Re: Need to automagically transfer AS/400 flat file to PC c: drive

Dan,

Why not use FTP to transfer the file? You can install the Microsoft FTP
server on the Windows PC and just send the files from the AS/400. If you
are into doing the FTP programming yourself you can find examples in the
IBM TCP/IP reference manual and on the News/400 web site. We have a
commercial product that does this, too
(http://www.patownsend.com/FTPManager.htm).

Patrick

Dan Bale wrote:
> 
> Currently, we have an application which includes a batch file (running in a
> Win95 DOS window) that copies a file from the AS/400 shared folder to the 
>user's
> C: drive.  I have been asked to "bulletproof" this thing.  More than a few
> times, we have been called to determine and correct problems where this batch
> file has failed.  The file in the AS/400 shared folder gets there via:
>      CPYTOPCD   FROMFILE(GFCHECK) TOFLR(APCHECKS) +
>                   TODOC(GFCHECK.DDT) REPLACE(*YES)
> 
> FROMFILE(GFCHECK) is a "flat" file; normal EBCDIC-to-ASCII translation occurs.
> 
> Currently, the one-line batch file reads:
>       copy e:apchecks.ddt c:\pam\apchecks.chk
> where e: is the drive that maps to the AS/400 shared folder containing the 
>file.
> 
> When any number of possible errors occurs with this batch file, the DOS window
> closes up and disappears, without giving a hint of the problem.  To my
> knowledge, the problems that have caused this batch program to bomb are:
>   1.  Drive E: is not mapped to the AS/400
>   2.  Drive E: is mapped to the AS/400, but not pointing to the correct folder
>   3.  The apchecks.ddt file does not exist on the E: drive
> 
> FWIW, our environment is: OS/400 V4R2, Client Access V3R1M3, Novell Netware,
> Windows 95.  The shared folder that contains the apchecks.ddt file is 
>"normally"
> mapped automatically at bootup, but, occasionally, has somehow become 
>un-mapped
> (the user has made no confessions regarding this).
> 
> Regarding problem 1, is it possible to determine, in a DOS batch file, whether
> the AS/400 is mapped to a given drive letter?  Is it possible to determine if 
>it
> is matched to _any_ drive letter?  If it is _not_ currently mapped, is it
> possible to map the AS/400 to a drive letter to an open drive letter?  BTW, I
> can also use WinBatch (a great shareware utility), if someone has used that to
> do something like this.
> 
> And maybe there's a better way than using DOS altogether?  I've been out of 
>file
> transfers long enough to forget if there's been any improvements to do this 
>type
> of thing.  Is there a way, with either one click of an icon or using one 
>AS/400
> menu option, to copy the AS/400 flat file to the user's C: drive?  We
> occasionally use FTP to transfer files between the AS/400 and the PC, but this
> has to be transparent to the user (i.e., no user/password entry, none of the 
>FTP
> command entry stuff).
> 
> Thanks,
> Dan Bale
> 
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-- 
IBM AS/400 communications, FTP automation, and network security
software and consulting services.

http://www.patownsend.com
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