Creating a Sterling File Gateway partner

Create partners to establish their configuration properties in your system. You can create partners in one system and migrate them to another system using export and import. If you are creating partners to use Global Mailbox, create the partner in the first data center, then export the partner information to a file, and import the information to the second and subsequent data centers.

About this task

Restriction: To avoid conflicts between systems, create partners in one system and use export and import to copy the configuration to the other system. Do not create partners in both systems.

To create a partner:

Procedure

From the main menu, select Participants > Partners.
Click Create.
From the Community list, select the community to which this partner must belong.
Complete the steps in the wizard to enter the information for the partner.
Partner Name

A unique name with a maximum of 100 characters. Spaces are allowed. Two partners cannot have the same partner name. You cannot modify the partner name after the partner is created.

Partner Code

The partner code field is optional. If not specified, a partner code is generated based on the partner name when the partner is created.

A maximum of 24 alphanumeric characters. Only characters from the US-ASCII alphabet, numbers, and special characters of underscore, dash, and period are valid. Two partners cannot have the same partner code. You cannot modify the partner code after the partner is created.

Restriction: If you specify a partner code different from the partner name, do not specify ProducerCode or ConsumerCode in the root portion of the mailbox path when you create a routing channel template. A mailbox would be created that cannot be accessed by users to download files.
A consumer mailbox path pattern of /${ConsumerName}/from_${ProducerCode} or a producer mailbox path of /${ProducerName}/to_${ConsumerCode} is valid.

Address

Address of the partner

City

City of the partner

State

State or province the partner operates in

Postal Code

Postal code for the partner

Phone (Required)

Phone contact number for the partner

Country/Region (Required)

Select from the list. Default is UNITED STATES

Time Zone (Required)

Select from the list. Default is (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

Email Address (Required)

Email address of the partner
Use distributed mailboxes for the partner

Select the check box to use distributed mailboxes. All of the mailboxes created for the partner are in the Global Mailbox realm. When Global Mailbox is installed, this option is selected by default.
If the partner is a Listening Consumer, Sterling File Gateway delivers routed files for any listening consumer protocol configuration.
When this choice is selected for Producers, the following protocols can be used:

FTP

SFTP

Connect:Direct®

myFileGateway
Complete the steps in the wizard to create a user account:
Authentication Type
Valid values are:
- Local
- External - authenticated outside Sterling File Gateway
For external authentication type, specify the authentication server in the Authentication Host field.
User Name

A minimum of 5 characters and maximum of 36 characters. No spaces, tabs, or the following characters:
!@#%^*()+?,<>[]{}\/"'|;

Password

A maximum number of 100 characters. Must comply with rules in the selected password policy, if one is specified. Disabled if Authentication Type is External.

Password Policy

Populated with values of password policy from Sterling B2B Integrator. Default is blank (none). Disabled if Authentication Type is External.

Authentication Host

Populated with values from the customer_overrides.properties file. If you are using Sterling Secure Proxy for authentication, the settings in Sterling Secure Proxy override the entry here. Disabled if Authentication Type is Local.

Session Timeout (in minutes)

Number of minutes of inactivity before session ends. Default is 15. To change the default, system administrators can edit customer_overrides.properties to set filegateway_ui.fgOnboardingDefaultSessionTimeoutInMinutes= new value

Given Name

A maximum number of 64 characters.

Surname

A maximum number of 64 characters.
Specify the partner role:
- Partner is a Consumer of Data
  Select if the partner receives data from the Router. Then select one of the following:
  - Partner will initiate the connection to consume data.
  - Partner will listen for a connection to consume data.
    
