> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arc.cdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# FTP Server Connector

> Configuration and usage guide for the CData Arc FTP Server connector, which provides connection credentials to access the built-in FTP server.

export const ServerStatus = () => <>
    <p><em>The current state of the connector's underlying service. The following statuses are available:</em></p>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Status</th>
          <th>Description</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Active</strong></td>
          <td>The service is running.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Inactive</strong></td>
          <td>The service is configured but is not currently running.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Not Configured</strong></td>
          <td>The underlying profile or service has not been set up.</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const NameDescription = ({extraRows}) => <table>
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th>Setting</th>
        <th>Description</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td><strong>Connector Id</strong></td>
        <td>The static, unique identifier for the connector.</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td><strong>Connector Type</strong></td>
        <td>Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td><strong>Connector Description</strong></td>
        <td>An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.</td>
      </tr>
      {extraRows}
    </tbody>
  </table>;

export const SlasTab = ({siteName = "CData Arc"}) => <>
    <p><em>Settings related to configuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs).</em></p>
    <p>
      SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. {siteName} sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as <em>At Risk</em>, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as <em>Violated</em>. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.
    </p>
    <p>
      To define an SLA, toggle <strong>Expected Volume</strong> on, then click the <strong>Settings</strong> tab.
    </p>
    <img src="/public/images/sla_empty.png" alt="SLA Empty" />
    <ul>
      <li>If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.</li>
      <li>In the <strong>Expect at least</strong> portion of the window:
        <ul>
          <li>Set the minimum number of transactions you expect to be processed (the volume)</li>
          <li>Use the <strong>Every</strong> fields to specify the time frame</li>
          <li>Indicate when the SLA should go into effect. If you choose <strong>Starting on</strong>, complete the date and time fields.</li>
          <li>Check the boxes for the days of the week that you want the SLA to be in effect. Use the dropdown to choose <strong>Everyday</strong> if necessary.</li>
        </ul>
      </li>
      <li>In the <strong>Set status to 'At Risk'</strong> portion of the window, specify when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
        <ul>
          <li>By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check <strong>Send an 'At Risk' notification</strong>.</li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
    <p>
      The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.
    </p>
    <img src="/public/images/sla_defined.png" alt="SLA Configuration Example" />
    <Note>
      You can turn off SLA alerts if necessary. This can be useful during maintenance windows. Click <strong>Settings</strong> on the navbar, then navigate to <strong>Alerts &gt; General Alerts</strong>. Click the tablet and pencil icon to edit, and uncheck the <strong>SLA Alerts</strong> setting.
    </Note>
  </>;

export const AlertsTab = ({siteNameShort = "Arc"}) => <>
    <p><em>Settings related to configuring alerts.</em></p>
    <p>
      Before you can execute Service Level Agreements (SLAs), you need to set up email alerts for notifications. By default, {siteNameShort} uses the global settings on the <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/alerts">Alerts</a> tab. To use other settings for this connector, toggle <strong>Override global setting</strong> on.
    </p>
    <p>
      By default, error alerts are enabled, which means that emails are sent whenever there is an error. To turn them off, uncheck the <strong>Enable</strong> checkbox.
    </p>
    <p>
      Enter a <strong>Subject</strong> (mandatory). Check <strong>Allow {siteNameShort}Script in Subject</strong> to use {siteNameShort}Script in the <strong>Subject</strong> field. When you select this, the <strong>{siteNameShort}Script Editor</strong> button appears (<img src="/public/images/rest_arcscript_editor.png" alt="arcscript editor button" style={{
  display: 'inline',
  verticalAlign: 'middle',
  margin: 0
}} />).
    </p>
    <p>
      Optionally, enter a comma-separated list of <strong>Recipient</strong> emails.
    </p>
  </>;

