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FTP Messages <messages>

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Overview

The <messages> element is used to specify the message that the FTP service will display to FTP clients. The messages that are specified for the bannerMessage, greetingMessage, and maxClientsMessage attributes are displayed when an FTP client connects to an FTP site, and the message that is specified by the exitMessage attribute is displayed when an FTP client disconnects from an FTP site.

The suppressDefaultBanner attribute can be used in combination with the bannerMessage attribute to disguise your FTP server type. If the default banner is suppressed and a banner message has not been specified in the bannerMessage attribute, the FTP server will display a blank banner when an FTP client connects to your server.

The expandVariables attribute specifies whether to display a specific set of user variables in FTP messages. If this attribute is set to true, the FTP service will display user variables in FTP messages; otherwise, all message text will be displayed as entered. The supported user variables are:

User Variable Description
%BytesReceived% The number of bytes sent from the server to the client for the current session.
%BytesSent% The number of bytes sent from the client to the server for the current session.
%SessionID% The unique identifier for the current session.
%SiteName% The name of the FTP site that is hosting the current session.
%UserName% The account name of the currently logged-on user.

The allowLocalDetailedErrors attribute specifies whether to display detailed error messages when the FTP client is connecting to the FTP server on the server itself. These error messages contain detailed information that server administrators can use to troubleshoot issues. If this attribute is set to true, the FTP service will display detailed error messages only to the local host; otherwise, detailed error messages are not displayed.

Compatibility

Version Notes
IIS 10.0 The <messages> element was not modified in IIS 10.0.
IIS 8.5 The <messages> element was not modified in IIS 8.5.
IIS 8.0 The <messages> element was not modified in IIS 8.0.
IIS 7.5 The <messages> element of the <ftpServer> element ships as a feature of IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0 The <messages> element of the <ftpServer> element was introduced in FTP 7.0, which was a separate download for IIS 7.0.
IIS 6.0 N/A

Note

The FTP 7.0 and FTP 7.5 services shipped out-of-band for IIS 7.0, which required downloading and installing the modules from the following URL:

https://www.iis.net/expand/FTP

With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the FTP 7.5 service ships as a feature for IIS 7.5, so downloading the FTP service is no longer necessary.

Setup

To support FTP publishing for your Web server, you must install the FTP service. To do so, use the following steps.

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2

  1. On the taskbar, click Server Manager.

  2. In Server Manager, click the Manage menu, and then click Add Roles and Features.

  3. In the Add Roles and Features wizard, click Next. Select the installation type and click Next. Select the destination server and click Next.

  4. On the Server Roles page, expand Web Server (IIS), and then select FTP Server.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will need to select FTP Extensibility, in addition to FTP Service.
    Screenshot of F T P Service and F T P Extensibility selected in a Windows Server 2012 interface. .

  5. Click Next, and then on the Select features page, click Next again.

  6. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install.

  7. On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

  1. On the Start screen, move the pointer all the way to the lower left corner, right-click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows features on or off.

  3. Expand Internet Information Services, and then select FTP Server.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of F T P Service and F T P Extensibility selected in a Windows 8 interface.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Click Close.

Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  2. In the Server Manager hierarchy pane, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).

  3. In the Web Server (IIS) pane, scroll to the Role Services section, and then click Add Role Services.

  4. On the Select Role Services page of the Add Role Services Wizard, expand FTP Server.

  5. Select FTP Service.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of F T P Service and F T P Extensibility selected in a Windows Server 2008 interface.

  6. Click Next.

  7. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.

  8. On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 7

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off.

  3. Expand Internet Information Services, and then FTP Server.

  4. Select FTP Service.

    Note

    To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
    Screenshot of F T P Service and F T P Extensibility selected in a Windows 7 interface.

  5. Click OK.

Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista

  1. Download the installation package from the following URL:

  2. Follow the instructions in the following walkthrough to install the FTP service:

How To

How to configure customized messages for an FTP site

  1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:

    • If you are using Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2:

      • On the taskbar, click Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1:

      • Hold down the Windows key, press the letter X, and then click Control Panel.
      • Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:

      • On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:

      • On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
      • Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

  2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name, expand the Sites node, and then click the name of the site.

  3. In the site's Home pane, double-click the FTP Messages feature.
    Screenshot of the F T P Messages options selected in the web site Home pane.

  4. Configure the following options:

    • Click to select the Suppress default banner option.
    • Click to select the Support user variables in messages option.
    • Type "This is my FTP server" for the Banner message.
    • Type "Hello %UserName%!" for the Welcome message.
    • Type "Goodbye %UserName%!" for the Exit message.
      Screenshot of the Message Behavior set to Show detailed messages for local requests in the F T P Messages pane.

  5. Click Apply in the Actions pane.

Configuration

The site-level <messages> element is configured at the site level.

Attributes

Attribute Description
allowLocalDetailedErrors Optional Boolean attribute.

true if detailed error messages should be displayed locally; otherwise, false.

Note: Detailed error messages cannot be displayed remotely.

The default value is true.
bannerMessage Optional string attribute.

Specifies the message that is displayed when a client connects to the FTP server.

There is no default value.
exitMessage Optional string attribute.

Specifies the message that is displayed when a client is closing a connection to the FTP server.

There is no default value.
expandVariables Optional Boolean attribute.

true if user variables should be expanded; otherwise, false.

The default value is false.
greetingMessage Optional string attribute.

Specifies the message that is displayed after a client has logged in to the FTP server.

There is no default value.
maxClientsMessage Optional string attribute.

Specifies the message that is displayed when a client tries to log in and the maximum number of clients has already been reached on the FTP server.

There is no default value.
suppressDefaultBanner Optional Boolean attribute.

true if the FTP service should suppress the default "Microsoft FTP Service" banner; otherwise, false.

