Fetch 4 FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions about Fetch 4

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Fetch 4. For questions about Fetch 5, see the Frequently Asked Questions about Fetch 5 page.

If there's a question that you think should be addressed here, please send it to faq@fetchsoftworks.com. Thank you!

Answers

Using Fetch

1. What do I enter in the Host, User ID and Password fields?

You want to enter the host name (something like "home.acme.com" or "ftp.webhost.net"), user id (something like "smith97" or "billsbakery") and password of the server account you want to transfer files with. If this is an account you've purchased from a web service provider, that provider should be able to tell you what to enter. See the Links page for information on connecting to some of the most popular service providers.

2. How do I make Fetch start up with the information for my web site?

When Fetch puts up the New Connection window the Host, User ID, and Password fields are filled in with information from the default shortcut specified in Preferences. So to have it filled in with the information for your web account, you need to create a shortcut and make it the default. You can do this in one step by choosing "Create New Default Shortcut" from the Shortcuts pop-up menu in the New Connection window.

3. How do I create, delete or change shortcuts?

Choose "Fetch Shortcuts" from the Windows menu to reveal the current shortcuts. You can create new shortcuts by choosing "New Shortcut..." from the Customize menu; delete shortcuts by choosing "Remove Shortcut" (or by dragging the shortcut to the Finder Trash icon); and edit existing shortcuts by selecting them and choosing "Edit Shortcut..." (or by option-double-clicking).

4. How do I upload more than one file at a time?

There are a few different ways to upload multiple files (and/or entire folders) with one command: 1) Choose "Put Folders and Files..." from the Remote menu; 2) Option-click the "Put..." button; 3) Drag the file and/or folder icons from the Finder to the Fetch transfer window. If you wish to only upload new or changed files, you may want to use the "Mirror Folder..." command in the Remote menu.

5. How do I download documents and have the right icon show up?

For documents that aren't encoded in a special format (such as MacBinary) Fetch gets the file type and creator -- which in turn determine the file's icon -- by looking up the suffix at the end of the file name in a table. This table is called the Suffix Mapping table, and can be viewed or modified by choosing "Suffix Mapping..." from the Customize menu. So the first step is to find out what suffix your documents have, or should have; for example ".psd" for Photoshop files. Then make sure that there is a Suffix Mapping entry that maps ".psd" to the file type and creator of Photoshop files. The easiest way to specify the type and creator is to use the "Choose Example..." button to pick out a file with the icon you want. You should also choose "Binary" as the transfer mode for this sort of file, unless it is a text file.

6. How do I get the password out of a shortcut?

In order to provide a small shred of security for passwords stored in shortcuts, Fetch does not provide a way to reveal them directly. We recommend that you use the Keychain in Mac OS 9 and X instead of saving passwords with your shortcuts. That way your passwords will be protected by a strong encryption algorithm, and you will be able to look at saved passwords (assuming you haven't forgotten your keychain passphrase). One way that you can look at shortcut passwords is to choose the shortcut from the pop-up menu in the New Connection dialog, click the Add to Keychain box, and connect. Then use the Keychain Access application to view the password you just saved.

7. How do I connect to an FTP server on a non-standard port?

Click the disclosure triangle in the "New Connection" window to reveal a field for entering a non-standard port.

8. How can I see the modification times for files?

On Mac OS 8.5 and newer you can resize the columns in the file list by clicking between the titles of two columns. If you make the date column wide enough to show modification times, they will appear. On earlier systems you can use the Get Info... command in the Remote menu to see the modification time of one file.

9. How do I configure Fetch to work with MS Proxy 2.0 on an NT 4 server?

First, to fix a bug in MS Proxy you need to install NT 4 Service Pack 5 and Proxy Server 2 Service Pack 1. See this article for more information. Note: The tcp.sys file in NT 4 Service Pack 6 has problems with Mac clients (see this article).

Second, you should configure the Firewall section of Fetch Preferences as follows:

10. How do I use my Fetch 3.0.3 shortcuts in Fetch 4?

Fetch 3.0.3 and Fetch 4 both store your shortcuts in a file named "Fetch Shortcuts" in the Preferences folder in your System Folder (or, on Mac OS X, in the Preferences folder in the Library folder in your home directory). So Fetch 3.0.3 and Fetch 4 will automatically share shortcuts.