export const Message = () => <>
    <p><em>Message settings determine how the connector searches for messages and manages them after processing.</em></p>
    <p><strong>Note:</strong> The settings below are deprecated and hidden by default. They appear only on connectors where they were previously enabled or configured to a non-default value. To retain copies of successfully processed files, right-click the connector in the flow, choose <strong>Show Success Path</strong>, and connect the success path to a <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/connectors/file">File connector</a>.</p>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr><th>Setting</th><th>Description</th></tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Save to Sent Folder</strong> (Deprecated)</td>
          <td>Copies files processed by the connector to the Sent folder. Disabled by default. Files saved to the Sent folder are not covered by <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/encryption-at-rest">Encryption at Rest</a>.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Sent Folder Scheme</strong> (Deprecated)</td>
          <td>Groups files in the <strong>Sent</strong> folder by the selected time interval. Only relevant when <strong>Save to Sent Folder</strong> is enabled.</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const MiscConnector = () => <>
    <p><em>Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.</em></p>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Setting</th>
          <th>Description</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Other Settings</strong></td>
          <td>Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example, <code>setting1=value1;setting2=value2</code>). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const Logging = () => <>
    <p><em>Settings that govern the creation and storage of logs.</em></p>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Setting</th>
          <th>Description</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Level</strong></td>
          <td>The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to <strong>Debug</strong>.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Subfolder Scheme</strong></td>
          <td>Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. The <strong>Weekly</strong> option (which is the default) instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. Leaving this setting blank tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Messages</strong></td>
          <td>Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the <strong>Transactions</strong> tab.</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const ProfileLogging = () => <>
    <p><em>Settings that govern the creation and storage of logs.</em></p>
    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Setting</th>
          <th>Description</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Level</strong></td>
          <td>The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to <strong>Debug</strong>.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Rotate Interval</strong></td>
          <td>The number of days to wait before creating a new log file.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td><strong>Log Delete Interval</strong></td>
          <td>The number of days to wait before deleting old log files.</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const MacrosExamples = ({extraMacros = []}) => <>
    <p>
      Some macros, such as %Ext% and %ShortDate%, do not require an argument, but others do. All
      macros that take an argument use the following syntax: <code>%Macro:argument%</code>
    </p>

    <p>Here are some examples of the macros that take an argument:</p>

    <ul>
      <li>%Header:headername%: Where <code>headername</code> is the name of a header on a message.</li>
      <li>%Header:mycustomheader% resolves to the value of the <code>mycustomheader</code> header set on the input message.</li>
      <li>%Header:ponum% resolves to the value of the <code>ponum</code> header set on the input message.</li>
      <li>%RegexFilename:pattern%: Where <code>pattern</code> is a regex pattern. For example, <code>%RegexFilename:^([\w][A-Za-z]+)%</code> matches and resolves to the first word in the filename and is case insensitive (<code>test_file.xml</code> resolves to <code>test</code>).</li>
      <li>%Vault:vaultitem%: Where <code>vaultitem</code> is the name of an item in the <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/global-settings-vault">vault</a>. For example, <code>%Vault:companyname%</code> resolves to the value of the <code>companyname</code> item stored in the vault.</li>
      <li>%DateFormat:format%: Where <code>format</code> is an accepted date format (see <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/scripting/value-formatters/date-formatters#sample-date-formats">Sample Date Formats</a> for details). For example, <code>%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%</code> resolves to the date and timestamp on the file.</li>
      {extraMacros.filter(item => item.example).map(item => <li key={`ex-${item.name}`}>{item.example}</li>)}
    </ul>

    <p>You can also create more sophisticated macros, as shown in the following examples:</p>

    <ul>
      <li>Combining multiple macros in one filename: <code>%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%%EXT%</code></li>
      <li>Including text outside of the macro: <code>MyFile_%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%</code></li>
      <li>Including text within the macro: <code>%DateFormat:'DateProcessed-'yyyy-MM-dd_'TimeProcessed-'HH-mm-ss%</code></li>
    </ul>
  </>;

export const MacrosTable = ({siteName = "CData Arc", extraMacros = []}) => <>
    <p>
      Using macros in file naming strategies can enhance organizational efficiency and contextual
      understanding of data. By incorporating macros into filenames, you can dynamically include
      relevant information such as identifiers, timestamps, and header information, providing
      valuable context to each file.
    </p>

