JADE User Manual - Configuration Formats & Tools

Text-based file transfer configuration up to Release 1.10

File transfers are configured in JADE up to Release 1.10 in .ini text settings files.

The settings file to be used is specified when JADE is called from the command line and along with the transfer profile.

Transfer profiles are blocks within a settings file that contain the actual configuration parameters. As profiles can be used to specify other profiles, it is possible to develop a set of reusable 'configuration building blocks'  that can be set together as required.

Settings files are configured using a text or code editor.

For further Information see:

• The JADE Tutorials.
  These provide a step by step guide to using configuring and running JADE. Tutorial examples are designed to use our online demo server and can therefore be tested with minimal configuration work. A configuration file is available for download to help you get the tutorials running as quickly as possible.
• An Example JADE settings file with profiles

XML-based file transfer configuration from Release 1.11 onwards

The XML file transfer configuration introduced with release 1.11 of JADE allows parameter dependencies in JADE to be validated before the configuration file is transferred to an operating environment.

Dependencies and conflicts between configuration elements are avoided through the use of an XSD schema.

We have written an XML editor that will simplify the creation and validation of schema-compatible file transfer configurations.

The basic principles behind the organization of the schema elements and parameters is described in Configuring File Transfers with the JADE Client. 

A detailed description of individual parameters can be found in our Parameter Reference.

The following screen shot of the the SOS XML Editor shows the configuration for a Simple File Transfer with Basic Authentication example.

The following code block shows the XML configuration file for the test host FTP file transfer example shown in the XML Editor screen shot above in XML form:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Configurations>
  <Fragments>
    <ProtocolFragments>
      <FTPFragment name="demo@test.sos-berlin.com">
        <BasicAuthentication>
          <Account><![CDATA[demo]]></Account>
          <Password><![CDATA[demo]]></Password>
        </BasicAuthentication>
        <BasicConnection>
          <Hostname><![CDATA[test.sos-berlin.com]]></Hostname>
          <Port><![CDATA[21]]></Port>
        </BasicConnection>
      </FTPFragment>
    </ProtocolFragments>
  </Fragments>
  <Profiles>
    <Profile profile_id="ftp_server_2_local">
      <Operation>
        <Copy>
          <CopySource>
            <CopySourceFragmentRef>
              <FTPFragmentRef ref="demo@test.sos-berlin.com" />
            </CopySourceFragmentRef>
            <SourceFileOptions>
              <Selection>
                <FilePathSelection>
                  <FilePath><![CDATA[/]]></FilePath>
                </FilePathSelection>
              </Selection>
            </SourceFileOptions>
          </CopySource>
          <CopyTarget>
            <CopyTargetFragmentRef>
              <LocalTarget />
            </CopyTargetFragmentRef>
            <Directory><![CDATA[${USERPROFILE}\jade_demo\a]]></Directory>
          </CopyTarget>
        </Copy>
      </Operation>
    </Profile>
  </Profiles>
</Configurations>

Although longer and seemingly more complex than the settings file configuration version shown above, the XML code for this example was produced using the graphical editor and therefore has been validated against the JADE Client XSD Schema. It is error and conflict free and dependencies are correctly specified.

Moving from a Settings File to an XML Configuration

Comparison of the two approaches reveal a significant difference in the concept behind the two approaches to configuration:

• Settings file configuration
  Parameters such as host, protocol, user, password and dir (directory) are usually grouped separately in the settings file configuration according to whether they apply to the transfer source or target. REWRITE This usually has no functional meaning (the files are processed from top to bottom) and is partly simply for convenience (grouping parameters together makes them easier to find) and partly to allow their reuse in the form of so-called profile fragments if required.
• XML configuration
  • Parameters are divided up between hierarchical  profile and fragment branches. (Note that these two expressions are defined differently to elements with the same names in the settings file configuration.)
    • authentication and connection parameters (Account & Password and Hostname & Port respectively) and the protocol (defined through the use of FTP) are part of the Fragments branch of the configuration.
    • the operation (copy) and the source and target file paths (FilePath and LocalTarget respectively) are specified in the Profiles branch.
    • the CopySourceFragmentRef element refers to the FTPFragment specified in the Fragments branch
  • The division between Fragments and Profiles branches allows the reuse of elements whilst working within the strict hierarchical structure of XML.
    • The use of a reference in the Profiles branch (in the example, using the CopySourceFragmentRef element) to specify the authentication and connection parameters in the Profiles branch allows any number of Profiles elements to be defined and specified as required.

Parameter Mapping

With the change to the XML-based configuration not only has a hierarchical structure been introduced to configuration elements but many of the names used for configuration elements have been changed.We have therefore written a parameter mapping table to help users with conversion of their configurations.

More Information

See JADE User Manual - XSD Schema  article for more detailed information about the XML configuration.