If you are using a new system disk, or upgrading to Mac OS X, you can copy the Fetch Shortcuts file from the old disk to the right place on your new system disk. Or double-click it to have Fetch open it, select all the shortcuts, and drag them to the new Fetch Shortcuts window.

11. How do I upload CGI scripts in ASCII format?

Fetch refers to ASCII format as Text format. To upload files in Text format choose "Text" from the Format pop-up menu in the transfer window and then press the Put Files... button.

12. How do I connect to my AOL web/FTP space?

Please note that while the instructions below were working in December 2007, AOL often makes changes to how their system works with external FTP clients such as Fetch. We try to keep these instructions up to date, but we cannot guarantee that they will work for you. If the instructions below do not work, you can use either the AOL Hometown File Manager or the FTP client built into the AOL software to update your website.

First, in order to use Fetch with your AOL website, you must first open the AOL software, sign in to AOL with your screen name, and then stay signed in (leave the AOL software running) the whole time you are using Fetch. AOL will not let Fetch access your web space if you are not signed in with the AOL software at the same time on the same Macintosh. (This is true regardless of whether you are accessing AOL with dial-up or with a high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or a cable modem.)

Then, in Fetch, connect to the AOL web server by entering the following in the New Connection dialog:

Hostname: members.aol.com
Username: anonymous
Connect Using: FTP
Password: your-AOL-screenname@aol.com
(replace "your-AOL-screenname" with your screen name).

If your AOL account doesn't offer unlimited use - charges are incurred for every minute you are signed on - you can avoid charges by entering a "free" area via keywords such as "billing" while you are uploading files in Fetch. Fetch will work normally while you are in a free AOL area.

If you encounter a problem, you should make sure you have the latest version of the AOL software for Mac OS X; some earlier versions did not allow you to access your AOL web space with Fetch. You can download the AOL software from the AOL website.

Features

1. What are the new features in Fetch 4.0?

The new features include:

Full compatibility with every Mac OS from 7.0 to OS X.
Mirror command to synchronize local and remote folders, allowing one-click website updating.
Drag-and-drop transfers from server to server.
Create and edit remote text and image files with BBEdit and Graphic Converter.
Support for KClient (Kerberos 4) and GSS (including Kerberos 5) security.
Support for 11 different kinds of proxy servers.
View Media File command to preview images, sounds, movies.
Contextual menus -- Control-click to see a list of relevant commands.
Resume downloads even after Fetch quits or your machine crashes.
Move files and folders by dragging the icons around.
Get Info command to total the size of folders.
Support for transfering files larger than 2GB.

2. Does Fetch 4 support SFTP or FTP with TLS/SSL (FTPS)?

No, but Fetch 5 does. Fetch 5 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later (FTP with TLS/SSL support requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later).

3. Does Fetch support challenge-response password systems?

Yes. If your server issues a challenge that you must use to calculate the password enter "***CHALLENGE***" in the password field. Fetch will prompt you with the server's challenge at the appropriate time.

4. Does Fetch support the Store Unique option, so you can put files in a write only (drop box) folder of AppleShare IP 6?

Yes. Check the "In case of name conflict, pick another name" checkbox in the Put File dialog to have Fetch use Store Unique.

5. Does Fetch 4 support resuming uploads?

No, Fetch 4 only supports resuming downloads. Fetch 5 supports resuming binary uploads.

6. Is there a Windows version of Fetch?

No, we're sorry, but Fetch is only available for the Macintosh.

We suggest you look at WS_FTP for Windows. If you decide to purchase WS_FTP, enter Fetch20 in the coupon field to receive a 20% discount.

Troubleshooting

1. The Fetch dog runs and runs but the file list never appears.

A bug in Fetch 4.0 and 4.0.1 keeps it from retrieving file lists on Mac OS X unless it is using passive mode transfers. The solution is to upgrade to Fetch 4.0.3. If that does not solve the problem, the next thing to try is toggling the setting of the "Use passive mode transfers (PASV)" checkbox in the Firewall section of Fetch Preferences. Another thing to try is to turn off "Use passive mode transfers (PASV)" in Fetch and turn off the OS X firewall in the Sharing panel of System Preferences.

2. The Fetch dog runs and runs but never connects.

Usually this means that the server you are trying to connect to is not currently operating. Another possibility is that there is a firewall or network outage somewhere between your computer and the server. If the problem persists, confirm that you are connecting to the right host name, and check with your network administrator about firewalls. A "ping" or "traceroute" program can be used to check the network path between your computer and the server.

