[Info-vax] Streaming a File on OpenVMS with Caché

[Steven Schweda]

> DIR/FULL
> http://tinypic.com/r/2d1v2th/8 

   Let me get this straight.  You can't copy+paste some plain
text, so you take a picture of the plain text, and post it to
some annoying-ad-laden server?  And you're complaining about
_other_ people being hard to deal with?

> Do we know how the file is created?
>  No 

   Do we care?  No.  What we care about is what's in the
file.  Is it text or binary data?

> As far as we go with the FTP process is telling them to use
> ASCII/BIN. Again, they're non-IT people so beyond that and
> they are start to get confused. 

   I'm confused, too.  Apparently, your clients use some kind
of FTP client program to send the file to your VMS FTP
server.  (I'm guessing, because you haven't actually said
that.)  Is the file being transferred in text/ASCII or binary
mode?  I'm guessing from "Record format: Variable length"
that it's a text/ASCII transfer.  (But you haven't actually
said that, either.)  If you look at the file on your VMS
system with a text editor, does it look right?  (Or are the
line-endings bad, or are the lines broken, or ...?)

>    "FTP'd" is not a very detailed description of anything.
> Which system was the FTP client, and which the server? 
> Programs/procedures used?

   All still a mystery.  Who's the client?  Who's the server? 
Text/ASCII or binary transfer?

   If the VMS file is a text file with correct contents, and
your only complaint is the variable-length record format,
then you could use CONVERT to create a new file with
Stream_LF records.  I use the following DCL script (sorry
it's not a picture):

ALP $ type utility:cnvstmlf.com
$!                                              12 December 1999.  SMS.
$!
$!    CONVERT a file to StreamLF record format.
$!
$ convert 'p1' 'p2' /fdl = sys$input:
RECORD
        FORMAT stream_lf
$!


   Usage:

      @ cnvstmlf.com old_file new_file


> I realize there are unknowns, [...]

   They're at least as unknown to the rest of us as they are
to you.  At least _you_ have access to the data.  We're stuck
with the few details which you let trickle out.

> [...] The issue we experience is even with the line
> terminator set to CR,LF the line is broken when the variable
> length is reached. VMS is enforcing a line termination;
> although, there isn't one within the file.

   As usual, showing actual commands with their actual output
can be more helpful than vague descriptions or
interpretations.  I don't know what you mean by "the line
terminator set to CR,LF".  With my weak psychic powers, I
can't see what's in your file.  If CONVERT doesn't do what
you want, then we might need to see some actual data.  For
example:

      dire /full old_file
      dump /widt = 80 /byte /block = end = 2  old_file

(I assume that two blocks will include at least one line
ending, which is what's really needed.)


> TCPIP$FTP_STREAMLF

   Sounds to me as if it'd be worth investigating.