The default value is false.

Child Elements

None.

Configuration Sample

The following sample displays a <messages> element for an FTP site that configures the FTP service to return several customized FTP messages to clients, suppress the default FTP banner, and display detailed error messages to FTP clients that are logged on to the local FTP server.

<site name="ftp.example.com" id="5">
  <application path="/">
    <virtualDirectory path="/" physicalPath="c:\inetpub\www.example.com" />
  </application>
  <bindings>
    <binding protocol="ftp" bindingInformation="*:21:" />
  </bindings>
  <ftpServer>
    <messages exitMessage="Goodbye %UserName%!"
      greetingMessage="Hello %UserName%!"
      bannerMessage="This my FTP server."
      suppressDefaultBanner="true"
      allowLocalDetailedErrors="true"
      expandVariables="true" />
    <security>
      <authentication>
        <basicAuthentication enabled="true" />
        <anonymousAuthentication enabled="false" />
      </authentication>
    </security>
  </ftpServer>
</site>

Sample Code

The following examples configure an FTP site so that it suppresses the default banner and returns a custom banner message.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.messages.bannerMessage:"This is my FTP Server!" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.messages.suppressDefaultBanner:"True" /commit:apphost

Note

You must be sure to set the commit parameter to apphost when you use AppCmd.exe to configure these settings. This commits the configuration settings to the appropriate location section in the ApplicationHost.config file.

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();
         ConfigurationSection sitesSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites");
         ConfigurationElementCollection sitesCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection();

         ConfigurationElement siteElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", @"ftp.example.com");
         if (siteElement == null) throw new InvalidOperationException("Element not found!");
         ConfigurationElement ftpServerElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer");

         ConfigurationElement messagesElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("messages");
         messagesElement["bannerMessage"] = @"This is my FTP Server!";
         messagesElement["suppressDefaultBanner"] = true;

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }
   
   private static ConfigurationElement FindElement(ConfigurationElementCollection collection, string elementTagName, params string[] keyValues)
   {
      foreach (ConfigurationElement element in collection)
      {
         if (String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
         {
            bool matches = true;
            for (int i = 0; i < keyValues.Length; i += 2)
            {
               object o = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues[i]);
               string value = null;
               if (o != null)
               {
                  value = o.ToString();
               }
               if (!String.Equals(value, keyValues[i + 1], StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
               {
                  matches = false;
                  break;
               }
            }
            if (matches)
            {
               return element;
            }
         }
      }
      return null;
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample
   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration
      Dim sitesSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites")
      Dim sitesCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection

      Dim siteElement As ConfigurationElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", "ftp.example.com")
      If (siteElement Is Nothing) Then
         Throw New InvalidOperationException("Element not found!")
      End If
      Dim ftpServerElement As ConfigurationElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer")

      Dim messagesElement As ConfigurationElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("messages")
      messagesElement("bannerMessage") = "This is my FTP Server!"
      messagesElement("suppressDefaultBanner") = True

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub

   Private Function FindElement(ByVal collection As ConfigurationElementCollection, ByVal elementTagName As String, ByVal ParamArray keyValues() As String) As ConfigurationElement
      For Each element As ConfigurationElement In collection
         If String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
            Dim matches As Boolean = True
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To keyValues.Length - 1 Step 2
               Dim o As Object = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues(i))
               Dim value As String = Nothing
               If (Not (o) Is Nothing) Then
                  value = o.ToString
               End If
               If Not String.Equals(value, keyValues((i + 1)), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
                  matches = False
                  Exit For
               End If
            Next
            If matches Then
               Return element
            End If
         End If
      Next
      Return Nothing
   End Function


End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";
var sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST");
var sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection;

var siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", ["name", "ftp.example.com"]);
if (siteElementPos == -1) throw "Element not found!";
var siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos);
var ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer");

var messagesElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("messages");
messagesElement.Properties.Item("bannerMessage").Value = "This is my FTP Server!";
messagesElement.Properties.Item("suppressDefaultBanner").Value = true;

adminManager.CommitChanges();

function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch) {
   for (var i = 0; i < collection.Count; i++) {
      var element = collection.Item(i);
      if (element.Name == elementTagName) {
         var matches = true;
         for (var iVal = 0; iVal < valuesToMatch.length; iVal += 2) {
            var property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch[iVal]);
            var value = property.Value;
            if (value != null) {
               value = value.toString();
            }
            if (value != valuesToMatch[iVal + 1]) {
               matches = false;
               break;
            }
         }
         if (matches) {
            return i;
         }
      }
   }
   return -1;
}

VBScript

Set adminManager = createObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"
Set sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST")
Set sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection

siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", Array("name", "ftp.example.com"))
If siteElementPos = -1 Then
   WScript.Echo "Element not found!"
   WScript.Quit
End If
Set siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos)
Set ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer")

Set messagesElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("messages")
messagesElement.Properties.Item("bannerMessage").Value = "This is my FTP Server!"
messagesElement.Properties.Item("suppressDefaultBanner").Value = True

adminManager.CommitChanges()

Function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch)
   For i = 0 To CInt(collection.Count) - 1
      Set element = collection.Item(i)
      If element.Name = elementTagName Then
         matches = True
         For iVal = 0 To UBound(valuesToMatch) Step 2
            Set property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch(iVal))
            value = property.Value
            If Not IsNull(value) Then
               value = CStr(value)
            End If
            If Not value = CStr(valuesToMatch(iVal + 1)) Then
               matches = False
               Exit For
            End If
         Next
         If matches Then
            Exit For
         End If
      End If
   Next
   If matches Then
      FindElement = i
   Else
      FindElement = -1
   End If
End Function