Remote File Monitor Task
Overview
The Remote File Monitor task allows you to monitor for a file on a remote machine where an FTP server is running. The Remote File Monitor connects to the FTP server rather than the machine's file system to monitor for files. The Remote File Monitor can be used only within a workflow; you cannot run a Remote File Monitor task based on a trigger. To run a Remote File Monitor task, you need Universal Agent to communicate with the FTP server. The Agent can, but does not have to be, running on the same machine as the FTP server.
In the following example, the user wants to monitor for a file on a remote FTP Server that has an Agent running on it. In this case, the login credentials for the Agent machine and the FTP server machine are the same.
In the following example, the user wants to monitor for a file on a remote FTP Server that does not have an Agent running on it. In this case, the Remote File Monitor task definition provides an address and login credentials for the machine where the Agent is running as well as address and login credentials for the FTP server.
Built-In Variables
The following built-in variables can be used in a Remote File Monitor task to pass data where appropriate:
Creating a Remote File Monitor Task
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Remote File Monitor Tasks. The Remote File Monitor Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Remote File Monitor tasks. |
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new Remote File Monitor task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.
To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:
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Step 3 | Click a Save button. The task is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Task Details are enabled. |
Note
To open an existing record on the list, either:
Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the New button that displays above and below the Details.)
Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.
Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).
Remote File Monitor Task Details
The following Remote File Monitor Task Details is for an existing Remote File Monitor task.
Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Remote File Monitor task has ever been launched, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Remote File Monitor Task Details.
Remote File Monitor Task Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Remote File Monitor Task Details.
Field Name | Description |
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General | This section contains general information about the task. |
Name | User-defined name of this task (Maximum = 255 alphanumeric characters); variables supported. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for tasks. |
Version | System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning. |
Description | Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters. |
Member of Business Services | User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to. (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.) You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service. If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted. |
Resolve Name Immediately | If enabled, the Instance Name of the task instance will be resolved immediately at trigger/launch time. |
Time Zone Preference | User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task. Options:
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Hold on Start |
If enabled, when the task is launched it appears in the Activity Monitor with a status of Held. The task runs when the user releases it. |
Hold Reason |
Information about why the task will be put on hold when it starts. |
Virtual Resource Priority | |
Hold Resources on Failure | |
Agent Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the Agent / Agent Cluster selected for this task. |
Cluster | |
Agent | |
Agent Variable | |
Agent Cluster | |
Agent Cluster Variable | |
Broadcast | |
Cluster Broadcast | |
Cluster Broadcast Variable | |
Credentials | |
Credentials Variable | |
Remote File Monitor Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the task. |
Monitor Type | |
Wait until Satisfied | |
Poll Interval (Seconds) | If Wait until Satisfied is enabled: Frequency, in seconds, in which the Remote File Monitor will check to see if the file exists or is missing. |
Maximum Polls | If Wait until Satisfied is enabled: Maximum number of times that the Remote File Monitor will check to see if the file exists or is missing. |
Stable (Seconds) | If Wait until Satisfied is enabled: Period of time, in seconds, during which the file has not changed. |
Server Type | Note The Remote File Monitor Task Exclude Protocols Universal Controller system property permits the exclusion of one or more, but not all, protocols (server types) from being selected.) |
Additional FTP Commands | |
Transfer Mode | |
Verify Host Name | |
Authenticate Peer | |
Remote Server | Name or IP address of the remote server. This machine may or may not be the same as the Universal Agent machine. |
FTP Credentials | |
FTP Credentials Variable | |
Remote Filename | Path and file name on the remote server. Note If the task instance unexpectedly ends in Start Failure, review the Remote Filename for any leading or trailing whitespace (such as CRLF and CR), or any other unintended characters (such as extra slashes). |
Use Regular Expression | Enables the use of a regular expression in the Remote Filename field. |
Minimum File Size | |
Minimum File Scale | |
Job Card (z/OS only) | |
Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. |
Wait To Start | |
Wait Time | |
Wait Day Constraint | |
Wait Duration | |
Wait Duration In Seconds | |
Delay On Start | |
Delay Duration | |
Delay Duration In Seconds | |
Workflow Only | |
Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for the task. |
Late Start | |
Late Start Type | |
Late Start Time | |
Late Start Day Constraint | |
Late Start Nth Amount | |
Late Start Duration | |
Late Finish | |
Late Finish Type | |
Late Finish Offset Type | |
Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Late Finish Time | |
Late Finish Day Constraint | |
Late Finish Nth Amount | |
Late Finish Duration | |
Early Finish | |
Early Finish Type | |
Early Finish Offset Type | |
Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Early Finish Time | |
Early Finish Day Constraint | |
Early Finish Nth Amount | |
Early Finish Duration | |
User Estimated Duration | |
Critical Path Options | This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task. |
CP Duration | |
CP Duration (Resolved) | |
CP Duration Unit | |
Workflow Execution Options | This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow. |
Execution Restriction | |
Restriction Period | |
Before Date | |
Before Time | |
After Date | |
After Time | |
Date List | |
Statistics | This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task. |
First Execution | |
Last Execution | |
Last Instance Duration | |
Lowest Instance Time | |
Average Instance Time | |
Highest Instance Time | |
Number of Instances | |
Metadata | This section contains Metadata information about this record. |
UUID | Universally Unique Identifier of this record. |
Updated By | Name of the user that last updated this record. |
Updated | Date and time that this record was last updated. |
Created By | Name of the user that created this record. |
Created | Date and time that this record was created. |
Buttons | This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Task Details that let you perform various actions. |
Save | Saves a new task record in the Controller database. |
Save & New | Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record. |
Save & View | Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record. |
New | Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new task. |
Update | |
Launch Task | |
View Parents | |
Copy | Creates a copy of this task, which you are prompted to rename. |
Delete | Note You cannot delete a task if it is either:
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