    <p>{siteName} supports these macros, which all use the following syntax: <code>%Macro%</code>.</p>

    <table>
      <thead>
        <tr><th>Macro</th><th>Description</th></tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr><td>ConnectorID</td><td>Evaluates to the ConnectorID of the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>ConnectorName</td><td>Evaluates to the name of the connector. Enables you to include the connection name in file names or paths: for example, to tag backup files by which database connection produced them.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Ext</td><td>Evaluates to the file extension of the file currently being processed by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Filename</td><td>Evaluates to the filename (extension included) of the file currently being processed by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>FilenameNoExt</td><td>Evaluates to the filename (without the extension) of the file currently being processed by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>MessageId</td><td>Evaluates to the MessageId of the message being output by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>RegexFilename:<em>pattern</em></td><td>Applies a RegEx pattern to the filename of the file currently being processed by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Header:<em>headername</em></td><td>Evaluates to the value of a targeted header (<code>headername</code>) on the current message being processed by the connector.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>LongDate</td><td>Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in long-handed format (for example, Wednesday, January 24, 2024).</td></tr>
        <tr><td>ShortDate</td><td>Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in a yyyy-MM-dd format (for example, 2024-01-24).</td></tr>
        <tr><td>DateFormat:<em>format</em></td><td>Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in the specified format (<code>format</code>). See <a href="/26.3/self-hosted/en/scripting/value-formatters/date-formatters#date-formats-with-literal-characters">Sample Date Formats</a> for the available datetime formats.</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Vault:<em>vaultitem</em></td><td>Evaluates to the value of the specified vault item.</td></tr>
        {extraMacros.map(item => <tr key={item.name}>
            <td>{item.name}</td>
            <td>{item.description}</td>
          </tr>)}
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </>;

export const companyName = "CData";

export const siteNameShort = "Arc";

export const siteName = "CData Arc";

FTP Server connectors provide connection credentials to access the full-featured {siteNameShort} FTP Server.

## Key Capabilities

* Full-featured embedded FTP server with FTPS (FTP over TLS/SSL) support
* Multi-client architecture with individual user profiles and directory isolation
* Configurable permissions for send and receive directories per trading partner
* Welcome banners, file filtering, and temporary file handling for reliable operations
* Support for both active and passive modes with configurable port ranges

## Overview

The {siteNameShort} FTP Server is primarily configured on the [Profiles](../getting-started/administration/profiles) page. Then, individual FTP Server connectors provide a unique client profile to authenticate to the FTP Server. The client profile consists of a username (which matches the FTP Server connector's **Connector Id**), a password, a set of send and receive directories, and permissions to read and/or write files in these directories.

FTP clients are not given permissions to the root of the FTP Server, which means that FTP clients should always *cd* into the send (to download) and receive (to upload) directories after connecting.

### Video Resources

Watch this short video for an overview of how to configure an FTP Server. The video uses an SFTP Server in the example, but the principles are the same for FTP.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R1OrVVdqySU" frameBorder="0" allowFullScreen />

## Profile Configuration

The FTP Server Profile must be configured before connections can be established with individual FTP Server connectors. Click **Profiles** on the navbar, then click the **FTP Server** tab.

