Introduction
Getting Started
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The webTA application can be configured to automatically transfer
build files to a remote server using the standard FTP protocol.
Transmission will happen immediately following every regular build,
whether the build ran as a scheduled build or by using the
Build Now feature.
Automatic build transmission does not occur as a result of an
Early Build or any customized supplemental build
process.
Additionally, FTP transmission can be initiated from the Build
History menu, by choosing a build record and then selecting
the (Re)transmit option.
FTP transmissions can be slow to complete, so webTA launches the
transmission process in the background, and returns you to the
application to continue your work. To see the results of the transmission,
consult your task list.
With FTP configured, you should see one task in your task list for
every attempted transmission. That task will either be a
message indicating success, or will be a descriptive error message.
The following fields are used to configure build file transmission.
- Use automatic build file FTP Enables or disables the
FTP feature. If disabled, none of the other parameters in this page
have effect.
- FTP server hostname The hostname or IP address of
the destination FTP server. Examples:
ftp.someplace.gov
and 192.168.1.17
- FTP account userid The userid which webTA will use
to log into the remote account. On many FTP servers, this is case
sensitive.
- FTP password The password used to log into the
remote FTP server.
On many FTP servers, this is case sensitive.
Note that this string is encrypted before webTA stores
it with the rest of the configuration data, and is decrypted only when
needed to connect to the remote FTP server.
- FTP site command A site command is a special
FTP command which is used to tell remote FTP servers about special
processing required for the file. webTA users often use a site
command when connecting directly to the NFC FTP server. When doing
so, the site command
filetype=jes instructs the NFC server
to submit the file to the job queue rather than saving it to disk.
When connecting to a FTP server other than at NFC, this field is
usually left blank.
- JCL The NFC transmission specification requires
a block of JCL to be included at the top of the transmission file, before
any actual T&A data. Text placed in this field will be prepended to
the T&A data before it is transmitted. If transmitting directly
to NFC, you should put the JCL required by NFC in this field. Otherwise,
leave this field blank.
Network considerations
webTA sends the build file from the Oracle database server to the remote FTP
server, so any firewalls in use must allow FTP traffic to pass between
these two machines. No path is required between the application server and
the remote FTP server. Problems with FTP communications are often due to
lack of connectivity. If having problems, verifying that you can manually
FTP a file from the Oracle server's operating system command line prompt to
the remote FTP server is a good step. Note to verify connectivity you
need to actually transfer a file. Just logging in is not sufficient, as
different network ports are used in the file transfer process.
Security considerations
Also, remember that FTP is a very insecure protocol. All data, including the
FTP account userid and password are sent unencrypted over the network.
This risk can be reduced by ensuring that the network connection between the
webTA Oracle database server and the remote FTP server is secured using
a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or other security mechanisms as deemed
appropriate by your organization and the NFC.
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