Copying Files from an FTP Server to another directory on the same FTP Server?

  • Hi all.

    I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to copy files from one directory on an FTP Server to another directory on an FTP Server through an SSIS Task?

    The FTP Task only seems to allow sending and receiving between a local path and an FTP path, and deletion of files on the FTP Server, but not copying when both locations are on the FTP Server.

    File System Tasks, of course, only let you deal with local paths.

    I need to archive items from the "current" directory to the "archive" directory on our parent site's FTP Server once I have pulled a copy of the files back to our server.

    For the moment, I am accomplishing this by pulling down the files, and then pushing them back out to the archive folder on their server, and then deleting the originals from their server separately, but the problem with this is that one file is very big, and I am effectively having to push it back out to them rather than just moving it from one of their directories to another.

    Does anyone know if there is a way around this in the FTP Task or another type of task that would allow me to move files from their FTP Server to another place on their FTP Server?

  • By the way the ftp protocol works, even if you had a tool that copied from one FTP folder to another, it would have to transfer each byte locally and then send it back. So, since you are already pulling the folder locally and your process is just sending it back, a copy from one folder to another process would actually slow down your process.

    If you had a good enough relationship with your vendor you could ask them to set up a web service that would move the file when you sent a command, but that is your only real option. Why are you archiving the file on their ftp server? Why whouldn't you just keep the local copy of the file and delete the one on the ftp site?

  • I don't know if this is supported by SSIS but FTP has a "Quote" command that lets you run a command on the ftp server. these are called Site commands and are specific to the operating system of the ftp server you are talking to. moving a file to an archive directory on a Windows server your ftp command would look something like:

    Quote Site Move myfile ArchiveDir

    if the Quote command isn't directly supported you might have it exec a batch file that runs a command line ftp session to move the file.

  • Hi Michael. Let's just say that we're starting to take over some of their processes and they're a bit bitter about it... so I don't think they're going to want to do me any favours.

    It's not a problem archiving things the way I am... back and forth like this. It just seems a waste of transfer bandwidth, but then, it's not a HUUUGE file, just a slightly big one.

    I was rather more curious if I was missing something that would allow me to affect their FTP Server. I think it's really odd that you can DELETE stuff off an FTP server, yet you can't MOVE things.

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