FTP Retrieval Setup and Troubleshooting

•Troubleshooting

The EQuIS Enterprise workflow service can automate processing of EDDs via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) from a defined folder on a server. The FTP Retrieval agent pulls EDD files down from a remote FTP server and places them in the FTP Channel folder, a child folder of the EQuIS Enterprise Work Folder. This should not be confused with hosting an FTP service on the EQuIS Application server and allowing EDDs to be uploaded via that service into a Channel folder.

Take note if the FTP server is running Windows or a Linux/Unix operating system. The setting for ‘remote_folder’ in the ST_CONFIG table differs with the remote operating system.

•CONFIG_SECTION: AgentsConfigSettings

•CONFIG_KEY: agent

•OBJECT_TYPE: FtpRetrieve

•OBJECT_VALUE: remote_folder

If the FTP server’s operating system is Windows, then the value of this setting must begin with '/'. This is a quirk of the Microsoft implementation of FTP. This maps to the virtual root folder as defined in IIS Manager, typically C:\iNetPub\FtpRoot\. For example '/EDDs' is likely the remote folder C:\InetPub\FtpRoot\EDDs\. It should be noted that the folder ‘ftp://your.server/’ in Windows IIS is, by default, READ ONLY regardless of the ACLs (Access Control List) in c:\iNetPub\FtpRoot\. That presents a problem since EQuIS Enterprise expects to be able to delete EDD files from the remote FTP server after retrieval. Leaving this folder as READ ONLY would result in the same EDD repeatedly being loaded into EQuIS, and then being rejected as a duplicate.

If the FTP server is Linux/Unix, then the value of ‘remote_folder’ may be relative to the login user’s home folder. For example: With a Linux login of equis_data and a Linux home folder of /home/equis_data, the following ST_CONFIG table settings for remoteFolder are equivalent:

•edds

•./edds/

•/home/equis_data/edds

Troubleshooting

•Use the Windows FTP client ftp.exe to test the EQuIS configuration. For example: While logged on to the EQuIS application server, try the CMD C:> ftp.exe ftps://remote_server.yourdomain.com/ and verify you can login.

•EQuIS FtpRetrieve agent supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP (SSH File Transfer).

•When the ST_CONFIG table setting ‘pasv’ = true, the remote server will attempt to open a network connection over a port other than 21 (or the port number defined by ST_CONFIG setting ‘port’). The network and firewall must be configured to allow this connection. The range of ports used is defined by the remote FTP Server, not EQuIS.

•If EDDs are not loading to the Enterprise site as expected, please check the archive folder. It is possible that the EDDs are in the archive folder but got renamed. The Microsoft FTP Server changes spaces in file names to a ‘+’ character.

•To identify where the EDD is failing to load, see if you can watch the EDD on it's path to EQuIS Enterprise.

•Manual operation to upload an EDD to the FTP Server.

•Execute ONLY the FTP Retrieval agent – It could copy the EDD from the FTP server to the equiswork/FTP folder then remove it from the FTP server.

•Execute ONLY the File Monitor agent – It should copy the EDD from the equiswork/FTP folder to the ST_FILE_REGISTRATION table in the EQuIS database then remove it from the equiswork/FTP folder. If the file in equiswork/FTP does not appear to be an EDD, File Monitor will move the file to the equiswork/Archive folder.

•Identifying where the process is broken will guide EarthSoft in the troubleshooting process.