Changing Response code wording

[AutomaterPrime]

I believe I may have a rather unique situation, I'm hoping someone can help:

My company is running an older medical software whose code we cannot change. It moves lab results files via FTP. Once the response is received from FileZilla (which it has been specifically programmed to interact with), the software sends some notifications, task completions and a few other necessary steps.

The crux of the issue is:
- The older software seems to be hard coded to look at the specific text of response code # 226. On older versions of FileZilla, this is "Transfer OK". On newer versions, this is "Operation Successful". This breaks the software's workflow.
- We don't have an alternative to the medical software, nor to FileZilla (not one that works, anyway)
- We have to update Filezilla to patch some security holes, or our insurance company and our clients will blow a gasket. Things get real pricey after that.
- Our external client's IT department will not allow them to use older versions of the client
- We do not have the source code for the medical software to change it on that end and the company that made it is patently unhelpful
- The logs from both FileZilla and the internal software indicate this to be the issue, but without the ability to change the actual wording of the 226 response, we can't be 100% sure because we don't have the source code
- Rolling back to any previous version of FileZilla that has "Transfer OK" wording for 226 works; any version with any other response wording does not.

We've purchased FileZilla Pro. Is there any chance there is some configuration of one kind or another that would allow us to alter the wording of the 226 response? Or any help that can be provided in that regard?

I fully realize that hoping the FileZilla devs and support team are more flexible than the company that makes the troublesome software is probably expecting a bit much, but any support we can get is much appreciated.

Thanks!

[botg]

The response text cannot be modified and we have no plans to make it configurable.

As stated in RFC 959 section 4.2:

Code: Select all

      An FTP reply consists of a three digit number (transmitted as
      three alphanumeric characters) followed by some text.  The number
      is intended for use by automata to determine what state to enter
      next; the text is intended for the human user.

Except for a few commands that specify a particular response format, it is wrong for a client to take decisions based on the response text, it should only look at the number. In practice it even suffices to only look at the first digit of the response code.

In general it is a bad idea to write software against a particular implemention, one should always follow the specification.

Are you able to switch to a different client? Transferring a file over FTP and acting on success/failure seems patently trivial. Pick your favorite scripting language, add any modern command-line FTP client, and it should get the job done.

[AutomaterPrime]

"Except for a few commands that specify a particular response format, it is wrong for a client to take decisions based on the response text, it should only look at the number. In practice it even suffices to only look at the first digit of the response code."

- I 100% agree. But I didn't select this garbage software company (them, not you), I inherited it and, sadly, am not allowed to find an alternative to it. I despise this vendor.

In general it is a bad idea to write software against a particular implementation, one should always follow the specification.

- If I could agree to the 1 Billion% beyond 100%, I can and do, but I'm stuck with what I'm stuck with.

Are you able to switch to a different client? Transferring a file over FTP and acting on success/failure seems patently trivial. Pick your favorite scripting language, add any modern command-line FTP client, and it should get the job done.

- Sadly, no. Their software will only take acceptable inputs dictated from their own hard-coded FTP capability, which we can't change.

- And no other FTP server software is any different from yours (I've tried many) in the response wording. My interim workaround has been to have a much older version of your server software running on a box I'm desperately trying to hide from Security (a really bad idea and I hate it so much) and then using scheduled powershell to copy it over to the appropriate secured FTP server so our external clients can get the resulting files.

- All of their code is compiled in such a way that I can't change the nonsense they've coded into it. But I'm not above re-writing what needs re-writing and compiling my own version of whatever is needed, if that's an option with FileZilla. And these people want somewhere close to half a million bucks just to re-write 1 line of code. Which no one here is going to authorize. Which is why I reached out, hoping maybe you guys had an easier answer for me. If not, I get it, I guess I'll just load this as another bullet in my "This vendor could suck-start a jet engine through a coffee straw and that's why we should get rid of them" gun, but, please don't be angry with me for hoping you guys were a tad more flexible. Completely get it if not and I get it why not, but was hoping and dreaming anyway.

Thanks,

[boco]

The FileZilla Server software is completely Open Source. You can adapt all texts to your needs and then compile your own custom version (using a different name, though). A lot more flexible than the blackbox garbage they provide you with.

[AutomaterPrime]

The FileZilla Server software is completely Open Source. You can adapt all texts to your needs and then compile your own custom version (using a different name, though). A lot more flexible than the blackbox garbage they provide you with.

Any chance you know which file would require editing in order to change the text of the response code?

[boco]

I'm not a dev, no.

Running a string search over the package should give the result, I guess.