F.A.Q about RA FTP and PuTTY

Products

• CA Automic Workload Automation - Automation Engine

Issue/Introduction

F.A.Q about RA FTP and PuTTY

Environment

Release: AOMBOA99000-3.0-Automic-Operations Manager-Business Objects Agent
Component:

Resolution

Frequently Asked Questions regarding RA FTP and PuTTY

Which protocols can be used to RA FTP?

The RA FTP Agent can work with all FTP protocols.

About FTP:

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and uses separate control and data connections between the client and the server. FTP users may authenticate themselves using a clear-text sign-in protocol, normally in the form of a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secure transmission that hides (encrypts) the username and password, and encrypts the content, FTP is often secured with SSL/TLS ("FTPS"). SSH File Transfer Protocol ("SFTP") is sometimes also used instead, but is technologically different.
• FTPS (FTP Secure, FTP-ES, FTP-SSL) is an extension to the commonly used FTP that adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols. FTPS should not be confused with the SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), an incompatible secure file transfer subsystem for the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. It is also different from Secure FTP, the practice of tunneling FTP through an SSH connection.
• SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol, Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a network protocol that provides file access, file transfer, and file management functionalities over any reliable data stream. It was designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as an extension of the Secure Shell protocol (SSH) version 2.0 to provide secure file transfer capability, but is also intended to be usable with other protocols. It can be used in a number of different applications, such as secure file transfer over Transport Layer Security (TLS) and transfer of management information in VPN applications. This protocol assumes that it is run over a secure channel, that the server has already authenticated the client, and that the identity of the client user is available to the protocol.

Which actions can I use with the RA FTP agent?

The RA FTP Agent based on Standard SSH and OpenSSH, so it is able to run any action, which can be run by OpenSSH.

About SSH

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for secure data communication, remote command-line login, remote command execution, and other secure network services between two networked computers that connects, via a secure channel over an insecure network, a server and a client (running SSH server and SSH client programs, respectively). The protocol specification distinguishes between two major versions that are referred to as SSH-1 and SSH-2. Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for secure data communication, remote command-line login, remote command execution, and other secure network services between two networked computers that connects, via a secure channel over an insecure network, a server and a client (running SSH server and SSH client programs, respectively). The protocol specification distinguishes between two major versions that are referred to as SSH-1 and SSH-2.Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for secure data communication, remote command-line login, remote command execution, and other secure network services between two networked computers that connects, via a secure channel over an insecure network, a server and a client (running SSH server and SSH client programs, respectively). The protocol specification distinguishes between two major versions that are referred to as SSH-1 and SSH-2.

How can I configure the private key file?
Please visit the following site for help: www.jcraft.com/jsch

What can I do, if I get the "Algorithm negotiation failed" error message?
This is a common error, which comes from the server. Please install the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files to solve this problem.
You can download it from here.

What is PuTTY and why should I use it instead of the terminal?
PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet and rlogin. The name "PuTTY" has no definitive meaning, though "tty" is the name for a terminal in the Unix tradition, usually held to be short for Teletype. PuTTY was originally written for Microsoft Windows, but it has been ported to various other operating systems. Official ports are available for some Unix-like platforms, with work-in-progress ports to Classic Mac OS and Mac OS X, and unofficial ports have been contributed to platforms such as Symbian and Windows Mobile.
Many Automic customer uses the software because of the keyboard commands (CTRL+C, CTRL+V, etc.), scroll function, which are unavailable in the terminal window.
Please click here for PuTTY FAQ.
The official software download page is here.

How to import RA FTP Key Files in PuTTY
The Automic System creates a Key file, that is not compatible with Putty. To avoid an Invalid Key error mesage, please do the following steps:

1. Download Putty Key Generator (puttygen.exe) from here.
2. Select Import key from Conversions menu and locate the file that was created by our system.
3. Select Export OpenSSH from Conversions menu and save the Putty compatible key file.

Which files are required for a support case?
For a detailed analysis the job report and/or the trace files are required by support.

How to create trace files with the RA Agent
If the Agent is able to start a job, the traces are located in job report.
If the RA Agent can't start the job, the trace files are written.