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AIX Version 4.3 Commands Reference, Volume 2

fxfer Command

Purpose

Transfers files between a local system and a host computer connected by HCON.

Syntax

To Restart an Interrupted File Transfer

fxfer -R -n SessionName ]

To Download a File from the Host

fxfer -n SessionName ] [ -a -r ] [ -d ] [ -c | -C ] [ -J ] [ -f FileName ] [ -F ] [ -H HostType ][ -I InputField ] [ -q ] [ -t [ [-l ] [ -s ] [ -b ] ] | -T [ [ -l ] [ -s ] [ -b ] ] ]

-v ] [ -x HostLogin ] [ -e ] [-X CodeSetSourceFile DestFile

To Upload a File to the Host

fxfer -n SessionName ] [ -a -r ] [ -u ] [-c | -C] [-J] [ -f FileName ] [ -H HostType ] [ -q ] [ -t [ [-l ] [-s] ] | -T [ [-l ] [-s] ] ] [-l ] [ -s] [ -v ] [ -x HostLogin ] [-X CodeSet ] [ -F -V -U ] [ -B BlockSize ] [ -L LoglRecLength ] [ -I InputField ] [ -S NumberUnits,IncreaseUnits ,IncreaseUnits,UnitType | ,,UnitType ] ] [-M Volume] [-N Unit] [-k] SourceFile DestFile

To Display the Help Screen

fxfer -h

Description

The fxfer command transfers files between local system and mainframe hosts connected by the Host Connection Program (HCON). Files may transfer from a local system to the host (uploading) or from the host to a local system (downloading). The fxfer command transfers the file named by the SourceFile parameter to the file named by the DestFile parameter. The transfer occurs over an HCON session requiring a specific session profile or an existing session.

The host operating system may be VM/CMS, MVS/TSO, CICS/VS (for CICS/MVS or CICS/VSE), VSE/ESA, or VSE/SP, with the corresponding version of the 3270 File Transfer Program (IND$FILE or its equivalent) installed. The version of the host file transfer program is determined by the File Transfer Program value in the session profile. The fxfer command supports transfer of either text or binary data. Files will transfer to or from the host with or without ASCII or EBCDIC translation.

Security mechanisms prevent unauthorized access, the destruction of existing files, or the loss of data. If a non-HCON user issues the fxfer command, the command fails. If the fxfer command is interrupted before completion, the state of the transfer is saved in a RESTART file.

If the fxfer command is issued with the -h flag, it displays a help screen. If the command is issued with the -R flag, it searches the $HOME directory for a restart file. If a restart file exists, the restart menu displays, enabling a restart of the file transfer. If the -h and -R flags are not specified, the command attempts to perform the specified file transfer.

The fxfer command information includes:

This command requires:

Session Profiles for Using the fxfer Command

The fxfer command communicates with an HCON session and may require a specific session profile. The session profile defines:

When the fxfer command is performing an automatic logon, the profile can also define:

The user usually specifies a session profile when invoking the fxfer command. The exception occurs when the command is run from a subshell of an existing session. In this case, if the user does not specify a session profile, the fxfer command uses the existing session. If the appropriate session is not running, the fxfer command attempts to invoke a new session.

The fxfer command searches for an HCON session as follows:

Interrupted and Restarted File Transfers

The fxfer command can be interrupted by the operator or an unrecoverable communication error, before completion. If interrupted, the command saves the state of the transfer in a RESTART file. The transfer can be restarted from the beginning without loss of data.

If you run a new file transfer after an interrupted transfer, the fxfer command signals that a RESTART file has been created and displays these choices:

The fxfer command with the -R flag also restarts an interrupted file transfer.

If the host communication is lost or disconnected during a file transfer started with an automatic logon, the file transfer attempts to recover by reconnecting and logging back on to the host. The recovery time for this attempt is determined by the File Transfer Recovery Time value in the session profile. Once the host connection is re-established, the file transfer resumes from the start. If communication cannot be re-established, the file transfer program generates a RESTART file.

When an explicit file transfer loses communication with the host, the user must restart the emulator session and log back in to the host before attempting to restart the file transfer.

Source and Destination Files

The fxfer command SourceFile and DestFile parameters are required. The SourceFile parameter specifies the source file for a file transfer. The DestFile parameter specifies the destination file for a file transfer. The local system file names are in the normal format. The host file names conform to the host naming convention, which is one of the following formats:

Host Type File Name Format
VM/CMS "FileName FileType FileMode"
Note: The " " (double quotation marks) are required for all VM/CMS file names to ensure proper file transfer.
MVS/TSO "[']DataSetName (MemberName] [ /Password ][']"

where:

DataSetName Indicates either a physical sequential data set or a partitioned data set.
(MemberName) Indicates the name of one of the members in the directory of an existing partitioned data set. The () (parentheses) enclosing the MemberName are required.
/Password Required if password protection is specified for the MVS/TSO data set. The / (slash) preceding the Password is required.
Notes:
  1. The " " (double quotation marks) are required for all MVS/TSO file names to ensure proper file transfer.
  2. When specifying a complete path name for MVS/TSO file names, use ' (single quotation marks) within the " (double quotation marks). Do not put spaces between the double and single quotation marks or between the quotation marks and the file names.
CICS/VS "FileName"
VSE/ESA "FileName FileType"
Notes:
  1. The " " (double quotation marks) are required for all CICS/VS, VSE/ESA, and VSE/SP file names to ensure proper file transfer.
  2. CICS/VS, VSE/ESA, and VSE/SP file name conventions allow for a file name up to 8 characters long.
  3. In a DBCS environment, HCON does not support a VSE host.

