PanelView 7 FTP Client

Controls_MJ

Member
Join Date
Mar 2019
Location
Ohio
Posts
3
Hello all,

I am needing some assistance with a project of mine. Our customer wants to use a Allen Bradley System to create a CSV file and then send this file via FTP. The customer wants the data to be sent out of the PLC because of security reasons so we cannot have a program come in and grab the data unfortunately. Has anyone created a program like this before?

This is what I have so far:
1. PanelView uses Active X ME CSVDatalogs to perform the logging of data to CSV file.
- This is setup to create a new CSV File every 2 hours and store up to a weeks worth of files. It then begins to delete the oldest file.
2. We then use the FTP Client program that is on the Panelview to attempt to send all the CSV files.
- Currently I cannot send one file at a time since the file name changes every 2 hours.
- So we have to perform a batch upload of all files
- One issue we have been running into is if the first file that the FTP Client program tries to send is not located on the server it aborts and fails. I am currently working on something to try and get this fixed or have another option but so far nothing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Conrols_MJ
 
Welcome to the PLCTalk forum community !

Exposition: Most folks who use FTP on the PV+ are familiar with the FTP Server service, which allows an external device to read and write the PV+ filesystem. That's not what I think is being used here.

The open-source "Ultra Light FTP Client 1.0" was added to the PV+6 and PV+7 as a command-line utility that you invoke using the Program Launcher ActiveX. RA Knowledgebase article 731486 (Access Level: Everyone) has the basics.

- One issue we have been running into is if the first file that the FTP Client program tries to send is not located on the server it aborts and fails. I am currently working on something to try and get this fixed or have another option but so far nothing.

Can you explain this in a little more detail ? Are you always Replacing an existing file on the FTP Server ?

What is the syntax or configuration you are using on the FTP Client on the PV+ ? Why would it do file-checking on the destination folder ?

Is this file check failure the only problem you are experiencing ?

Is there a NAT device or firewall in between the control system and the FTP Server ?
 
Ken! Thanks for the quick response. I am currently using the Ultra Lite FTP Client 1.0. Unfortunately we cannot use the FTP Server as the customer wants nothing to "come in" and pull data out for security reasons.

As for your questions, let me clarify more and I have some more information as well.

- As of right now the way we have it set up.
1. We open the cmd prompt.
2. Run the FTP Client Program with batch file

\windows\ftpclient.exe
\windows\ftpclient.exe <\temp\ftpcommands_r2.txt
exit

3. Within batch file there are FTP commands to initiate transfer.

c=username:p[email protected]:21
l=CSVDatalogs
bu=*.*
a
x

We are limited in the FTP commands so as of right now we use a bu=*.* command to upload all files in the local directory to the server. If the first file that it tries to send is not currently on the server the transfer aborts. But if it is on the server it works fine. The issue we are having now is that the first file that it tries to send is arbitrary. We figured it would use the oldest file or the newest created file but it does not seem to matter. We were thinking we could create a txt file and have that be the first file it attempts to send but since the first file is arbitrary its no use.

Ideally we don't want to have to replace the files on the server but since we cannot perform an individual upload we have to bulk upload which overwrites existing files.

Attached are the FTP Commands.

We just need it to reliable transfer every time and right now its not consistent.

We use an **** in our Panel. We have no problem connecting out.

Thanks,

Controls_MJ

ftpcommands.PNG
 
If the first file that it tries to send is not currently on the server the transfer aborts.

That's what I'm trying to get through my head. Is there an error message that occurs ?

It doesn't make sense that it would require a file to be present to be over-written. The opposite would make sense; without an Overwrite or Skip command, it would fail if an identically named file was present.

Try adding the Overwrite flag to the Bulk Upload command:

Code:
buo=*.*
 
Also: the RA Knowledgebase and the open source project wiki both say that the 'x' command does not work, and I see that it's the last command in your script.

I'm not sure what the effect is; maybe the Windows CE command prompts are staying open with the FTP client just sitting there connected and idle forever, or maybe they're closing. I think I would have to put a Wireshark sniffer on to tell for sure.
 
I went ahead and tried the buo=*.* command it worked. It was able to write all the files to the server with no errors.

Thanks for the assistance!
 

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