    Listen for FTP Connections
    
    Listen for Connect:Direct Connections
    
    Listen for SSH/SFTP Connections
    
    Listen for WebSphere MQ FTE Connections
    
    Listen for FTPS Connections
    
    (Any custom protocols that are added by the administrator)
  A partner can be either an initiating consumer or a listening consumer, not both.
- If you selected:
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data. > Listen for FTP Connections
  Specify the following fields:
  - FTP Server Host Name (or IP address) (Required)
  - FTP Listen Port - Default is 21. (Required)
  - Connection Type - Active or Passive. Default is Active. (Required)
  - User Name (Required)
  - Password (Required)
  - Confirm Password (Required)
  - Base Directory - Directory for the data to be transferred to. Default is home directory after log-in.
  - Local Port Range - Any valid port numbers that are not being used by another application on the system. Contact your network administrator if the port numbers are restricted in any way. A port in the specified range using the form min-port,max-port establishes a data connection to the remote FTP server.
  - Local Control Port Range - Any valid port numbers not used by another application on the system. A port in the specified range using the form min-port,max-port establishes a control channel to the remote FTP server.
  - Number of retries - Default is 3. (Required)
  - Interval between retries (in minutes) - Default is 1. (Required)
  - Upload file under a temporary name first? Yes or No. Default is No. (Required)
- If you selected:
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data. > Listen for Connect:Direct Connections
  Values that are shown in [] in the following descriptions are the associated Connect:Direct Server Begin Session or Connect:Direct Copy To services parameters. Specify the following fields:
  - Local Node Name (Required) [LocalCDNodeName] Specifies the name of the local Connect: Direct server adapter. List includes all configurations of the Connect:Direct server adapter.
  - Remote Node Name (Required) [RemoteCDNodeName] Specifies the name of a remote Sterling Connect:Direct server node. This name must be same as the name of one of the nodes in the netmap of the adapter identified by LocalCDNodeName.
  - Local User Id [LocalUserId] Overrides the PNodeId (the user running the BP).
  - Remote User Id [RemoteUserId] Specifies the UserId to be used on remote Sterling Connect:Direct server node. Required except when:
    
    Remote password is not provided in the invoked BP.
    
    Remote Sterling Connect:Direct server is configured to accept an inbound connection from a designated PNodeName (Specified Connect:Direct Server adapter name in the invoked BP) and PNodeId (the user running the BP). If you specify the LocalUserId, it is used in place of PNodeId.
  - Remote Password [RemotePasswd] Specifies the password to be used on remote Sterling Connect:Direct server node.
  - Remote Password Confirm
  - Remote File Name [RemoteFileName] Name to be given to the destination file that is copied to the remote Sterling Connect:Direct server. Required.
  - Disposition to be applied to remote file [RemoteDISP] Specifies how the destination file is created on the remote Sterling Connect:Direct server.
  - Sysopts string to be applied to remote file. Sysopts syntax varies by platform and you must use the syntax for the platform that is performing the work. See the IBM Sterling Connect:Direct Process Language Reference Guide for more information.
  - CheckpointInterval to be used for checkpoint restart. Specifies the byte interval for checkpoint support, which restarts the interrupted transmissions at the last valid checkpoint point and therefore reduces the time to retransmit the file. Valid value is number of bytes, in one of the following formats:
    
    nnnnnnnnnn
    
    nK or nM
    
    nm or nk
  The values supplied for the preceding fields are passed to Sterling Connect:Direct.
- If you selected:
  
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data > Listen for SSH/SFTP Connections
  
  Select an SSH Remote Profile on the next page.
- If you selected:
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data > Listen for WebSphere MQ FTE Connections
  For more information on each of the following parameters, see the IBM WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition Documentation and search for the equivalent WebSphere® MQ File Transfer Edition term that is provided. Values that are shown in [] in the following descriptions are the associated WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition Create Transfer service parameters. Specify the following fields:
  - Source Agent adapter [SourceAgentAdapter] - Name of the WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition Agent adapter in Sterling B2B Integrator that is the source agent in deliveries to this partner. Select from the list. (Required)
  - Destination Agent Name [DestAgentName] - Name of destination agent where deliveries to this partner are sent.
  - Destination Agent Queue Manager [DestAgentQMgr] - Name of destination agent queue manager.
  - Destination Type [DestType] - Defines if delivered file is created as a file, data set, or file space object on the destination agent. Valid values are:
    
    file
    
    partitioned data set
    
    sequential data set
    
    file space
    
    Required.
  - Destination Directory, Data Set or File Space (Required) [DestName] Valid values are:
    
