Reading a file on a remote FTP, FTPS, or SFTP directory
Use a FileInput node to read a file in a directory on a remote FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server and then propagate messages that are based on the contents of that file.
Before you begin
This example is an extension of the example described in
Using a local file as input for your message flow and it describes how to use a
FileInput node in a message
flow. The instructions assume that you are using a
Windows operating system and that
you have created a message flow containing a
FileInput node. You also require
the following resources:
- An FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server. Ensure that an FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server exists, with the following settings:
- Server
- ftpserver.hursley.abc.com
- Port
- 21 (for FTP or FTPS) or 22 (for SFTP)
- Working directory
- /ftpfileinput
- Userid
- myuserid
- Password
- mypassword
These values are for the purposes of this example only. If you use other values, record them so that you can set the appropriate values during the task.
- A security identity. Use the mqsisetdbparms command to define a security identity called myidentity for your user and password details.
If you want to connect to an FTP or FTPS server, the security identity must have an ftp:: prefix, to enable the file nodes to find the identity definition. For example, use the following command for an integration node called
integrationNodeName:
mqsisetdbparms MyBroker -n ftp::myidentity -u myuserid -p mypassword
If you want to connect to an SFTP server, the security identity must have an
sftp:: prefix, as shown in the following example:
mqsisetdbparms integrationNodeName -n sftp::myidentity -u myuserid -p mypassword
You can also configure a connection to an SFTP server to use public key authentication, by specifying an SSH identity file and pass phrase, instead of a password. For example:
mqsisetdbparms integrationNodeName -n sftp::myidentity -u myuserid -i identity_file -r passphrase
To check what security credentials are already set, use the mqsireportdbparms command; see Checking the password for a resource that is used by an integration node.
For more information about configuring connections to an SFTP server, see Transferring files securely by using SFTP.
- An input file. To follow this example scenario, create an input file called test_input1.xml with the following content:
<Message>test1</Message>
<Message>testtwo</Message>
<Message>testthree</Message>
Each line ends with a line terminator that is suitable for the system on which the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server is found. Do not put this file in the input directory but, instead, put it in the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server directory /ftpfileinput.
- A message set. This example uses a message set called xml1,
which uses the XMLNSC parser. Message set xml1 models
messages of the following form:
<Message>...</Message>
About this task
Complete the following steps:
Procedure
- Set the required node properties on the FileInput node. The following table summarizes the FileInput node properties that you must set, the tab on which they are displayed, whether they are mandatory, and the required values.
Tab |
Property |
Value |
Basic |
Input directory |
C:\FileInput\TestDir If the input directory does not exist, no files are processed, even if you are processing files over FTP, FTPS, or SFTP.
|
File name or pattern |
test_input1.xml |
Action on successful processing |
Move to Archive Subdirectory |
Replace duplicate archive files |
Selected |
Input Message Parsing |
Message domain |
XMLNSC |
Message model |
xml1 |
Polling |
Polling interval |
3 |
Retry |
Action on failing file |
Add Time Stamp and Move to Backout Subdirectory |
Records and Elements |
Record detection |
Delimited |
Delimiter |
DOS or UNIX Line End |
Delimiter type |
Postfix |
FTP |
Remote transfer |
Selected |
Transfer protocol |
FTP, SFTP, or FTPS |
Remote server and port |
ftpserver.hursley.abc.com |
Security identity |
myidentity |
Server directory |
/ftpfileinput |
Transfer mode |
ASCII
(for FTP only) |
Scan delay |
45 |
If you used other values for your FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server resource, enter those values. The settings used here are identical to those used in the example in Using a local file as input for your message flow, except that the Remote transfer property has been selected and there are now properties on the FTP tab. If you clear the Remote transfer property, the node operates as it does in the example in Using a local file as input for your message flow; the properties on the FTP tab remain set but are ignored.
- Deploy the message flow to the integration node. See Deploying integration solutions.
Results
The following actions occur when you perform these steps:
- The file test_input1.xml is transferred from the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server directory (/ftpfileinput) to the local directory (C:\FileInput\TestDir). The file is deleted from the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP server directory.
- The FileInput node
detects records that end with a DOS or UNIX line
end and creates a message for each one that it finds, as defined by
the properties on the Records and elements tab.
The node propagates three messages to the message flow that is attached
to the Out terminal:
- If a node is attached to the End of Data terminal, the End of
Data message is propagated after the last record in the file has been
processed.
- When processing is complete, the file test_input1.xml is
moved to the mqsiarchive subdirectory C:\FileInput\TestDir\mqsiarchive.
If a file called test_input1.xml exists in the mqsiarchive subdirectory,
it is overwritten.
- If the message flow fails, retry processing is attempted according
to the values set in the properties of the FileInput node. In this example
task, a time stamp is added to the file name and the file is moved
to the mqsibackout directory. Here is an example
of the path to such a file: C:\FileInput\TestDir\mqsibackout\20070928_150234_171021_test_input1.xml.
If an error occurs on the FTP side, stating that access
is denied, a 0-byte file is created and moved to the mqsibackout directory.
A 0-byte file is created in the mqsibackout directory for every FTP
attempt that fails.
Because the Remote
transfer property is selected, the FTP scan delay of 45 seconds
overrides the polling interval of 3 seconds.
What to do next
For more information, see Controlling how files are separated into records, which shows the effects of specifying other
combinations of values in the Record
detection, Delimiter,
and Delimiter type properties
of the FileInput node.