Flags

Note: For Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS) support that includes either Japanese-English, Japanese Katakana, Korean, or Traditional Chinese, these considerations apply:

Flags for Host File Characteristics

The following flags specify host file characteristics and can be used only to upload files (with the exception of the -F flag, which can be used when downloading from a VSE host):

-B BlockSize Specifies the block size of the host data set. The -B flag can only be used in the MVS/TSO environment and only for sequential data sets. The BlockSize variable cannot exceed the capacity of a single track. The -B flag is ignored if the file is being appended. A block size value of 0 causes an error.
-F Specifies fixed-length records. This is the default if neither the -V, -t, -T, -c, nor -C flag is specified. The -F flag is ignored if the file is being appended.

On a CICS or VSE host, one of the translate flags (-t or -T) or one of the CRLF flags (-c or -C) must be specified along with the -F flag, since the CICS and VSE host file transfer programs do not support fixed record lengths. The combination of the -F flag and the translate flag causes the transfer program to pad the records with blanks to the end of the logical record length. The default is 80.

Note: Use the -F flag when downloading from a VSE host to prevent the deletion of trailing blanks from the translated file.
-L LoglRecLength Specifies the logical record length in bytes of the host file. For new files, the default is 80. For variable-length records, LoglRecLength is the maximum size of the record. The -L flag is ignored if the file is being appended. A LoglRecLength value of 0 causes an error.

Because of MVS overhead, the actual number of bytes stored in the variable length records on an MVS/TSO host is four bytes less than the value specified by the LoglRecLength variable.

The CICS and VSE host file transfer programs do not support logical record lengths. For transfers to or from a CICS or VSE host the -L flag must be accompanied by the -F flag. The combination of the -F and -L flags causes the transfer program to pad the records with blanks to the end of the logical record length. The default is 80.

Note: The -L flag is required if a record length is greater than the default record length of 80.
-S NumberUnits ,IncreaseUnits | ,IncreaseUnits,UnitType | ,,UnitType ]
                          Specifies the amount of space to be allocated for a new sequential data set on TSO. For large MVS files, the maximum block size permissible on the host is used to ensure that the whole disk track is filled. The -S flag can be used only with MVS/TSO hosts.

The following variables can be used with the -S flag. If used, they must be specified in the order given and separated by commas. If a variable preceding another variable is omitted, a comma must be included as a placeholder. A space is required between the -S flag and the NumberUnits variable. However, no spaces can appear in the variable string.

NumberUnits
                          Specifies the number of units of space to be added initially. A value of 0 or a negative value cannot be specified for the NumberUnits variable.
IncreaseUnits Specifies the number of units of space to be added to the data set each time the previously allocated space is filled (optional).
UnitType Defines the unit of space and may be T for tracks, C for cylinders, or a number specifying the average block size (in bytes) of the records written to the data set. If the UnitType variable is not specified, the default is the value specified by the -B flag. If the -B BlockSize flag is not specified, the default value is 80.

Following are the possible combinations of variables used with the -S flag:

-S NumberUnits,IncreaseUnits,UnitType
-S NumberUnits,IncreaseUnits
-S NumberUnits
-S NumberUnits,,UnitType
-U Specifies records of undefined length. The -U flag can only be used in the MVS/TSO environment. The -U flag is ignored if the file is being appended.
-V Specifies records of variable length. This is the default if the -F flag is not specified, and either the -t, -T, -c, or -C flag is specified. The -V flag is ignored if the file is being appended.

The -V flag is not supported by the CICS or VSE host file transfer programs, since variable record lengths are the default.

Examples

The following examples assume the session profile for session a is:

Session type   DFT
Communication device   3270c0
Language   English (U.S.A.)
Host type   CMS
File transfer direction   up
File transfer wait period   10
File transfer recovery time   30

where:

Files

/usr/bin/fxfer Contains the fxfer command.
/usr/bin/dfxfer Contains the dfxfer process.
$HOME/i_fxfer.r Contains RESTART information for automatic login queues. Temporary file created by the fxfer command.
$HOME/x_fxfer.r Contains RESTART information for manual login queues. Temporary file created by the fxfer command.
$HOME/hconerrors Contains HCON diagnostic output and file transfer status. Temporary file created by any HCON command.
/usr/lib/libfxfer.a Contains the library for programmatic file transfers.

Related Information

The e789 command, hconutil command, smit hcon command.

HCON File Transfers and Recovering from Interrupted HCON File Transfers in 3270 Host Connection Program 2.1 and 1.3.3 for AIX: Guide and Reference.

Setting up and running Web-based System Management in AIX Version 4.3 System Management Guide: Operating System and Devices.

Programming HCON Overview in 3270 Host Connection Program 2.1 and 1.3.3 for AIX: Guide and Reference.


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