Transferring files using Web Services

[RogerMJR]

I am currently using FTP to communicate between a "server" application, and remote "client" applications located on our customer's computers.  The client application logs onto the ftp Site and downloads configuration updates.  After collecting data, the client logs onto the ftp site and uploads it's data files.  Our server application uses the same ftp site to "send" configuration to the clients, and "receive" the data files from the clients.

I would like to use a service other than FTP to accomplish this.

Can you recommend a secure, yet straight-forward way of doing this with existing Labview VI's other than FTP?

Thanks in advance.

[Himanshu_Goyal]

Dear Roger,

To communicate between Sever and Client application we have many method for various operations and requirements.

In my current running project I am using TCP/IP communication to transfer the historical data. As you know TCP/IP communication is 2-way communication so you can send request to client and based on your request you will get respond from your client.

If you are talking about your configuration transfer or updation, first you build a cluster with your all configuration settings, flattern it and transfer to TCP/IP in your client application you read this cluster. If you got any change in your cluster you can take action according to new changes.

Web Services again a good method to communicate on WEB. If you want to provide your real time data to other application or third party application you can use web services. On other end you can read these web services using WSDL or .NET functions. Webservice is good to transfer real time data for your other application.

Both TCP/IP and Webservices are secure method to build communication between Client and Server. In web services you have one advance feature that is your security key for real time data.

[RogerMJR]

Thanks for the reply.  What I am hoping to do is come up with a solution that will send and receive files from a file server without using the FTP protocol.  Are there existing file transfer routines in the NI library that do not rely on FTP?  Can you point me to examples?

Thanks.

[Andrew_B]

Hello Roger,

This is Andrew Brown, an Applications Engineer from National Instruments. Routines exist within LabVIEW that utilize data transfer protocols such as FTP, TCP/IP, UDP, etc. A relevant LabVIEW Toolkit for these protocols is the Internet Toolkit.

Unfortunately, I am unable to locate examples of file transfer either within LabVIEW or the DevZone website that do not utilize these methods. Is there a specific reason that you do not want to use FTP for this application? (Security, timing, etc) 

Regards,

Andrew

[RogerMJR]

From what I've been told by our IT department, FTP isn't secure.  Plus, it gets little priority from either a support or bandwidth perspective.  "Web Services" has been suggested as an alternative.

[Himanshu_Goyal]

Hi Roger,

As you aware that for file transfer most of us familiar with FTP. No other mode generally we use to transfer the file.

But as I mention earlier I am using some other communication modes to transfer the files like TCP/IP.

No such kind of examples available on NI website but I will share these ASAP.

[RavensFan]

Has anyone actually looked?

Go to Help  >>  Find Examples.  Search on TCP/IP.

There are two examples called Simple Data Server and Simple Data client.  All you need to do is add the File handling side to the server and client.  And for security, you could work up some sort of hash scheme.

[RogerMJR]

Hello Himanshu

I would prefer to use FTP. Our current application is designed to use FTP.  Unfortunately, the environment in which this must work has changed, and now, for my particular application, FTP is no longer a reliable method for transferring files.

I would be interested in seeing some examples using TCP/IP (or any other), as you mention.  Any chance you have something you can send me?

[Andrew_B]

Hello Roger,

As mentioned by Ravens Fan, there are a series of TCP/IP examples that are packaged with LabVIEW. The process to access these examples is to first click on "Help" in the Menu bar, then select "Find Examples..."

Once the NI Example Finder is pulled up, select the "Search" tab on the upper left corner and search for "TCP/IP". That should bring up a series of example programs that demonstrate aspects of TCP/IP functionality.

I attached several of the most relevant examples in "TCP_IP_examples.zip", notably:

Simple Data Client

Simple Data Server

Data Client

Data Server

DateServerUsingReentrantRun

DateServerUsingStartAsynchronousCall (LabVIEW 2011 only)

I found a specific example of TCP/IP file transfer by searching through the NI Developer Zone for "TCP IP file transfer", and the second result is called Sending Files through TCP/IP with LabVIEW. I also attached this example in the "tcp_file_transfer.zip" folder.

Please let me know if this information helps, or if you have any issues with either attached set of example programs. Thanks, and have a great day!

Regards,

Andrew Brown

[RogerMJR]

This looks good as a simple solution. I've played with data tunneling over TCP/IP before, but I'm not an IT guy so I'm wondering whether this will work within a typical corporate IT infrastructure. Or what may have to be added to get thru a corporate firewall (actually two firewalls, ours, and the customers).  Is this where "Web Services" comes into play?