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HarryJames
04-15-2011, 01:57 PM
Why would you ever want to use TFTP over FTP for file transfers?
Surely, you'd want the file to be succesfully uploaded, unless there's a full-file checksum at the end, but I don't see how that would be possible.

To those who don't know, TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol. It uses UDP instead of TCP.

tom99
04-15-2011, 02:03 PM
hmm i never heard of this protocol why does it use udp ? thats slower than tcp, atleast per thread.

Wizzup?
04-15-2011, 03:14 PM
hmm i never heard of this protocol why does it use udp ? thats slower than tcp, atleast per thread.

Sorry, but this is not true. UDP is generally faster than TCP; and it doesn't handle packet loss. Threads have nothing to do with the speed of a protocol, theoretically anyway.

I've used TFTP a few times, for a network boot.

HarryJames
04-15-2011, 11:26 PM
In Cicso (one of my AS Levels at Sixthform), we use it to upload things to routers etc (I think, I know that we use Hyperterminal to configure and mess around with the Flash Memory etc).

/OffPost - I'm saying etc a lot -.-

It's a lot quicker that TCP, with less overhead but I don't see why you would lose it, unless the packet loss from a single connection (host to router) makes it almost impossible to drop packets.

Bobzilla69
04-16-2011, 08:48 AM
It might be due to what is available on the router?

possible due to low requirements or something? maybe FTP needs some sort of software level and TFTP doesnt? ( just stabbing in the dark here )

i know if you break your routers OS (if you can call it that) you have to flash it back with a backup that you do via TFTP

i also noticed it on Cisco routers but never really thought about it, lol

HarryJames
04-16-2011, 11:09 AM
It is the Router's OS. It's actually called the IOS (nternetwork Operating System).
I'm reasonably sure that if it can handle to TFTP protocol (Trivial File Transfer Protocol Protocol ftw!), then FTP would also be good.