It is a so-called "here document". The syntax
Code:
command << string
line1
line2
string
it passes some input to
command (ftp in your example) spread over multiple lines until
string (EOF in your example) is encountered. Note that you should not put any blank space or tab character before the
string at the end. For a more detailed explanation you can refer to the Advanced Bash Scripting Guide,
chapter 18.