Packaging and sending objects with Management Central
A bulk data transfer is the process of sending packages, fixes, PDFs and so on, from a source system to a target system in a single transfer. This topic discusses package definitions, what happens when a package is sent, and how to troubleshoot a failed transfer.
What you can do with package definitions
Sending files to another system or group of systems is a simple point-and-click operation in System i® Navigator. If you expect to send the same files again at a later date, you can create a package definition, which can be saved and reused at any time to send the defined set of files and folders to multiple endpoint systems or system groups. If you create a snapshot of your files, you can keep more than one version of copies of the same set of files. Sending a snapshot ensures that no updates are made to the files during the distribution, so that the last target system receives the same objects as the first target system.
Another benefit of using System i Navigator to package and send objects is that you can run a command when the distribution of the package is complete. This means that you can:
- Distribute a batch input stream and run it.
- Distribute a set of programs and start your application.
- Distribute a set of data files and run a program that acts on that data.
You can specify whether to include subfolders in the package. You can also specify whether to keep or replace any file that already exists on the target system. You can start the send task immediately or click Schedule to specify when you want the task to start.
You can select and send files and folders without creating a package definition. However, a package definition allows you to group together a set of i5/OS objects or integrated file system files. The package definition also allows you to view this same group of files as a logical set, or as a physical set, by taking a snapshot of the files to preserve them for later distribution.
For more information about these and other Management Central tasks and topics, refer to the detailed task help that is available from the System i Navigator window. Click Help from the menu bar and select .
Troubleshooting a failed transfer
- Look at the task's job log and try to determine a cause. From
the Task Status window, right-click the failed endpoint and click Task
Output.
Sending packages uses the Save/Restore function. When a save or restore operation issues an error or warning message, the Management Central package send function marks the status as failed. This does not necessarily mean that the entire process failed. You need to check the job log and determine the cause of the failure. It is possible that there is a message that indicates that the restore function worked with limitation and thus generated a warning.
- Make sure that the target system can connect back to the source
system.
On the endpoint system ping itself by the long name. If this is successful, then on the source system, ping the endpoint system using its long name.
To complete a successful transfer, the target system must connect back to the source system. The IP address that is used on the target system is determined by the lookup frequency on the target system. If the lookup frequency is Never then the IP address that is used is the one that is provided by the central system for the source system.
It might be that target system cannot connect to the source system via this IP address, but can connect by using a different IP address, one that is defined in its host table. If the lookup frequency on the target is set to Always then it will use DNS, the host table, or both to determine the IP address of the source system and it will not use the IP address that is provided by the central system.