### Server Configuration

*Server implementation settings.*

| Setting                    | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Port**                   | The port on which the FTP Server listens for incoming connections.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| **FTP Over TLS**           | How TLS/SSL should be negotiated when clients connect to the server. Choose **Explicit** to establish a plain text connection where TLS/SSL is then started with an explicit command. Choose **Implicit** to immediately negotiate TLS/SSL without establishing a plain text connection.                                               |
| **Server TLS Certificate** | The TLS certificate that identifies the server. Only required if the server is operating as an FTPS server (in other words, if TLS/SSL is enabled).                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Certificate Password**   | The password required to access the **Server TLS Certificate**.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **Welcome Message**        | The banner presented to FTP clients when they connect to the server.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **Root Directory**         | The root directory for the server. Subfolders are created in the root for individual client profiles (in other words, for each configured FTP Server connector). Each client profile includes a *Send* folder, where clients can download files from the server, and a *Receive* folder, where clients can upload files to the server. |
| **Allowed Files Filter**   | A glob pattern that determines which files are accepted by the FTP server. You can use negative patterns to indicate files that should *not* be downloaded (for example, -\*.tmp). Separate multiple file types by commas (for example, \*.x12,\*.edi).                                                                                |

### Other Settings

*Settings that do not fall into the previous category.*

| Setting                   | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active Mode**           | Check this to enable Active mode on the remote FTP server. Keep in mind that Passive mode is less likely to result in firewall interference with the connection.                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **Inactivity Timeout**    | The length of time (in seconds) that must pass without activity for a user to time out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **Passive Port Range**    | When using Passive mode, the application uses any available port to listen for incoming data connections. You can override this by setting this field to a port range in `start-end` format. For example: `1024-` refers to ports higher than 1024 (inclusive) and `1024-2048` refers to ports between 1024 and 2048 (inclusive).                                            |
| **Passive Address**       | When using Passive mode, the application returns the IP address for the local interface. You can override this by setting this field to a specific public IP address.                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **TLS Enabled Protocols** | The list of TLS/SSL protocols supported when establishing outgoing connections. Best practice is to only use TLS protocols. SSL v2 and SSL v3 are considered vulnerable and should only be used if your partner does not support higher versions. Keep in mind that TLS v1.3 is not universally adopted, and might be refused if the destination server does not support it. |

#### Logging

<ProfileLogging />

#### Miscellaneous

<MiscConnector />

## Connector Settings

Once you configure the FTP Server profile settings, create and configure an individual FTP Server connector for each trading partner on the Flows page.

### Settings Tab

#### Configuration

<NameDescription />

#### Server Status

<ServerStatus />

Depending on whether you have already created the FTP profile, click the **Configure FTP Profile** or **View FTP Profile** links to open the profile in a new tab.

#### User Configuration

*Credentials for authenticating to the local FTP server.*

| Setting      | Description                                                                                                            |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **User**     | The username credential for logging in to the local FTP server. This value is always the same as the **Connector Id**. |
| **Password** | The password credential associated with the **User**.                                                                  |

#### Permissions

*Settings related to the read and write permissions the configured client has for the Send and Receive folders.*

| Setting                           | Description                                                                                                                   |
| --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send Directory Permissions**    | Use the checkboxes to set read and write permissions for the *Send* directory. This directory is where files are downloaded.  |
| **Receive Directory Permissions** | Use the checkboxes to set read and write permissions for the *Receive* directory. This directory is where files are uploaded. |

### Advanced Tab

#### Local Folders

*Settings related to the folders where clients upload and download files.*

| Setting                     | Description                                                                                                                                              |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Input Folder (Send)**     | Files in the Send folder are available to be downloaded by clients.                                                                                      |
| **Output Folder (Receive)** | Files uploaded by the client are placed in the Receive folder. Files remain in the Receive folder or are passed along to the next connector in the flow. |

#### Other Settings

*Settings not included in the previous categories.*

| Setting                     | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Home Directory**          | The configured server path where connected users start after logging in. For the valid locations and how the path is validated, see [Home Directory](#home-directory).                                                                  |
| **Allowed Files Filter**    | A glob pattern that determines which files are accepted by the FTP server. Overrides the **Allowed Files Filter** option on the FTP [Profile](../getting-started/administration/profiles) page.                                         |
| **Remove File After Send**  | Whether files in the *Send* folder should be removed after the client receives them.                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Temp Receive Extensions** | Files with a matching extension are not recorded in the Receive table and do not fire the **After Receive** event until they are renamed. Supply a comma-delimited list of file extensions.                                             |
| **Timeout**                 | The length of time (in seconds) the server waits for a connection response before throwing a timeout error.                                                                                                                             |
| **Save Subfolder**          | Check this to add a SubFolder header to received messages. This header represents the path relative to the Local Folders.                                                                                                               |
| **Local File Scheme**       | A scheme for assigning filenames to messages that are output by the connector. You can use macros in your filenames dynamically to include information such as identifiers and timestamps. For more information, see [Macros](#macros). |

