tftp Command in Linux
The tftp command in Linux is a user-level client for the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP). TFTP is a simple protocol used for transferring files. TFTP is a simplified, older form of FTP used for uploading or downloading files between network hosts. It operates over UDP port 69, a connectionless protocol that enables data transfer without establishing a fixed session, making it less reliable than connection-oriented alternatives. It is primarily used in local area networks.
Table of Contents
Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the tftp command in Linux −
- Installation tftp Command
- Syntax of tftp Command
- tftp Command Options
- How to use tftp Command in Linux?
Caution − The tftp command allows file transfers over UDP without authentication or encryption. Use only in secure, trusted networks, and ensure proper server access controls are in place.
Installation tftp Command
The tftp client is not installed by default on most Linux distributions. Make sure the package is installed before using the command. To install it on Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Raspberry Pi OS, Debian, and other Debian-based distributions, use the following command −
sudo apt install tftp-hpa
To install it on Arch Linux, use the command below −
sudo pacman -S tftp
To install tftp client on Fedora, use the following command −
sudo dnf install tftp
To verify the installation of the tftp client, check its version using the command −
tftp -V
Syntax of tftp Command in Linux
The syntax of the tftp command in Linux is as follows −
tftp [options] [host]
In the above syntax, the [options] field is used to specify the options that are listed in the following section. The [host] field is used to specify the IP address or hostname of the TFTP server.
tftp Command Options
The options for the Linux tftp command are listed below −
| Options | Description |
|---|---|
| -4 | Use IPv4 only, even if IPv6 is available. |
| -6 | Use IPv6 only if compiled in. |
| -c <cmd> | Execute a command as if entered at the TFTP prompt (must be the last argument). |
| -l | Enable literal mode to prevent special handling of ":" in filenames. |
| -m <mode> | Set default transfer mode (often used with -c). |
| -R a:b | Force the originating port number to be within the range a to b. |
| -v | Enable verbose mode by default. |
| -V | Print version and configuration, then exit. |
How to Use TFTP Command in Linux?
This section explores how to use the tftp command in Linux with examples −
Using TFTP Client in Interactive Mode
To connect to a TFTP server, use the tftp command followed by the host IP address −
tftp 192.168.24.1
An interactive mode will begin. To list the interactive mode supported commands, type help and press Enter −
help
To check the status, use the status command −
status
To set the verbose mode, use the verbose command −
verbose
To set per-packet transmission time, use the rexmt command −
rexmt 5
To modify the total transmission timeout, use the timeout command followed by the number of seconds −
timeout 30
To download the file from the server, use the get command −
get file.txt
To receive multiple files, use the get command followed by filenames −
get file1.txt file2.txt
Similarly, to upload the file, use the put command −
put file.txt
To get multiple files, simply specify the filenames.
To enable the packet tracing mode, use the trace command −
trace
To get help about a specific command, use the help or ? followed by the command −
? put
To quit the tftp interactive mode, use the following command −
quit
Using the TFTP Client with One-Line Commands
To use the tftp client in one line, use the following command −
tftp -v 192.168.64.1 -c file.txt
The above command is receiving the file from the server. To use a specific mode −
tftp -v -m binary 192.168.64.1 -c get file.txt
Conclusion
The tftp command in Linux is a simple tool for transferring files using the Trivial File Transfer Protocol, commonly used in trusted local networks. It operates without authentication or encryption over UDP port 69, making it suitable only for secure environments.
This tutorial explained how to install the tftp client on various Linux distributions, described its syntax and options, and demonstrated both interactive and one-line command usage for uploading and downloading files.