Attachmate Updates MFT Tool
December 7, 2010 Alex Woodie
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Attachmate recently unveiled a new release of FileXpress, its managed file transfer (MFT) offering that supports moving files among IBM i-, mainframe-, Unix-, and X86-based computer systems. Support for the latest release of Microsoft Windows Server heads the list of improvements in version 7.0. FileXpress Platform Server is an Attachmate-branded version of the CyberFusion Integration (CFI) product that was developed by Proginet, which was acquired by TIBCO Software earlier this year. CFI (and therefore FileXpress) uses a proprietary protocol to move files between source and target locations. Proginet’s proprietary protocol, proponents say, provides better automation capabilities than can typically be found using FTP and its encrypted variants, including support for check point restarts and cyclic redundancy checks. These features make the protocol, which Attachmate calls RocketStream, especially good at handling large files sent over large distances. Attachmate offers a separate gateway product, called FileXpress Internet Server, which allows FileXpress users to communicate via standard FTP and other mechanisms. With FileXpress version 7, the software is now cleared to run under Windows Server 2008 R2, which Microsoft delivered last year. The software runs under other OSes as well, including IBM i, according to an Attachmate product manager. The capability to run directly under IBM i makes it an alternative to other MFT products. Other improvements in FileXpress version 7 include more powerful encryption, authentication, auditing, and role-based administration functionalities, the company says. Administrators will be notified of problems more quickly through new server status alerts that have been added in version 7, while more detailed SMTP messages will lead to faster error resolution. Version 7 also improves the process of integrating FileXpress into existing IT systems, thanks to a new capability that allows the use of a local user account database for external contacts; internal users can continue to use existing LDAP user registries, Attachmate says. Provisioning file transfers to new users and resolving problems when file transfers go wrong were the top two problems that MFT users report when adopting a new product, says Attachmate product marketing manager Sam Morris. “FileXpress 7.0 eliminates those pains,” he says. RELATED STORY Attachmate Begins Delivery of New MFT Tool
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