#### Message

<Message />

#### Logging

<Logging />

#### Miscellaneous

<MiscConnector />

### Alerts Tab

<AlertsTab />

### SLAs Tab

<SlasTab />

## Establishing a Connection

Each FTP Server connector represents a single trading partner's connection parameters. The trading partner should connect to the FTP server using the server settings (such as port and TLS mode) from the [Profile](../getting-started/administration/profiles) page and the [user configuration](#user-configuration) settings in the dedicated FTP Server connector (User and Password).

Each trading partner has separate *Send* and *Receive* directories that are subfolders of the root. The partner should download files from the Send folder and upload files to the Receive folder. The client is not permitted to upload or download files from the root.

## Home Directory

The **Home Directory** setting controls which folder a client lands in when it logs in to an FTP Server connector. Configure it in the connector's **Advanced** tab, under **Other Settings**. Setting a home directory is useful when you migrate from other FTP software that let you configure a landing folder, or for automated systems that upload or download at whatever directory they land in without issuing navigation (`cd`) commands.

The field defaults to empty, but it also accepts a server path:

* **Empty (default):** The client lands at the virtual root (`/`).
* **Set to a path:** On successful login, the client's initial working directory is the specified path. A client that connects and immediately uploads, downloads, or lists files without changing directories operates inside the home directory.

The home directory must be a server path (starting with `/`) that resolves against the **Root Directory** defined on the connector's [Profile](#profile-configuration), and it must match a configured server location; you cannot set it to an arbitrary path that only exists on disk. For the FTP Server connector, the valid locations are:

* `/` (the virtual root): this is the default when the field is empty, so setting it explicitly has no additional effect
* `/Send`
* `/Receive`

The field normalizes your input, so `Receive`, `/Receive`, `\Receive`, and `/Receive/` are all treated as the same path. The value is validated when you save the connector: a path that does not match a configured server location is rejected with an error that names the invalid value.

<Note>The home directory only sets the initial landing directory at login. It is not a chroot or jail and does not restrict which folders a client can navigate to afterward; folder access is still governed by the [permission settings](#permissions).</Note>

## Macros

<MacrosTable />

### Examples

<MacrosExamples />

## Common Errors

### Error: Could not bind server socket: Permission denied.

**Cause**

This error can appear when you attempt to connect to an FTP server and the process hosting {siteNameShort} does not have sufficient privileges to establish a listener on the specified port.

<Note>In some cases (such as Linux environments and hosted instances running in an Amazon AMI), you cannot use ports below 1024.</Note>

**Resolution**

Choose a different port, or change the identity of the process hosting {siteNameShort} to one with permissions to bind to the port.

The Amazon AMI-hosted version of {siteNameShort} uses the Ubuntu operating system, so {companyName} recommends that you use an *Uncomplicated Firewall* (UFW) to manage port permission issues. For example, setting up FTP Server to run on port 8021 in {siteNameShort} and using UFW to forward port 21 to 8021 at the OS level looks like this:

```
ufw allow 21/tcp
ufw allow 8021/tcp
echo "
*nat
:PREROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
-A PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 21 -j REDIRECT --to-port 8021
COMMIT" >> /etc/ufw/before.rules
```

If your environment uses a different Linux operating system, {companyName} recommends that you bind to a port above the restricted range (for example, 8021 for FTP traffic) and use `iptables` to route incoming requests on the desired port to the allowed port:

`iptables -t nat -I PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 21 -j REDIRECT --to-port 8021`