Data exchange is of central importance when combining several computers in a network. Due to the vast number of computer types available on the market, it is essential to use a vendor-independent standard. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) enables data to be exchanged independently of the structure and the operating system of the computers involved. FTP is based directly on TCP and can transfer files of all types (e.g. text, image, sound, video or program files).
The user communicates with the FTP client via the user interface, and the FTP client sets up a connection to the FTP server through port 21 (control connection). The client sends commands to the server via this connection, and the server, in turn, acknowledges these commands by sending corresponding messages back to the client. The FTP server then establishes a second connection to the FTP client using port 20 (data connection) for the actual data exchange.
BS2000 provides both the server and the client functionalities of FTP. Apart from the standard protocol, the following functions are offered:
support for BS2000 file formats (SAM, PAM)
selection of code conversion tables for EBCDIC to ASCII, and vice versa
security functions via the interface to the optional security product openFT-AC, which permits FTP transfer admissions and login authorizations to be handled separately, user-specific access profiles to be defined, and access checks to be logged.
Additional security functions through the use of TLS encryption for the control and/or data connection in order to ensure the confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of the data transferred between the server and client.