apache serving ftp-requests

Hi all 'round,
for years now I have used apache for document delivery and found it flexible
and reliable. And I DO know that apache is an http server, not an ftp
server.
However I do have a project where I am forced to offer certain documents by
an ftp url (reason is off-topic), complete with user authentication per
document. Since I have a working setup for doing this via http I do not
want to double all effort for an additional ftp server. In addition the
setup I use for http requests rely on the flexible mod_auth and htaccess
files stuff. I could not find any ftp server offering such service. There
is no easy way for me to maintain user password files as ftp servers
require them.

Now I came upon mod_proxy_ftp for apache and I am unsure if there might
exist a setup providing the following, maybe some guru can give this a
short look?

Two approaches I can think of:
a)
The user has an ftp url along with a username and a password.
So he sends an ftp request that must be handled by a server being able to
answer such an request. Is there a possibility to use mod_procy_ftp (or
something else) to 'forward' this request to an ftp server in background to
fetch the document and forward it to the user? Look like, but here comes
the tricky part:
The authentication has to be done by the 'proxying' http server apache.
Even better, of course would be a proxy setup in apache requesting the
document from the server itself via http and the working htaccess
authentication facilities in background, forwarding the authentication
request to the user.

b) (off-topic, just to make things understandable)
The user has an ftp url along with a username and a password.
The request is ansered by an ftp server acting as a transparent proxy. This
proxy fetches the document via http from apache in the background
forwarding apaches authentication request to the user. This sounds more
straight forward but I could not find an ftp server or proxy doing that for
me...

Any hint is welcome, thanx in advance !

--
arkascha

"Arkascha" <nospam DeleteThis @nospam.com> schreef in bericht
news:c9camj$gi5$01$1@news.t-online.com...
 > Hi all 'round,
 > for years now I have used apache for document delivery and found it
flexible
 > and reliable. And I DO know that apache is an http server, not an ftp
 > server.
 > However I do have a project where I am forced to offer certain documents
by
 > an ftp url (reason is off-topic), complete with user authentication per
 > document. Since I have a working setup for doing this via http I do not
 > want to double all effort for an additional ftp server. In addition the
 > setup I use for http requests rely on the flexible mod_auth and htaccess
 > files stuff. I could not find any ftp server offering such service.
Try your luck with <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.outoforder.cc/projects/apache/mod_ftpd/:" target="_blank">http://www.outoforder.cc/projects/apache/mod_ftpd/:</a>
" mod_ftpd is a protocol module that allows Apache 2.0 to accept FTP
connections. This allows the FTP component to take advantage of Apache's
authentication system, filters and module support to easily extend the FTP
server."

HansH<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->