Author: Steve Borho
Email: borho@stlnet.com
Date Submitted: Fri, Oct 9, 1998
Status: Updated Entry
Entry Updated: 17

Requester: Jeff DeGier
Email: jdegier@maintenet.com
Web Page: http://www.maintenet.com
Request Made: Fri, May 8, 1998

Releases: (none)
Platform: all
Category:  general
Category Listing:  How do I allow ftp access for our RHL 5 server?

Issue

I need to know exactly what is causing our ftp server to deny 
access to everybody. After I type in any userid, I get the 530 error 
message 

Response

Ftpd authenticates users according to four rules. 1) The user name 
must be in the password data base, /etc/passwd, or whatever is 
appropriate for the operating system, and the password must not 
be null. In this case a password must be pro- vided by the client 
before any file operations may be performed. 2) The user name must 
not appear in the file /etc/ftpusers. 3) The user must have a 
standard shell returned by getusershell(3). Ie, their login shell 
must be listed in /etc/shells. 4) If the user name is ``anonymous'' or 
``ftp'', an anonymous ftp account must be present in the password 
file (user ``ftp''). In this case the user is allowed to log in by 
specifying any password (by convention this is given as the 
client host's name). #3 has bit me in the rear a few times. It might 
be doing the same to you. 

References

ftpd man page