The Connect:Direct bridge

You can transfer files to and from an existing IBM® Sterling Connect:Direct® network. Use the Connect:Direct bridge, which is a component of Managed File Transfer, to transfer files between MFT and IBM Sterling Connect:Direct.

This diagram shows two departments: the B2B IT department, which uses Connect:Direct, and the Application Integration IT department, which uses Managed File Transfer. A Connect:Direct bridge is on the boundary between these two departments. This Connect:Direct bridge comprises a Connect:Direct node, which communicates with two Connect:Direct nodes in the B2B IT department, and a Managed File Transfer Connect:Direct bridge agent, which in turn communicates with two Managed File Transfer agents in the Application Integration IT department.
The diagram shows an MFT Connect:Direct bridge between two departments, the B2B IT department and the Application Integration IT department. The B2B IT department uses Connect:Direct to transfer files to and from the company's business partners. The Application Integration IT department uses IBM MQ as its messaging infrastructure and so has recently chosen Managed File Transfer as its file transfer solution.

Using the MFT Connect:Direct bridge, the two departments can transfer files between the Connect:Direct network in the B2B IT department and the MFT network in the Application Integration IT department. The Connect:Direct bridge is a component of Managed File Transfer, which includes an MFT agent that communicates with a Connect:Direct node. The MFT agent is dedicated to transfers with the Connect:Direct node, and is known as the Connect:Direct bridge agent.

The Connect:Direct bridge is available as part of the Service and Agent components of Managed File Transfer, and can be used for the following tasks:
  1. Use Managed File Transfer commands to initiate a transfer of a file, or multiple files, from an MFT agent to a Connect:Direct node.
  2. Use Managed File Transfer commands to initiate a transfer of a file, or multiple files, from a Connect:Direct node to an MFT agent.
  3. Use Managed File Transfer commands to initiate a file transfer that starts a user-defined Connect:Direct process.
  4. Use Connect:Direct process to submit an MFT file transfer request.
A Connect:Direct bridge can transfer files to or from only Connect:Direct nodes. The Connect:Direct bridge can transfer files to or from its local file system only as part of a transfer submitted by a Connect:Direct process.

[z/OS]You can use the Connect:Direct bridge to transfer to or from a data set that is located on a Connect:Direct node on a z/OS® system. There are some differences in behavior compared to data set transfers that only involve Managed File Transfer agents. For more information, see [z/OS]Transferring data sets to and from Connect:Direct nodes.

Supported platforms

The Connect:Direct bridge is made up of an MFT Connect:Direct bridge agent and a Connect:Direct node. The agent is supported on Windows and Linux® for x86-64. The node is supported on the platforms that are supported for IBM Sterling Connect:Direct for Windows and IBM Sterling Connect:Direct for UNIX. For instructions on creating the Connect:Direct bridge agent and configuring a Connect:Direct node for the agent to communicate with, see Configuring the Connect:Direct bridge.

The Connect:Direct bridge can transfer files to and from Connect:Direct nodes that are running as part of a Connect:Direct for Windows or Connect:Direct for UNIX [z/OS], or Connect:Direct for z/OS Service installation. For details of the versions of Connect:Direct that are supported, see the web page System Requirements for IBM MQ.

The agent and node that make up the Connect:Direct bridge must be on the same system, or have access to the same file system, for example through a shared NFS mount. This file system is used to temporarily store files during file transfers that involve the Connect:Direct bridge, in a directory defined by the cdTmpDir parameter. The Connect:Direct bridge agent and the Connect:Direct bridge node must be able to address this directory using the same path name. For example, if the agent and node are on separate Windows systems, the systems must use the same drive letter to mount the shared file system. The following configurations allow the agent and the node to use the same path name:
  • The agent and node are on the same system, which is either running Windows or Linux for x86-64
  • The agent is on Linux for x86-64, and the node is on AIX®
  • The agent is on one Windows system, and the node is on another Windows system
The following configurations do not allow the agent and the node to use the same path name:
  • The agent is on Linux for x86-64, and the node is on Windows
  • The agent is on Windows, and the node is on UNIX
Consider this restriction when planning your installation of the Connect:Direct bridge.