3. The progress bar fills the entire circle, but the transfer never finishes.

One possibility is that the server is running Windows NT 4 Service Pack 6; there is a known problem with the tcpip.sys file of that release and Mac clients (for more information see this article). If that is the case, one workaround is to replace the tcpip.sys file on the server with the one from Service Pack 5.

If that is not the problem our recommendations are to: 1) Try checking the "Use passive mode transfers (PASV)" box in the Firewall section of Preferences; 2) Try a different FTP client (such as Interarchy, NetFinder or Vicom FTP Client) to check whether the problem is specific to Fetch or more general; 3) Make sure your modem firmware or network card drivers are up to date; 4) Contact the server administrator or network administrator, and see if they can reproduce the problem under similar conditions.

4. Since I installed Norton Personal Firewall 2.0 on Mac OS X some of the files I upload are empty on the server.

Some users have reported problems uploading files after installing Norton Personal Firewall or Norton Internet Security on Mac OS X: the files were created on the server, but were empty. Symantec discusses the problem here. Users in this situation are advised to upgrade to version 3.0 of Norton Personal Firewall or Norton Internet Security, or to remove the "NortonPrivacyControl" folder from the StartupItems folder of the Library folder in their home directory. If that does not solve the problem, try unchecking the "Use passive mode transfers (PASV)" checkbox in the Firewall section of Fetch Preferences. If that also does not help please contact support@fetchsoftworks.com.

5. I uploaded an updated web page but my browser still shows the old one.

One possibility is that the web browser is showing you a cached copy of the page instead of the one that is currently on the server. To tell the browser to get a fresh copy press the Reload (or Refresh) button with the Option key pressed. If that does not resolve the problem it could be that you uploaded the new page to a different directory or even different server from the one holding the old file, and need to re-upload the file to the correct location.

6. When I launch Fetch I get an error about <FATCarbon1.5>.

The most likely explanation is that you have an old version of MIT's Kerberos Extras for OS X. You can download the lastest version here.

7. When I try to delete a folder I get an error saying that it is not empty. But when I go into the folder it appears to be empty.

Some servers do not tell Fetch about hidden files unless a special non-standard command is used. To work around this problem choose "Send LIST -al to UNIX Servers" from the Obscure Options pop-up menu in the Misc section of Preferences.

Error Messages

1. The server says "Incorrect Password" but I know the password is correct.

Although the error message only mentions the password, this can also mean that the hostname or user id that you entered is incorrect. If you use a proxy server that requires a password it is also possible that the hostname, user id or password that you are sending to the proxy server is incorrect.

2. What is error -3212?

This error indicates a problem with the host name entered in the "Host" field. The host name may not exist; double check with the server administrator or help desk to make sure.

3. What is error -3221?

The TCP/IP software on your Macintosh is not able to make connections. Perhaps you aren't dialed in, or there's a problem with the settings in the TCP/IP control panel.

4. What is error -3158?

That may indicate a problem with the host name you have entered in the "Host" field. For example, if you have entered a partial host name (e.g. "www") you might try the fully-qualified equivalent instead (e.g. "www.acme.com").

5. The server says "Invalid PORT Command" or "Can't build data connection. Connection refused."

These problems can usually be resolved by checking the "Use passive mode transfers (PASV)" box in the Firewall section of Preferences.

Licensing

1. Why isn't Fetch free any more?

Fetch has not been free since version 2.0.6, in the early 90's; it has been shareware, except for educational or charitable use. However, there was no attempt to restrict its unlicensed use by others, in part because at the time there weren't convenient ways to do so. This created some benefits (Fetch was widely distributed) as well as some problems (e.g. the burden of spending technical support resources on non-paying "customers"). New technology from eSellerate makes it possible for us to freely distribute Fetch in a form that is immediately usable and fully functional for a trial period, while offering a convenient way to purchase a license without leaving the application. We hope this will enable Fetch Softworks to offer the sort of product and support that Fetch users deserve.

2. Is Fetch 4 free for educational or charitable use?

Yes. (And so is Fetch 5; upgrades to Fetch 5 are free for educational or charitable users.)

3. What qualifies as educational or charitable use?

Use by a student or employee of a public or accredited private school, college, university or academy; use by a student or parent engaged in home-schooling; use by volunteers or employees of a tax-exempt charity, to further the work of that charity. Use by government agencies or government research laboratories does not qualify.

