Re: AS/400 file transfer

[Vernon Hamberg <hambergv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Patrick

At 10:09 AM 11/28/1997 -0800, you wrote:
>We have a customer who is asking us to create a file transfer
>application for the AS/400 to connect to NT and UNIX platforms. They are
>unhappy with the performance, history logging, and other features of
>current products. Client Access won't work as some of the transfers have
>to be initiated by the AS/400. Does anyone experiences they would like
>to share using current commerical products for AS/400 file transfer?

At the risk of breaking another record (old-time for CD <g>), go for FTP.
With the mix of platforms you gave, there's nothing better, IMO.

You'd need to get an FTP server installed on the NT box, maybe. A superb,
free one is call WAR-FTPD—search the Internet for a file called
ward165.exe, which is the latest release. Or go to <http://www.tucows.com>
or <http://www.stroud.com>.

All ftp client implementations can use scripts to control their operation.
On the 400, 'OVRDBF STDIN FTPSCRIPT'. On UNIX, redirect input with 'FTP <
script'. On NT, something like 'ftp -sscriptfile'. FTP includes, usually,
the ability to execute commands, processes, programs, etc., on the server,
using 'QUOTE RCMD commandstring' in the client FTP session (or script).

Logging is never as good as native 400 messaging. Those in the UNIX world
are used to searching output files for message strings, using a utility
called 'grep', e.g. On the 400, you can 'OVRDBF STDOUT logfile'. Then you
need to read through that logfile to check for various result codes and/or
message strings.

I've done this sort of thing, downloading call-response data from an AT&T
Unix box to the Customer Support database on an AS/400. Questions of who
controls the process need to be answered.

HTH

Vernon Hamberg
Systems Software Programmer
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company
400 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN  55401-2499
(612) 371-1111 x480


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