Connecting the FTP Agent to the FTP Servers

To make the communication between the FTP Agent and the FTP servers possible, you need FTP Connection objects. Connection objects store all the connection information and define the security protocol and corresponding credential information. As an administrator user, you create the FTP Connection objects that provide the log in data required to establish the connection to the FTP servers. As a developer or object designer, you assign the respective Connection object to the FTP Jobs. In the FTP Jobs, the Connection objects can be selected as the:

  • Source host you are transferring files from.
  • Destination host you are transferring files to.

Each Connection object has either an FTP, FTPS, FTPES, or SFTP protocol and all the necessary additional options to connect to the host.

As any other Automic Automation object, Connection objects consist of several definition pages, one for FTP-specific properties and the rest for common object properties. This topic describes how to configure FTP Connection objects.

Note:

(For administrators) After deploying the .jar file, a Connection object template called CONN.FTPAGENT.FTPCONNECTION is available by default in Client 0 > Process Assembly > Explorer > TEMPLATE. You use this template to create the Connection objects that you need.

This page includes the following:

Where to Define the FTP Agent Connection Objects

Depending on the scenario that you are covering with the FTP Agent, you must define the Connection objects as follows:

  • To issue commands between a local file system and a remote FTP server

    Define a Connection object for the remote host. Even if you are connecting between two hosts for which you have defined FTP Agents, you still need to define a Connection object for the remote host.

  • To issue commands between two remote FTP servers

    Define Connection objects for both remote hosts.

FTP-Specific Connection Properties

With the FTP Agent, you create Connection objects of type FTPAGENT > FTPCONNECTION as source and destination hosts. Each Connection object has either an FTP, FTPS, FTPES, or SFTP protocol and all the necessary additional options for connection.

Basic Parameters of FTP Agent Connection Objects

The options in the Basic Parameters section are the same for all protocols:

  • Host

    The host or IP address of the target host.

  • Port

    The port used for the operation. Any time you select or change the protocol in the Protocol field above, the default value for this field is automatically updated. If you select:

    • FTP or FTPES, the port will be 21.
    • FTPS, the port will be 990.
    • SFTP, the port will be 22.

    To use a different port for the operation, enter the port number after selecting the protocol.

  • Username

    The user ID on the target host

  • Password

    The password for the host user ID.

  • Proxy: Use TCP Proxy settings

    If you select this option, the Agent uses the settings that are configured on the Agent definition. For more information, see TCP Proxy Settings.

    If you leave this option unselected (default), TCP proxy server settings are not used.

FTP Protocol Advanced Options

The options in the Advanced Options section for FTP protocols are as follows:

  • Force active mode
  • Determines how the data connections are established. Select this option when you are transferring files through a proxy server or if you have any reason to explicitly use active mode.

    • If you select this option the Agent creates a socket, command port, and the data port to connect to the server and initiate sessions.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), the Agent attempts to connect with passive mode to send commands on the command port.

  • Remote host address verification

  • Sets remote host address verification:

    • If you select this option, when the FTP creates the data port, the Agent validates that the remote IP address matches the socket. If this box is checked and you are trying to transfer through a proxy server, the transfer will fail.
    • If you leave this option unselected (default), no remote host address verification is done and the FTP will not fail as the result of the proxy server.

  • Use the FTP proxy server settings

  • Used with FTP proxy servers. If you select this option, the Agent uses the settings that are configured on the Agent definition. For more information, see TCP Proxy Settings.

    If you leave this option unselected (default), SOCKS proxy server settings are not used.

SFTP Protocol Advanced Options

The options in the Advanced Options section for SFTP protocols are as follows:

  • Skip the remote directory check
  • Determines the behavior when the path for delete and copy commands point to a directory:

    • If you select this option, a check is not done before issuing copy or delete commands on directories. If the directory is empty, the copy or delete commands will fail.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), a check is done before issuing copy or delete commands on directories. When delete commands are issued against directories, the Agent determines whether to delete the directories and all of their contents based on how the delete command is defined. For Delete commands defined in the FTP Job browsers, you determine this using the Delete files recursively option (see FTP Jobs: Delete Command Settings). When copy commands are issued against directories, the Agent copies the directory and its contents including all sub-directories and their contents based on how the copy command is defined. For Copy commands defined in the FTP Job browsers, you determine this using the Copy children folders and files option (see FTP Jobs: Copy Command Settings).

  • SFTP key authentication

  • Used for SFTP key authentication:

    If you select this option, the Agent uses the settings set in the Key File and Pass Phrase fields for SFTP Key authentication.

    If you leave this option unselected (default), the SFTP key authentication settings are not used.

    • Key file

      Specify an absolute path for a private key file.

    • Pass phrase

      An optional pass phrase.

For more information on SFTP Key Authentication, see SFTP Key Authentication for UNIX.

FTPES Protocol Advanced Options

FTPES uses explicit TLS/SSL. It supports SSL 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Advanced Options for FTPES are described below:

  • Force active mode
  • Determines how the data connections are established. Check this box when you are transferring files through a proxy server or if you have any reason to explicitly use active mode:

    • If you select this option, the Agent creates a socket, command port, and the data port to connect to the server and initiate sessions.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), the Agent attempts to connect with passive mode to send commands on the command port.

  • Remote host address verification
  • Sets remote host address verification:

    • If you select this option, when the FTP creates the data port, the Agent validates that the remote IP address matches the socket. If you select this option and you are trying to transfer through a proxy server, the transfer will fail.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), no remote host address verification is done and the FTP will not fail as the result of the proxy server.

  • PBSZ
  • The protection buffer size, default value is 0.

  • PROT
  • Data Channel Protection level (PROT command): Indicates to the server what type of data channel protection the Client and server will use, commands include:

    • Clear
    • Safe (SSL protocol only)
    • Confidential (SSL protocol only)
    • Private (default)

FTPS Protocol Protocol Advanced Options

FTPS uses implicit TLS/SSL. It supports TLS 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 and SSL 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Advanced Options for FTPS are described below:

  • Force active mode
  • Determines how the data connections are established. Select this option when you are transferring files through a proxy server or if you have any reason to explicitly use active mode:

    • If you select this option, the Agent creates a socket, command port, and the data port to connect to the server and initiate sessions.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), the Agent attempts to connect with passive mode to send commands on the command port.

  • Remote host address verification
  • Sets remote host address verification:

    • If you select this option, when the FTP creates the data port, the Agent validates that the remote IP address matches the socket. If this box is checked and you are trying to transfer through a proxy server, the transfer will fail.

    • If you leave this option unselected (default), no remote host address verification is done and the FTP will not fail as the result of the proxy server.

  • PBSZ

    The protection buffer size, default value is 0.

  • PROT

    Data Channel Protection level (PROT command): Indicates to the server what type of data channel protection the Client and server will use, commands include:

    • Clear
    • Safe (SSL protocol only)
    • Confidential (SSL protocol only)
    • Private (default)

Common Definition Pages

In addition to the Agent-specific connection parameters, you can also specify optional properties. You do so on the following definition pages:

See also: