diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.ftp/src/org/eclipse/rse/internal/subsystems/files/ftp/parser/FTPClientConfigFactory.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.ftp/src/org/eclipse/rse/internal/subsystems/files/ftp/parser/FTPClientConfigFactory.java
index 8d85a0bbf2a..cc68b62a586 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.ftp/src/org/eclipse/rse/internal/subsystems/files/ftp/parser/FTPClientConfigFactory.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.ftp/src/org/eclipse/rse/internal/subsystems/files/ftp/parser/FTPClientConfigFactory.java
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 /********************************************************************************
  * Copyright (c) 2007, 2008 Symbian Software Ltd. All rights reserved.
  * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the terms
- * of the Eclipse Public License v1.0 which accompanies this distribution, and is 
+ * of the Eclipse Public License v1.0 which accompanies this distribution, and is
  * available at http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
- * 
+ *
  * Contributors:
  *   Javier Montalvo Orus (Symbian) - initial API and implementation
  *   Javier Montalvo Orus (Symbian) - improved autodetection of FTPListingParser
@@ -30,12 +30,12 @@ import org.osgi.framework.Bundle;
 public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 
 	private static FTPClientConfigFactory factory = null;
-	
+
 	private Hashtable ftpConfigProxyById = new Hashtable();
 	private Hashtable ftpParsers = new Hashtable();
 	private IExtensionPoint ep = Platform.getExtensionRegistry().getExtensionPoint("org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.ftp","ftpListingParsers"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 	private UnixFTPEntryParser defaultFTPEntryParser = new UnixFTPEntryParser();
-	
+
 	/**
 	 * Constructor of the parser factory
 	 * @return an instance of the factory
@@ -46,72 +46,76 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 		{
 			factory = new FTPClientConfigFactory();
 		}
-		
+
 		return factory;
 	}
-	
+
 	private FTPClientConfigFactory() {
-		
+
 		IConfigurationElement[] ce = ep.getConfigurationElements();
 		for (int i = 0; i < ce.length; i++) {
-			
+
 			String id = ce[i].getAttribute("id"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String label = ce[i].getAttribute("label"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String priority = ce[i].getAttribute("priority"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String systemTypeRegex =  ce[i].getAttribute("systemTypeRegex"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String className = ce[i].getAttribute("class"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			Bundle declaringBundle = Platform.getBundle(ce[i].getContributor().getName());
-			
+
 			String listCommandModifiers = ce[i].getAttribute("listCommandModifiers");  //$NON-NLS-1$
-			
+
 			String defaultDateFormatStr = ce[i].getAttribute("defaultDateFormatStr"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String recentDateFormatStr = ce[i].getAttribute("recentDateFormatStr"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String serverLanguageCode = ce[i].getAttribute("serverLanguageCode"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String shortMonthNames = ce[i].getAttribute("shortMonthNames"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String serverTimeZoneId = ce[i].getAttribute("serverTimeZoneId"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-			
+
 			IConfigurationElement[] initialCommandsSequence = ce[i].getChildren("initCommand"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			String[] initialCommands = new String[initialCommandsSequence.length];
-			
+
 			for (int j = 0; j < initialCommands.length; j++) {
 				initialCommands[j] = initialCommandsSequence[j].getAttribute("cmd"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			}
-			
+
 			FTPClientConfigProxy ftpClientConfigProxy = new FTPClientConfigProxy(id,label,priority,systemTypeRegex,className,declaringBundle,listCommandModifiers,
 					defaultDateFormatStr,recentDateFormatStr,serverLanguageCode,shortMonthNames,serverTimeZoneId, initialCommands);
-			
+
 			ftpConfigProxyById.put(id, ftpClientConfigProxy);
-			
+
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	/*
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.rse.internal.services.files.ftp.parser.IFTPClientConfigFactory#getFTPClientConfig(java.lang.String)
 	 */
 	public IFTPClientConfigProxy getFTPClientConfig(String parser, String systemName)
 	{
-		
+		if (systemName == null) {
+			// avoid NPE if systemName could not be determined
+			systemName = ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
+
 		FTPClientConfigProxy foundFTPClientConfigProxy = null;
-		
+
 		if(parser.equals("AUTO")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 		{
