Files coming back with UTC dateTime cant get actual dateTime

Hi there we are using WinSCP 5.1.1 but when we FTP to host it is not reading the dateTime correctly. It appears to always be 10 hours out. Since we are in Sydney I assume we are getting UTC time. How can I ensure we get actual remote host last modified? I have read about MFMT and contacted host to ask if server supports this. Their response was:

Server supports MDTM which is similar functionality.
The following commands are recognized.
ABOR ACCT ALLO APPE CDUP CWD DELE EPRT EPSV FEAT HELP LIST MDTM MKD
MODE NLST NOOP OPTS PASS PASV PORT PWD QUIT REIN REST RETR RMD RNFR
RNTO SITE SIZE SMNT STAT STOR STOU STRU SYST TYPE USER XCUP XCWD XMKD

Should this be enough?? Under the Environment properties in WinSCP I notice 'Preserver remote timestamp' is not an active option since I am using FTP. I found another post suggesting a transfer preset could be a good idea. i have also done this and told it to preserver timestamp under the common options. I know its kicking in because it prompts me when I fire the session.

How can I get it to read the last modified date?? I know its wrong because if I use a browser it shows the correct dateTime. Help

Please attach a full log file showing the problem (using the latest version of WinSCP). For a sample file mote what time you see in file panel and what time you expect to see.

Hi prikryl thank you for your time. I am not sure the log will display an issue given my problem. I doubt the log is going to see that fact that WinSCP is displaying the server lastModified date as UTC as an issue.

Can I put my question to you another way. If using WinSCP 5.1.1, during a FTP session to a server that claims to support MDTM should the lastModified date show the value on the server or should it show UTC time?

TYIA

matt41 wrote:

Hi prikryl thank you for your time. I am not sure the log will display an issue given my problem. I doubt the log is going to see that fact that WinSCP is displaying the server lastModified date as UTC as an issue.

The log includes date as provided by the server; date as understood by WinSCP; and all relevant time zone information. So it will help resolving your problem.

Hi Prikryl - Please find my log attached. At the moment the session fired there were 6 files on the remote server. Here are the actual lastModified dateTimes values I see when I go there using browser. these are the ones I wish to see using WinSCP:

May 22 15:15 bayer_fcast_4day.csv
May 09 15:26 bayer_fcasts_locations.csv
May 22 15:30 bayer_obs_current.csv
May 22 14:45 bayer_obs_daily.csv
May 09 16:27 bayer_pcodes_fcasts_sites.csv
May 22 13:39 bayer_sites.csv

It looks like the log shows the UTC version of the above dateTimes. I would appriciate any tips on getting WinSCP to see and present the actual server dateTime.

TYIA

Your FTP server does not support modern MLSD command, what is not common nowadays. The MLSD mandates that times are in UTC, so WinSCP would automatically convert them. With obsolete LIST command, WinSCP keeps times intact.

Your only option is to configure time zone offset in site settings:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/ui_login_environment#timezone

Note that to enable the option, you have to explicitly configure WinSCP to use LIST command.
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/ui_login_ftp

The offset option is disabled by default not to confuse majority of users that use MLSD-enabled server, where the offset it never used.

Hi Prikryl - Thank you for your time. I have now had to use the time off-set option which is working of course. I always looked at this as a last resort because there is no day light savings (DST) trigger. I guess if the FTP host doesn't want to enable support for what I need I have to handle the time change for DST in my code/outside of WinSCP. Or does WinSCP have the ability to handle DST?

TYIA

It's unlikely that DST will work correctly with server that does not support MLSD. Particularly because it's unknown how the server itself projects the DST change to presented timestamps.