SFTP Scripting for the IBM i
ARP-SFTP is a powerful and intelligent Secure FTP client for the IBM i. Unlike other products offered for the IBM i, ARP-SFTP runs natively and does not require the use of extra hardware, partitions or even your PASE environment. ARP-SFTP is comprised of two components: (1) a native SSH client that is built upon OpenSSH and is the first true port of an SSH client to the native IBM i environment and (2) a native FTP client that provides support for CL based scripting.
With ARP-SFTP you have the ability to automate any secure FTP task. Every sFTP/FTP request is a CL command giving you the ability to automate retries and recovery steps within a CL program. Unlike other options, ARP-SFTP provides one interface for automating transfers via FTP or SFTP and tracking for both types of activities can be found in one location.
A key manager is built into the native product. You can create your own keys, import keys generated by a CA or even import Putty Keys. If you let ARP-SFTP create keys for you it will support RSA or DSA key types. You also can securely export/archive keys for backup purposes.
Arpeggio kept your organization's security needs in mind when it designed ARP-SFTP. There are many security features including support for multiple authentication methods and remote host verification to prevent man in the middle attacks. Secure logging of all security events, accessing of keys, viewing or changing servers configurations or purging history are logged into QAUDJRN.
There are many other security features in the software. Frequently security auditors will require that access to keys are locked down so only batch jobs can use them and only the necessary programming and security staff can access keys and server configurations where log in credentials are stored. ARP-SFTP is the only native IBM i product that provides the feature of user based access rules for both keys and server configurations.
Support for various types of SFTP authentication is available including key based, password based or even both. Algorithm levels can be specified to ensure that your organization is using the latest and safest methods. Remote host verification can also be implemented to ensure that you are connecting with a trusted partner to prevent man in the middle attacks.
If an SFTP script fails you can be notified along with emailing a joblog showing the details about the issue. If you rather receive a text message for high priority jobs that’s possible since ARP-SFTP does provide support for text messages through its ARP-SMS product which can be directly implemented in ARP-SFTP scripts. Custom messages can be posted in joblogs and message queues. And of course if you choose you can also set up alerts to notify your partner that their server is unreachable or having issues!
Because ARP-SFTP is native you have the ability to transfer any type of IBM i file (DB2, IFS, Save File, Spool Files) with remote SFTP and FTPS servers while specify data formatting options to reduce programming time to fully integrate transactions.
See for yourself and download a trial of ARP-SFTP.