    When Destination Type is ‘file’ this field defines the directory on the destination where the file is transferred. The file name is determined by the File Gateway Routing Channel Template configuration used for the route.
    
    When Destination Type is 'file space', this field defines the user file space on the destination agent where the file is transferred. The file name is determined by the File Gateway Routing Channel Template configuration used for the route.
    
    When Destination Type is 'partitioned data set' or 'sequential data set', this field contains the data set specification. Additionally, the first occurrence of the string ${FileName} is replaced by the file name determined by the File Gateway Routing Channel Template configuration used for the route.
  - Destination File Already Exists (Required). [DestFileBehavior] Disposition when a file of the same name already exists at the destination. Valid values are:
    
    error (default)
    
    overwrite
  - Queue For Transfer Status Reply Messages (Required) [ReplyQueueName] - Name of the queue where reply messages are placed.
  - Queue Manager Containing Reply Queue (Required) [ReplyQMgr] - Name of the queue manager for the reply queue.
  - Priority [Priority] - Priority of transfer as integer Valid values are:
    
    0 (default)
    
    1
    
    2
    
    3
    
    4
    
    5
    
    6
    
    7
    
    8
    
    9 (high)
    
    Required.
  - Transfer Mode [TransferMode] - Valid values are:
    
    binary (no conversion) (default)
    
    text (automatic conversion)
    
    Required.
  - Checksum Method - Type of checksum calculated on file to ensure integrity of transfer. Valid values are:
    
    MD5 (default)
    
    None
    
    Required.
  - User Defined Metadata Name [MetaData] - Value pairs of metadata values as comma-separated list (name1=value1,name2=value2).
  - User Defined Job Name [JobName] - Job name associated with transfer request.
  If you want to run commands on the non-Sterling B2B Integrator destination, specify:
  
  Pre-Transfer Command Type [PreDestCommandType]. Valid values are:
  
  NONE (default) If set to NONE then no command is run and other Pre-Destination parameters are ignored.
  
  EXECUTABLE
  
  ANTSCRIPT
  
  JCL
  
  Pre-Transfer Command [PreDestCommand] - Name of command, antscript or JCL job to be run on destination agent before transfer starts.
  
  Pre-Transfer Executable Arguments [PreDestArguments] - Arguments passed to command when type is EXECUTABLE. Format is a comma-separated list of arguments. Within the list, the first occurrence of the string ${FileName} is replaced with the delivery file name generated by the routing channel.
  
  Pre-Transfer Ant Properties [PreDestProperties] - Properties passed to ant when type is ANTSCRIPT. Comma-separated list of name-value pairs:name1=value,name2=value2. Within the list, the first occurrence of the string ${FileName} is replaced with the delivery file name generated by the routing channel.
  
  Pre-Transfer Ant Targets [PreDestTargets] - Name of targets to be run when type is ANTSCRIPT. Comma-separated list of targets: target1,target2
  
  Pre-Transfer Retry Count [PreDestRetryCount] - The maximum number of retries that the agent permits.
  
  Pre-Transfer Retry Wait [PreDestRetryWait] - The maximum wait, in seconds, between retries that the agent permits.
  
  Pre-Transfer Successful Return Code [PreDestSuccessRC] - Specifies the return code that indicates the program invocation ran successfully.
  
  Post-Transfer Command Type [PostDestCommandType]. Valid values are:
  
  NONE (default) If set to NONE then no command is run and other Post-Destination parameters are ignored.
  
