This is from one up-to-date Fedora 17 system to another, using openssh RPMs version 5.9p1-26.fc17.x86_64. Listing a directory from a terminal opened via ssh is shown below, but listing the same directory from sftp is slightly wrong i.e., file sizes/flags/timestamps of two files are swapped. dan at localhost:/tmp> ls -l peers.* -rw-r--r--. 1 rob users 2176 Oct 4 15:12 peers.awk -rw-r-----. 1 dan traders 1311410 Oct 4 16:49 peers.res2 -rw-r-----. 1 dan traders 66799654 Oct 4 16:59 peers.res3 -rw-r--r--. 1 rob users 8900 Oct 4 16:56 peers.txt sftp> ls -l peers.* -rw-r--r-- 0 500 100 2176 Oct 4 15:12 peers.awk -rw-r----- 0 505 502 1311410 Oct 4 16:49 peers.res2 -rw-r--r-- 0 500 100 8900 Oct 4 16:56 peers.res3 -rw-r----- 0 505 502 66799654 Oct 4 16:59 peers.txt