How to route incoming files on an FTP server?

Biggster · 02-24-2004, 01:51 AM

I have a Linux FTP server(ProFTPD) and I want to "screen" incoming files so that it would be routed to the correct destination(i.e. folder). I was told this was possible if there is some way for the server to read the file's header in order to direct it to the corresponding directory. For example if a certain file, table.pdf, has a header that contains the date 02-24-04, the server would automatically detect this and place it at the 022404 folder.

Could anyone show me where to start? Would I need to have extensive knowledge of Linux(I have only very basic knowledge right now)? Or are there already commercial software that does this?

Thanks.

Dave_bsr · 02-26-2004, 04:15 AM

I'm not quite sure what you want to do. Do you want a request to be bounced to a specific file? couldn't you just have the files in that particular directory, and ways to get to them on the FTP server? like a main directory, and under that the directories for hte given dates. That way, people could just click the link and that would send them to the right file.

Couldn't you just change the way people got sent to the files on your FTP?

Or, is it that you want to check incoming requests. So if someone wanted the file "/pub/202304-dudeman.pdf" you would redirect that request to different request, such as "/pub/dates/202304/dudeman.pdf". I don't know why you'd want to do that, but two things come to mind:

1. put a symlink between /pub/202304-dudeman.pdf and /pub/dates/202304/dudeman.pdf. That way, the request would go to the right place.

2. change the way the file is found. Assuming someone gets to your ftp through somewhere, just change the link.

I know neither of these are exactly what you want. you can also change the viewers FTP root (the place where they start out, and cannot go above) as well. sorry if this wasn't helpful, I know i didnt do exactly what you want..

thought: if you use proftp via xinetd, I heard you can run scripts between the xinetd request and the request to proftp, perhaps to change the headers as you say. somethign to check out, i guess.
1. symlinks. Just ha