 			int previousPriority = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
 			FTPClientConfigProxy foundProxy = null;
-			
+
 			Enumeration ftpConfigProxyEnum = ftpConfigProxyById.elements();
-			
+
 			while(ftpConfigProxyEnum.hasMoreElements())
 			{
 				FTPClientConfigProxy proxy = (FTPClientConfigProxy)ftpConfigProxyEnum.nextElement();
-				
+
 				if(proxy.getSystemTypeRegex()!=null)
 				{
 					Pattern ftpSystemTypesRegex = Pattern.compile(proxy.getSystemTypeRegex());
 					if(ftpSystemTypesRegex.matcher(systemName).matches())
 					{
-						int priority = proxy.getPriority(); 
-						
+						int priority = proxy.getPriority();
+
 						if(priority < previousPriority)
 						{
 							foundProxy = proxy;
@@ -120,12 +124,12 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 					}
 				}
 			}
-			
+
 			//process the selected proxy
 			if(foundProxy != null)
 			{
 				FTPClientConfig config = null;
-				
+
 				if(!ftpParsers.containsKey(foundProxy.getClassName()))
 				{
 					FTPFileEntryParser entryParser = null;
@@ -140,37 +144,37 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 					}
 					ftpParsers.put(foundProxy.getClassName(), entryParser);
 				}
-				
+
 				config = new FTPClientConfig(foundProxy.getClassName());
-				
+
 				//not necessary checking for null, as null is valid input
 				config.setDefaultDateFormatStr(foundProxy.getDefaultDateFormatStr());
 				config.setRecentDateFormatStr(foundProxy.getRecentDateFormatStr());
 				config.setServerLanguageCode(foundProxy.getServerLanguageCode());
 				config.setShortMonthNames(foundProxy.getShortMonthNames());
 				config.setServerTimeZoneId(foundProxy.getServerTimeZoneId());
-				
+
 				//not necessary storing in the hashtable, as discovered will not be reused
 				foundProxy.setFTPClientConfig(config);
-				
+
 				foundFTPClientConfigProxy = foundProxy;
-				
+
 			}
 		}
-		
-		
+
+
 		if(foundFTPClientConfigProxy==null)
 		{
 			if(ftpConfigProxyById.containsKey(parser))
 			{
 				//restore parser from the proxy hashtable
 				foundFTPClientConfigProxy = (FTPClientConfigProxy)ftpConfigProxyById.get(parser);
-				
+
 				//activate if necessary
 				if(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getFTPClientConfig()==null)
 				{
 					FTPClientConfig config = null;
-					
+
 					if(!ftpParsers.containsKey(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getClassName()))
 					{
 						FTPFileEntryParser entryParser = null;
@@ -185,25 +189,25 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 						}
 						ftpParsers.put(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getClassName(), entryParser);
 					}
-					
+
 					config = new FTPClientConfig(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getClassName());
-					
+
 					//not necessary checking for null, as null is valid input
 					config.setDefaultDateFormatStr(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getDefaultDateFormatStr());
 					config.setRecentDateFormatStr(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getRecentDateFormatStr());
 					config.setServerLanguageCode(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getServerLanguageCode());
 					config.setShortMonthNames(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getShortMonthNames());
 					config.setServerTimeZoneId(foundFTPClientConfigProxy.getServerTimeZoneId());
-					
+
 					foundFTPClientConfigProxy.setFTPClientConfig(config);
-					
+
 				}
 			}
 		}
-		
+
 		return foundFTPClientConfigProxy;
 	}
-	
+
 	/*
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.rse.internal.services.files.ftp.parser.IFTPClientConfigFactory#getKeySet()
@@ -218,18 +222,21 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 	 * @see org.apache.commons.net.ftp.parser.FTPFileEntryParserFactory#createFileEntryParser(java.lang.String)
 	 */
 	public FTPFileEntryParser createFileEntryParser(String key)	throws ParserInitializationException {
-		
+
 		FTPFileEntryParser entryParser = null;
-		
+		if (key == null) {
+			// avoid NPE in containsKey when the SYST command returned null
+			key = ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
 		if(!ftpParsers.containsKey(key))
 		{
 			entryParser = defaultFTPEntryParser;
 		}
 		else
 		{
-			entryParser = (FTPFileEntryParser)ftpParsers.get(key); 
+			entryParser = (FTPFileEntryParser)ftpParsers.get(key);
 		}
-		
+
 		return entryParser;
 	}
 
@@ -238,10 +245,10 @@ public class FTPClientConfigFactory implements IFTPClientConfigFactory {
 	 * @see org.apache.commons.net.ftp.parser.FTPFileEntryParserFactory#createFileEntryParser(org.apache.commons.net.ftp.FTPClientConfig)
 	 */
 	public FTPFileEntryParser createFileEntryParser(FTPClientConfig config)	throws ParserInitializationException {
-		
+
 		String key = config.getServerSystemKey();
 		return createFileEntryParser(key);
-		
+
 	}
 
 }