4. May I distribute Fetch with my book, magazine, shareware collection, or commercial software product?

You may distribute an unlicensed demo copy, i.e. the installer you receive when you download Fetch from our home page, provided that the installer is distributed unmodified.

5. Are multi-user and Internet Service Provider licenses available?

Yes. Prices for multi-user licenses are as follows:

$20/user in units of 10 users
$15/user in units of 100 users
$10/user in units of 1,000 users
$5/user in units of 10,000 users

We accept checks and major credit cards. We also accept purchase orders on Net-30 terms for orders of $1,000 or more. Checks should be made out to Fetch Softworks, and mailed to:

Fetch Softworks
P.O. Box 72
Etna, NH 03750

Purchase orders and credit card information can be faxed to +1 603-619-0397.

For more information see our Licensing page.

To obtain information on Internet Service Provider licenses, please contact sales@fetchsoftworks.com.

6. Why does Fetch say that my serial number is not valid when I copied it from the receipt?

Each serial number is only valid with a certain name, the Serial Number Name, which is also included in the receipt. The Serial Number Name might be your company or organization name as opposed to your own name. Be sure you are entering the correct Serial Number Name along with the serial number. The Serial Number Name must be entered exactly as written in your receipt.

7. I purchased Fetch but lost my serial number; how can I get it?

If you purchased Fetch through eSellerate, you can go to their after-purchase support page. There you can find out your order number and serial number. If you purchased a license directly from Fetch Softworks, send an email message to serial@fetchsoftworks.com.

8. How should I distribute a licensed copy of Fetch to users at my educational or charitable organization?

We recommend that you enter your institution's serial number into a copy of Fetch and distribute that copy to authorized users (e.g. by making it available for download from a server that is restricted to students and faculty, or by putting it on a CD-ROM that is only distributed to charity staff members). To add your serial number to a copy of Fetch 4 you should:

Copy Fetch 4 to a folder to which you have write permission.
Double-click Fetch 4 and hold down Control and Option as it starts; you should be asked to purchase a license or enter a serial number. If you aren't asked this quit and try again, pressing Control and Option immediately after double-clicking.
Click the "Enter Serial" button and enter your institution's Fetch serial number name and serial number.
Quit Fetch
[Optional] To confirm that the serial number was saved, open the Fetch 4 application with a resource editor and examine the "PAID" resource to verify that it contains your institution's serial number name and serial number.

Technical Details

1. What are the ADAT and MACB commands I see in the Fetch Transcript window? My server does not recognize them.

Fetch sends the ADAT command to find out if the server supports Kerberos security. That way it can warn you if you aren't taking advantage of security options supported by the server.

Fetch sends the MACB command to find out if the server can interpret and generate MacBinary format. Most Mac FTP servers can, and taking advantage of that capability makes transfers more reliable.

FTP servers are supposed to return an error code if they get a command they don't support, so sending these commands should be harmless. But some servers, particularly proxy servers, are touchier than they should be and erroneously drop the connection when they get an unfamiliar command. So the Obscure Options button in the Misc section of Preferences includes options for not sending these commands.

Other

1. What is the relationship between Fetch Softworks and Dartmouth College?

Jim Matthews, the founder of Fetch Softworks, wrote Fetch as an employee of Dartmouth College. Fetch Softworks was created in order to license the Fetch source code and name from Dartmouth College, so that the product could be enhanced and marketed independently. Dartmouth College is not responsible for the statements and actions of Fetch Softworks.

2. What kind of dog is the Fetch mascot?

A mutt. And yes, it is a dog, not a koala.

3. Who drew the Fetch mascot?

Richard Nelson, an artist on Maui, who also happens to be the father-in-law of Fetch's author, drew the original 32x32 Fetch icon. The new 3D rendered mascot was commissioned by Tadashi Suzuki of Hart Computer, which sells a Japanese version of Fetch, and is used with permission.

4. What does Regis Philbin have to do with Fetch?

Directly, nothing. But winning money on Philbin's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" made it possible for Jim Matthews, Fetch's author, to license the software from Dartmouth College and create Fetch Softworks.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Fetch 4

Using Fetch

Fetch Features

Troubleshooting

Error Messages

Licensing

Techical Details

Other

Answers

Using Fetch

Features

Troubleshooting

Error Messages

Licensing

Technical Details

Other