Using FTP connection, is there a specification that defines what does the last modification time stamp mean?
In particular, in case if uploading new file, does it specify the moment in time when the file was created, or when the last write to the file/stream was performed?
Best Answer
Section 3 of RFC 3659 describes the
MDTMcommand for retrieving the file modification time. It doesn't say anything about which operations update the modification time, or when during those operations the update occurs. So it's up to the server OS. I would expect most operating systems to use the time of the last write to the file.If you want the file creation time, you should use the
MLSTcommand, and look for theCreatefact in the response. However, some operating systems may not be able to provide this. Most Unix filesystems don't store the file creation time, only the modification time, inode change time, and access time.