"File not a valid executable for this system" over FTP but not TFTP?

[p.drauden]

Hello all,

I am trying to upgrade a 2801 to a newer IOS. I would prefer to use FTP over TFTP because it's faster. When I try to use FTP, I get this:

Router#copy ftp://ftp:ftp@10.1.1.26/c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin flash:                     
Destination filename [c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin]?
Accessing ftp://ftp:ftp@10.1.1.26/c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin...
%Warning: File not a valid executable for this system
Abort Copy? [confirm]

However, when I use TFTP I get this:

Router#copy tftp://10.1.1.26/c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin flash:                            
Destination filename [c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin]?
Accessing tftp://10.1.1.26/c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin...
Loading c2801-advipservicesk9-mz.124-22.T5.bin from 10.1.1.26 (via Serial0/2/0:0): !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (etc. etc.)

Now, this is the same exact image from the same exact server, being served by two different protocols. If I transfer the file via FTP and ignore the warning, and run the verify command on the image afterwards, the MD5 hash comes out correctly. However, it is still making me nervous. Does anyone have ideas why this would happen? I am using tftpd32 for TFTP and FreeFTPD for FTP if it matters.

[lgijssel]

Most likely the ftp server has its default incorrectly set to ascii mode.

You can verify this because the filesize will be slightly larger via ftp.

regards,

Leo

[IAN WHITMORE]

I would prefer to use FTP over TFTP because it's faster.

Wow. It shouldn't be. FTP uses TCP and TFTP uses UDP. UDP should be quicker because of all the header savings, error checking etc.

[p.drauden]

Hi Ian,

This is from Wikipedia:

Since TFTP utilizes UDP, it has to supply its own transport and session support. Each file transferred via TFTP constitutes an independent exchange. Classically, this transfer is performed in lock-step, with only one packet (either a block of data, or an 'acknowledgement') ever in flight on the network at any time. Due to this lack of windowing, TFTP provides low throughput over high latency links.

This matches what I'm experiencing -- high latency link, slow TFTP performance. The FTP transfer was about 10 times faster than TFTP.

[IAN WHITMORE]

Thanks for that, would never have ocurred to me. You learn something new every day.

Regards,

Ian

[glen.grant]

   I can tell FTP is about 5 times faster than tftp .  When you are tranferring 120 meg cat 6509 files it makes a big difference .