id summary reporter owner description type status priority component resolution keywords cc component_version os os_version 9089 "Filezilla client has troubles with Novell FTP, due to ""//"" handling" Darcy "This is a resurrection of client bug #790 (which was closed due to inactivity). I was not the person who filed that originally. I am the senior FTP support specialist with Novell Worldwide Support. I will base this report description on the older one, but will update it: Novell's FTP server software allows one to access the files on ANY Novell file server in their directory tree, using this syntax: cwd //server/volume/dir/subdir And some Novell FTP servers will even let someone's home directory be in that format. This feature is sometimes referred to at Novell as a ""FTP Gateway"" where one FTP server can give users access to an entire Directory Tree of servers. We also call it our ""remote server"" feature. Novell FTP server is (to my knowledge) the only FTP server in the world to provide this feature. So admittedly, this effects only a subset of your user base. But when FileZilla (3.7.3) sees such a syntax (through pwd output), or when you enter a path into Filezilla's ""remote site"" field, such as ""//server1/volume1/path/"" Filezilla often strips off the first '/' character. This seems to especially be a problem when using the QuickConnect button to start a session, rather than Site Manager. But I've had customers complain of it even when using Site Manager. Because of this, anytime Filezille wants to reference the absolute path in a command, it references ""/server1/..."" instead of ""//server1/..."". This difference causes the Novell FTP server to look for a local path (local to the FTP server) called ""/server1/..."" rather than access the separate host machine ""server1"". And thereby, it returns a '550 invalid path' error, or similar. I would be happy to work closely with you to pursue this issue. Many of our common customer would benefit from having Filezilla know that (at least with Novell servers) it should preserve double-slash syntax rather than strip it off. Also, please note that not every Novell FTP server would be using this syntax. So it wouldn't be as simple as saying, ""build every absolute path for Novell beginning with a double slash."" Instead, it will be a matter of looking at what syntax is given (via PWD or via user input) and if it begins with ""//"" preserve that rather than strip it to ""/"". I will quote the following from the older bug as well, though I have not verified all of this: ------begin quote------ Another FTP client, NCFtp (www.ncftp.com) had the same issue a few versions back, but has since been fixed. WS_FTP on Windows, Fetch and Transmit on Mac OSX, and the command line FTP program on any Mac/Linux/Windows system all work correctly with this functionality and do not have this issue. ------end quote------ That is not to say that all those clients fully understand and automatically correctly use the ""//"" syntax. But in many cases, clients don't insist on referencing the absolute path as much as Filezilla does, so they will often ""just work"" where Filezilla doesn't. Here's a log of a Filezilla FTP session to a Novell FTP server, demonstrating this: Status: Connecting to 151.155.214.77:21... Status: Connection established, waiting for welcome message... Response: 220-Welcome to Pure-FTPd. Response: 220-You are user number 1 of 1000 allowed. Response: 220-This is a private system - No anonymous login Response: 220-IPv6 connections are also welcome on this server. Response: 220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity. Command: USER admin Response: 331 User admin OK. Password required Command: PASS * Response: 230-User admin has group access to: admingroup Response: 230 OK. Current directory is //dp-sles11sp2//VOL1\sub2 Command: OPTS UTF8 ON Response: 200 OK, UTF-8 enabled Status: Connected Status: Retrieving directory listing... Command: PWD Response: 257 ""//dp-sles11sp2/VOL1\sub2"" is your current location Status: Directory listing successful Status: Connecting to 151.155.214.77:21... Status: Connection established, waiting for welcome message... Response: 220-Welcome to Pure-FTPd. Response: 220-You are user number 2 of 1000 allowed. Response: 220-This is a private system - No anonymous login Response: 220-IPv6 connections are also welcome on this server. Response: 220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity. Command: USER admin Response: 331 User admin OK. Password required Command: PASS * Response: 230-User admin has group access to: admingroup Response: 230 OK. Current directory is //dp-sles11sp2//VOL1\sub2 Command: OPTS UTF8 ON Response: 200 OK, UTF-8 enabled Status: Connected Status: Starting upload of C:\Users\dpartrid\Desktop\add5.pdf Command: CWD /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1\sub2 Response: 550 Can't change directory to /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1/sub2: No such file or directory Command: CWD /dp-sles11sp2 Response: 550 Can't change directory to /dp-sles11sp2: No such file or directory Command: CWD / Response: 250 OK. Current directory is / Command: MKD dp-sles11sp2 Response: 550 Can't create directory: Permission denied Command: MKD /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1\sub2 Response: 550 Can't create directory: No such file or directory Command: CWD /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1\sub2 Response: 550 Can't change directory to /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1/sub2: No such file or directory Command: SIZE /dp-sles11sp2/VOL1\sub2/add5.pdf Response: 550 Can't check for file existence" Bug report moreinfo normal FileZilla Client dpartrid@…