Cross File Transfer
Encyclopedia
CFT (product name: Synchrony Transfer) is a secure computer file transfer program and protocol from Axway Inc, used extensively in French
and banking industries in Europe.
CFT was for mainframe computers using the French X.25
-based Transpac network, but was later ported to use Internet protocols (TCP/IP) as well. Client software must be purchased from Axway, and includes a license manager that enforce machine and transfer limits.
, ETEBAC 3, EBICS) , apply security constraints and implement the character conversion (ASCII
to EBCDIC
for example). It is a tool to send and receive files reliably.
Each CFT partner has an ADL
(Address Logic) number. The ADL can identify applications, the users, or even printers.
To share files, CFT must be installed on each platform. A platform that wants to send a file to a remote partner sends a request over the network
by specifying the remote platform through its partner name. When the remote partner receives the request, it verifies that it is the correct destination and creates a record in its local catalogue that lists all requests (treated FIFO
). When it’s the request’s turn, the partner establishes a remote connection protocol with the push partner and announces it is ready to receive. The sending partner sends the file content that the receiving partner mirrors to a local directory. The sending partner doesn’t decide where the file is written on the receiving partner. He can not force the receiving partner to receive data (when it is congested, for example). At any time, CFT indicates the status of each transfer: pending, in progress, aborted or completed successfully.
CFT is a licensed product. It is used with a software key that limits the use of CFT to a type of machine and a maximum number of simultaneous transfers.
In case of a UNIX Sun Solaris box, one should have the CFT aka XFB(aXway File Broker) on both the sender and the receiver machines. There are two main config files for XFB namely locpart.smp and chkusr.txt. locpart.smp stores the destination server's IP address, protocol intended, port to be used and other such information. TCP and FTP are the basic protocols used here. The chkusr.txt file contains information specific to authorization and proxy. If a user is sending files to a receiver, the later should have an A entry in its chkusr.txt file in order to authorize the user to send files. It should also contain the landing directory to which the files should be stored in the receiving system. The sending machine also has an agent file named.perm; which is the one where the file name to be sent is configured and which contains the node name.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and banking industries in Europe.
CFT was for mainframe computers using the French X.25
X.25
X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
-based Transpac network, but was later ported to use Internet protocols (TCP/IP) as well. Client software must be purchased from Axway, and includes a license manager that enforce machine and transfer limits.
Use
CFT is used to send files to a machine and remotely resume interrupted transfers. CFT can also trigger remote processes, rename files according to a specific protocol (PeSIT, ODETTE (OFTPv1)OFTP
The Odette File Transfer Protocol is a protocol used for EDI between two communications business partners. It comes from the Odette-Organisation ....
, ETEBAC 3, EBICS) , apply security constraints and implement the character conversion (ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
to EBCDIC
EBCDIC
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code is an 8-bit character encoding used mainly on IBM mainframe and IBM midrange computer operating systems....
for example). It is a tool to send and receive files reliably.
Functioning
Each site wishing to exchange a file is called a partner, regardless of the platform. Any partner wishing to send or receive data from another partner must be declared in “the partners file” or “CFT directory”.Each CFT partner has an ADL
ADL
Adl is an Arabic word meaning justice.The abbreviation ADL may refer to:*Activities of daily living, a term used in medicine and nursing, especially in the care of the elderly...
(Address Logic) number. The ADL can identify applications, the users, or even printers.
To share files, CFT must be installed on each platform. A platform that wants to send a file to a remote partner sends a request over the network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
by specifying the remote platform through its partner name. When the remote partner receives the request, it verifies that it is the correct destination and creates a record in its local catalogue that lists all requests (treated FIFO
FIFO
FIFO is an acronym for First In, First Out, an abstraction related to ways of organizing and manipulation of data relative to time and prioritization...
