tftpd(1M)

Requires Optional ARPA Services Software

NAME

tftpd − trivial file transfer protocol server

SYNOPSIS

/etc/tftpd [−R retransmission-timeout] [−T total-transmission-timeout]

DESCRIPTION

tftpd is a server that supports the DARPA Trivial File Transfer Protocol. The TFTP server operates at the port indicated in the tftp service description (see services(4)). The server is normally started by inetd(1M) and inetd.conf(4).

The −R option specifies the per-packet retransmission timeout, in seconds. The −T option specfies the total retransmission timeout, in seconds. The defaults values are 5 and 25 seconds, respectively.

tftpd requires an entry in the passwd(4) database for an account named tftp. The password field should be *, the group membership should be guest, and the login shell should be /bin/false. For example:

tftp:*:510:guest:tftp server:/usr/tftpdir:/bin/false

tftpd does a chroot(2) to the home directory of this user, thus it restricts tftp clients only to those files placed there. Furthermore, files in this directory can be read by tftp clients only if they are readable by the user tftp. Files can be written only if they already exist and are writable by the user tftp.

DIAGNOSTICS

The following diagnostics are logged to the syslogd daemon facility at the error log level.

User tftp unknown
The user tftp was not found in the password database, /etc/passwd.

Next step: Add or correct the entry for the user tftp in the password database /etc/passwd.

Unknown option <option> ignored
An invalid option was specified in the tftpd arguments in the inetd configuration file /etc/inetd.conf.

Next step: Remove or correct the option and reconfigure inetd with the command inetd −c.

Invalid total timeout <timeout>
The value given for the −T option was either not a number or was a negative number.

Next step: Correct the value given for the −T option and reconfigure inetd with the command inetd −c.

Invalid retransmission timeout <timeout>
The value given for the −R option was either not a number or was a negative number.

Next step: Correct the value given for the −R option and reconfigure inetd with the command inetd −c.

<system call>: ...
The system call failed; see the corresponding manual entry for a description of the system call. The reason for the failure is explained in the error message appended to the system call name.

WARNINGS

Because tftpd performs a chroot(2), it cannot follow symbolic links that refer to paths outside of the home directory of the pseudo-user tftp.

AUTHOR

tftpd was developed by the University of California, Berkeley and HP.

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