  EXECUTABLE
  
  ANTSCRIPT
  
  JCL
  
  Post-Transfer Command [PostDestCommand]- Name of command, antscript or JCL job to be run on destination agent after transfer completes.
  - Post-Transfer Executable Arguments [PostDestArguments] - Arguments passed to command when type is EXECUTABLE. Format is a comma-separated list of arguments. Within the list, the first occurrence of the string ${FileName}is replaced with the delivery file name generated by the routing channel.
  - Post-Transfer Ant Properties [PostDestProperties] - Properties passed to ant when type is ANTSCRIPT. Comma-separated list of name-value pairs: name1=value,name2=value2. Within the list, the first occurrence of the string ${FileName} is replaced with the delivery file name generated by the routing channel.
  - Post-Transfer Ant Targets [PostDestTargets] - Name of targets to be run when type is ANTSCRIPT. Comma-separated list of targets: target1,target2
  - Post-Transfer Retry Count [PostDestRetryCount] - The maximum number of retries that the agent permits.
  - Post-Transfer Retry Wait [PostDestRetryWait] - The maximum wait, in seconds, between retries that the agent permits.
  - Post-Transfer Successful Return Code [PostDestSuccessRC] - Specifies the return code that indicates the program invocation ran successfully.
- If you selected:
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data. > Listen for FTPS Connections
  Specify the following fields:
  - FTP Server Host Name (or IP address) (Required)
  - FTP Listen Port. Default is 21. (Required)
  - Connection Type - Active or Passive. Default is Active. (Required)
  - User Name (Required) ◦Password (Required)
  - Confirm Password (Required)
  - Base Directory - Directory for the data to be transferred to. Default is home directory after log-in.
  - Local Port Range Any valid port numbers that are not used by another application on the system. Contact your network administrator if the port numbers are restricted. A port in the specified range using the form min-port, max-port is used to establish a data connection to the remote FTP server.
  - Local Control Port Range Any valid port numbers not used by another application on the system. A port in the specified range using the form min-port, max-port is used to establish a control channel to the remote FTP server.
  - Number of retries. Default is 3. (Required)
  - Interval between retries (in minutes). Default is 1. (Required)
  - Upload file under a temporary name first? Yes or No. Default is No. (Required)
- If you selected:
  
  Partner will listen for a connection to consume data. > (Any custom protocols that are added by the System Administrator)
  
  Additional fields may be available on the following page, according to the definitions by the system administrator.
- Partner is a Producer of Data
  
  Select if this partner initiates protocol connections and produces data. A partner can be both a consumer and a producer of data.
Answer Will Partner use either SSH/SFTP or SSH/SCP protocol to initiate connections?
Select Yes or No. Default is No. If Yes, you can specify if partner uses an Authorized User Key to authenticate.
On the SSH Authorized User Key page, assign a public key by clicking the arrows to a move key from the Available pane to the Assigned pane. Click Next.

Restriction:
To assign multiple Authorized User Keys to a partner, the system administrator can go to Tools > B2B Console > User Accounts, edit the user and supply multiple keys. However, any subsequent edit of that user in the Sterling File Gateway partner wizard overrides those changes and replaces the multiple Authorized User Keys with the single Authorized User Key provided in the Sterling File Gateway user interface.

If multiple Authorized User Keys are configured (from B2B Console), only one of them is selected within the AFT edit screen. It is selected based on database ordering.
Answer Will Partner use an Authorized User Key to authenticate?
Select Yes or No. Default is No. If Yes, you must provide the Authorized User Key.
Confirm the partner information and save.
Close the Communities window, but do not log out.
On the Partner page, click Refresh. The new partner is listed.

For each partner, one user account is automatically created and associated with the default user group. For additional users, create the user account in Sterling B2B Integrator, then associate it with the partner identity and the appropriate user group.

By default. Partners are automatically associated with the File Gateway All Partners partner group.