains No Data - Page is there but is not showing anything due to faulty or non standard code.

Bad File Request - Browser may not be able to load the file based on it's settings. For example, a browser has a setting to show or hide images or turn scripting on or off. If either are turned off the this error code may be seen.

Failed DNS Lookup - The Domain Name Server can't translate your domain request into a valid Internet address. Server may be busy or down, or incorrect url was entered. (The name in the address bar or in a link is converted to a numerical address by the Domain Name Server used by your ISP.) Contact your ISP.

Host Unavailable - Host server down. Hit reload/refresh or go to the site later.

Unable to Locate Host - Host server is down, internet connection is lost, or url typed incorrectly.

================================================================
Common FTP Server Error Codes


225 - Data connection open; no transfer in progress.

332 - Need account for login.

421 - Service not available, closing control connection. This may be a reply to any command if the service knows it must shut down.

425 - Can't open data connection.

426 - Connection closed; transfer aborted.

450 - Requested file action not taken. File unavailable.

451 - Requested action aborted: local error in processing.

452 - Requested action not taken. Insufficient storage space.

500 - Syntax error, command unrecognized. This may include errors such as command line too long or damaged FTP program.

502 - Command not implemented.

503 - Bad sequence of commands, Host may use non-standard FTP.

530 - Not logged in.

532 - Need account for storing files. Activate your FTP webspace.

550 - Requested action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file not found, no access).

551 - Requested action aborted, server does not recognize file format.

552 - Requested file action aborted. Exceeded storage allocation for current directory.

553 - Requested action not taken. File name not allowed. (many Hosts do not allow MP3 files)

happy ftp fellows

--case close