). When it’s the request’s turn, the partner establishes a remote connection protocol with the push partner and announces it is ready to receive. The sending partner sends the file content that the receiving partner mirrors to a local directory. The sending partner doesn’t decide where the file is written on the receiving partner. He can not force the receiving partner to receive data (when it is congested, for example). At any time, CFT indicates the status of each transfer: pending, in progress, aborted or completed successfully.
CFT is a licensed product. It is used with a software key that limits the use of CFT to a type of machine and a maximum number of simultaneous transfers.
In case of a UNIX Sun Solaris box, one should have the CFT aka XFB(aXway File Broker) on both the sender and the receiver machines. There are two main config files for XFB namely locpart.smp and chkusr.txt. locpart.smp stores the destination server's IP address, protocol intended, port to be used and other such information. TCP and FTP are the basic protocols used here. The chkusr.txt file contains information specific to authorization and proxy. If a user is sending files to a receiver, the later should have an A entry in its chkusr.txt file in order to authorize the user to send files. It should also contain the landing directory to which the files should be stored in the receiving system. The sending machine also has an agent file named
Supported Operating Systems and Platforms
CFT (Cross File Transfer) is (or used to be) supported on wide range of Operating Systems and Platforms:- Microsoft Windows : (x86, ia64)
- UnixUnixUnix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
- LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
(x86, s390, ia64) - Aix
- Solaris (sparc, x86)
- HP-UXHP-UXHP-UX is Hewlett-Packard's proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system, based on UNIX System V and first released in 1984...
(PaRisc, ia64) - Tru64
- SCOSCO OpenServerSCO OpenServer, previously SCO UNIX and SCO Open Desktop , is, misleadingly, a closed source version of the Unix computer operating system developed by Santa Cruz Operation and now maintained by the SCO Group....
- UnixwareUnixWareUnixWare is a Unix operating system maintained by The SCO Group . UnixWare is typically deployed as a server rather than desktop. Binary distributions of UnixWare are available for x86 architecture computers. It was originally released by Univel, a jointly owned venture of AT&T's Unix System...
- IRIXIRIXIRIX is a computer operating system developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. to run natively on their 32- and 64-bit MIPS architecture workstations and servers. It was based on UNIX System V with BSD extensions. IRIX was the first operating system to include the XFS file system.The last major version...
- Linux
- IBM MVSMVSMultiple Virtual Storage, more commonly called MVS, was the most commonly used operating system on the System/370 and System/390 IBM mainframe computers...
(zseriesZSeriesIBM System z, or earlier IBM eServer zSeries, is a brand name designated by IBM to all its mainframe computers.In 2000, IBM rebranded the existing System/390 to IBM eServer zSeries with the e depicted in IBM's red trademarked symbol, but because no specific machine names were changed for...
) - IBM AS400 (iseries)
- IBM VSE
- IBM VMVM (operating system)VM refers to a family of IBM virtual machine operating systems used on IBM mainframes System/370, System/390, zSeries, System z and compatible systems, including the Hercules emulator for personal computers. The first version, released in 1972, was VM/370, or officially Virtual Machine Facility/370...
- IBM OS/2OS/2OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
(x86) (Obsolete) - OpenVMSOpenVMSOpenVMS , previously known as VAX-11/VMS, VAX/VMS or VMS, is a computer server operating system that runs on VAX, Alpha and Itanium-based families of computers. Contrary to what its name suggests, OpenVMS is not open source software; however, the source listings are available for purchase...
(vax, alpha, is64) - BULL GCOSGeneral Comprehensive Operating SystemGeneral Comprehensive Operating System is a family of operating systems oriented toward mainframe computers.The original version of GCOS was developed by General Electric from 1962; originally called GECOS...
- GuardianNonStopNonStop can refer to the line of HP Integrity NonStop computers, the line of Tandem NonStop computers that preceded them, or the NonStop OS operating system that is designed for them. NonStop systems are based on an integrated hardware/software stack...
(mips, i64) - Netware (x86) (Obsolete)
- MicroSoft Windows 3 (x86) (Obsolete)
- MicroSoft MSDOS (x86) (Obsolete)