FTP Connection Properties

FTP Protocol Settings

Property	Description
FTP Protocol	Required. Determines which FTP protocol to use. Select SFTP if you want to enable a secure channel with data encryption. Default is FTP.

FTP Host settings

Property	Description
FTP Host	Required. The FTP host name. For example, enter an IP address such as 127.0.0.1. The question mark (?) is a prohibited character in this field.
FTP Port	Optional. The FTP server port number. If not specified here, the default port number is 21 for FTP and 22 for SFTP.
Known Hosts File (SFTP only)	Optional. The path to a known_hosts file that contains a list of host names and public keys to be verified when the connection occurs. If you supply a file path here and disable the Strict Host Key Checking option, the FTP Connector adds new hosts to the file.
Strict Host Key Checking	Required. The strict host key is used by the client to decrypt a message sent from the server when connecting. Default is No.

Client Authentication Settings

Property	Description
User Name	Optional. The user name to use when the connection logs in to the remote file system. If not provided, the connection attempts an anonymous login. The question mark (?) is a prohibited character in this field.
Password	Optional. The password to use to log in to the remote file system. Leave this field blank to configure an anonymous login.
Private Key File (SFTP only)	Optional. The private key file to use for private key verification. The connector assumes that the corresponding public key is in the file with the same name and the suffix, ".pub".
Private Key Passphrase (SFTP only)	Optional. The passphrase for the private key file.

Proxy Settings

Property	Description
Use HTTP Proxy	Enable this option if you use an HTTP proxy server. An HTTP proxy server is a dedicated computer or software system that acts as an intermediary between an endpoint device and a server from which a user or client requests a service. Use an HTTP proxy server to create a connection between an FTP client and an FTP server. Important: If you enable this option for FTP, you must set the Use Passive Mode property under the FTP Connection Settings to Yes. Default is No.
Proxy Host	Optional. The IP address or host name of the machine that hosts the HTTP proxy server. For example, 192.176.3.761 or name.mycompany.tech.
Proxy Port	Optional. The port number of the HTTP proxy server. For example, 8060. Default is 80.
User Name	Optional. The user name to use when the connection logs in to the HTTP proxy server. If you leave this field empty, you configure an anonymous login.
Password	Optional. The password to use when the connection logs in to the HTTP proxy server. If you leave this field empty, you configure an anonymous login.

FTP Connection Settings

Property	Description
Content Transfer Format	Required. The format for the file transfer, either Binary or ASCII. In most cases, you can use Binary, which is the most universal transfer format. Default is Binary. Select ASCII only if your FTP connection has specific limitations that require this option.
Compression Level	Required. The content compression level that you need. Set a value from 1 to 10. Default is 0, which means that compression is disabled.
Use Passive Mode (FTP only)	Required. Determines whether the connection uses passive mode for data connections. Important: If you set the Use HTTP Proxy setting under Proxy Settings to Yes, you must set the Use Passive Mode property to Yes. Default is No.
Stepwise	Required. Determines whether the connection should traverse directories one directory at a time. Default is Yes.
Fast Exists Check	Required. Determines whether the connection should refer to a list to check if the file exists, if supported by the FTP server. This option may improve performance if the FTP server has a large number of files. Default is No.
Server Alive Interval (SFTP only)	Required for SFTP. The number of seconds to wait before sending a server alive message to the FTP server. If set to 0, no messages are sent to the FTP server. Default is 0.
Server Alive Count Max (SFTP only)	Required for SFTP. The maximum number of server alive messages that can be sent. Default is 1.
Connection Timeout	Required. The number of seconds to wait before the connection times out. Default is 10 seconds.
Data Channel Timeout (FTP only)	Required for SFTP. The number of seconds to wait before the data channel times out. Default is 30.
Socket Timeout	Required. The number of seconds to wait before the socket times out. Default is 300.

Reconnection Settings

Property	Description
Max Reconnection Attempts	Required. Determines the maximum number of reconnection attempts to make when the connection tries to reach the remote FTP server. Enter 0 to disable reconnection. Default is 3.
Reconnection Delay	Required. The number of seconds to wait between reconnection attempts. Default is 1.
Fail On Connection Error	Required. Determines whether the connection attempt must fail after the maximum number of reconnection attempts. If enabled, the connection throws an exception, the connection closes, and the related event source is stopped. You can then address connection issues and republish the connection before proceeding. Otherwise, the connection tries to establish a new connection with the FTP server until it is successful. Default is No.

SFTP Data Encryption Settings

Property	Description
Ciphers (SFTP only)	Optional. A comma-separated list of ciphers, in order of preference, to use for encryption during data transfer. If a list is not specified, the connection applies the default list from JSch (Java Secure Channel). JSch is a Java implementation of SSH2.

File Operations Settings

Property	Description
Idempotent Repository Folder	Optional. The path to a local directory where the connection can store idempotent repository files. Applicable only when you select the Event Source property, No File Operations. For more information, see Repository Files.
Clear Idempotent Repository	Required. Determines whether to clear the idempotent repository file when an event source starts up. Default is No.

Other Guidelines for FTP Connections

• •If you supply values that are not applicable to the FTP or SFTP protocol, they are generally ignored. However, to configure anonymous access, leave the user name, password, and private key fields empty.
• •You can use a known_hosts file with or without strict host key checking to prevent connections to unverified hosts. With these options:
• - The list of valid hosts must include the host address and public key.
• - You can specify a known_hosts file without strict host key checking, the connection appends the host names it accesses to the known_hosts file.
• •Some settings, including Passive Mode, Stepwise, and Fast Exists Check are server specific. Verify that your FTP server supports these options before you use them.
• •You can use the Fail On Connection Error, Max Reconnection Attempts, and Reconnection Delay properties to handle connection failures and prevent continuous connection attempts. If a connection is lost and the event source stops attempting to connect based on these settings, an error message is logged. See the property descriptions for more information.