We are migrating our sites to SharePoint. We have multiple back end jobs that run on our mainframes and ftp output files to the server and we have links to the location on our web pages and clients can access them.
Now when we have moved to SharePoint we have found that this is not possible We have found that we will not be able to ftp to a SharePoint site. How do we do it? Can some one help.
First, it is true that there wouldn't be a good way for the mainframe to interact with Sharepoint directly. This is because all of the Sharepoint content is stored in a database, not as static files in some directory. (mainframe >> Sharepoint == !work)
Second, you could create a custom webpart that uses a connector to talk directly to the mainframe (Sharepoint >> mainframe == expensive custom development)
Thirdly, you could create a site that has a page of links. Those links would be to the server where the mainframe FTPs the files. This way the mainframe isn't trying to connect to the Sharepoint server. (mainframe >> ftp-server << Sharepoint == quick and dirty out-of-the-box solution)
You can access content from a SharePoint server using the WebDAV protocol. If your mainframe has some kind of means of doing WebDAV, then you can use that instead of the FTP protocol.
If your mainframe has support for Java, there are a couple of Java based solutions that you can take a look at here.
Another solution would also to develop a custom Windows Service, that either polls or subscribes to file creation events on the FTP server folder and upload the documents to a SharePoint Library using the SharePoint object model. There are many examples of that out there, for example this one.
Maybe an option is a to write a custom Webservice, that accepts the file as binary and the filename / path as parameters. Then deploy the WebService to sharepoint. Another option is to write a Windows Service that uses a FileSystemWatcher to detect changes to a folder on the sharepoint server you FTP to. The service then moves the file to sharepoint.
Java is well supported on the mainframe and Sharepoint provides a web service API. The two should make for a pretty simple solution.
Sorry for all the Tag confusion on the top.
Now
Thirdly, you could create a site that has a page of links. Those links would be to the server where the mainframe FTPs the files. This way the mainframe isn't trying to connect to the Sharepoint server. (mainframe >> ftp-server << Sharepoint == quick and dirty out-of-the-box solution). Our FTP server will be decommisioned soon so we may not able to do it.
Second, you could create a custom webpart that uses a connector to talk directly to the mainframe (Sharepoint >> mainframe == expensive custom development).( Need to investigate. At present have no idea about it.If you can help with few examples it would be great)
What about the Email option to Lists in a share point site.Will mainframes be able to email to share point site directly?
Need more suggestions.
Thank you Guys.
Finally the project is over. The Email option worked wonderfully. From Vm and MVS we mailed the documents to the appropraite folder. We have all our site up and running.