MFT
The add-on module MFT (Managed File Transfer) is used to automatically upload files from defined directories of MFT clients to a central MFT server and from there to distribute them to other MFT clients or to archive them. In addition, the data on the server can also be manipulated via profiles.
The MFT server is a regular installation with the add-on module "MFT". The MFT clients are a very lightweight software (e.g. without database), which can be installed and moved easily and quickly if necessary. Communication is normally done via the Message Service (standard port 8020). Details and rare special cases (FTP client, AS2 client) of the installation will not be discussed any further here, this will be done with you by our support team after you have purchased a license.
After a defined time interval, all files are retrieved from the configured output directories of an MFT client and delivered to the MFT server. By defining rules, data can be converted (optionally) and distributed to other MFT clients or third-party systems, or archived.
In the following, we assume that the MFT server and all MFT clients involved have been successfully installed and that communication between all these components is possible without errors at the technical level.
Establishing channel between MFT server and MFT client
Creating partner (on MFT server)
Once all components are technically ready for operation, the logical connections between the clients and the server must be established (a channel between client and server, so to speak) in order to send data from an MFT client to the MFT server. To do this, the partners are first created on the server. This is described in section Partner (MFT).
Creating client (on MFT client)
The administrator of the MFT server then passes on the corresponding connection data of a created partner to the administrator of the MFT client, who then uses it to set up the counterpart (a client) on the MFT client. This is described in section Client configuration (MFT client). The logical connection is therefore: Partner (MFT server) ↔ Client (MFT client).
Rules on the MFT server for processing received files
If you have an active channel between client and server, files can finally be sent from the client to the server. For a file to be successfully received by the server, rules must be created on the server. If one of these rules matches, it manages the further processing of the file.
When does a rule apply?
The rule must be valid (time frame).
The rule must be valid for the sending partner.
The (virtual) file type must match. More about this in the next section.
The file name pattern of the rule must match the name of the received file.
Defined conditions for the file content must apply.
Finally, a receiving partner must be determined and a matching forwarding of the received file must exist.
File types
The file types are created on the server (details can be found there). You can configure which partners (and therefore which clients) 'see' a file type.
File types are used to perform a virtual classification of received/sent files. The classification takes place in the clients on the MFT client. A client accepts a file from an output folder, assigns the file type defined for this folder and the MFT server receives the file with this virtual file type. Thereby a rule has all the criteria to determine, whether it is responsible for a received file.
As a simple real world example, assume you have a file type INVOICE. Accordingly, you would then have an output folder on the MFT client in which invoice files are placed to be sent to the MFT server. The server would have one or more rules for this virtual file type and would process files of this type in a certain way.
Difference between file type and data type
A file type (e.g. INVOICE) is not to be confused with the data type of an incoming file (e.g. CSV) as it is used in the detection of a rule. Example: You place a CSV file in an output folder and it gets the file type INVOICE. If you were to place an XML file in the same output folder, it would also get the file type INVOICE. If a matching rule is then searched for on the MFT server for this incoming file, first the file type must match and then the detection must match the criteria for the data type of the file.
Assignment of output folder to file type
You must assign a different output folder to each visible file type of a client (on the MFT client). You cannot send files from the MFT client to the MFT server unless all file types of a client have a different output folder assigned to them!
If you have multiple clients, it is theoretically possible to configure the same output folder for different clients. This could lead to a wrong assignment of the virtual file type and thus also to a wrong match of a rule that is not intended for a file! You should therefore always use output folders in such a way that they are assigned to exactly one virtual file type of exactly one client. So if you have two clients and two file types:
|
(Client 1, File type 1) |
<-> |
Output directory 1 (+ File name pattern for files to be sent) |
|
(Client 1, File type 2) |
<-> |
Output directory 2 (+ File name pattern for files to be sent) |
|
(Client 2, File type 1) |
<-> |
Output directory 3 (+ File name pattern for files to be sent) |
|
(Client 2, File type 2) |
<-> |
Output directory 4 (+ File name pattern for files to be sent) |
The goal is that a file, which is placed in an output folder, unambiguously gets a virtual file type and a client! In addition, a file pattern for files to be sent must be specified for each output folder. If this configuration is not correct, the MFT client will not send any files to the MFT server and you will not see any error messages about this in the log.
Actions of a rule - Copy
If a rule matches, you can perform the following actions with the received file.
Placing a copy of the received (unmodified) file in the installation directory (or a subdirectory) of the MFT server. For details, see section Actions (rule).
Configuration of forwarding to partner for files with data type Image/Raw. For details, see section Actions (rule).
Actions of a rule - Split
Configuration of forwarding to partner for files with all data types except Image/Raw. For details, see section Actions (rule).
Logging
See section Logs (MFT server).
See section Logs (MFT client).
For the logging settings see section MFT (Log CC).
Runtime connection problems
As a starting point, we assume that the connection between MFT server and MFT client is basically established.
MFT client
Files are fetched on MFT client, but then not sent to the MFT server (pending message).
No files are fetched from the output folders on the MFT client. This does not generate log messages. Solution: Set up output folders correctly → See above.
MFT server
MFT server does not send files to MFT client, but the MFT client can send files to MFT server.