Autosyncing w/ FileZilla

[thomp237]

11 years ago we developed a utility utilizing some of the Filezilla source code that connects to a remote FTP server and based on a Synclist file, performs a directory comparison between the local and remote directories and downloads all of the new files in that directory.

JimZilla has worked perfectly for nearly 11 years. That is until recently the program started erroring out. Our output log shows "Unable to create winsock object" and as a result we are unable to remote sync. Unfortunately I am not the developer (no longer with the company) and I am not able to discern if our firewall appliance or server updated something that caused it to fail. The utility has been very beneficial and I would very much like to get it running again.

Most of the development was done in VB. I am happy to share the source code if you are able to help me sort this out.

Thanks in advance
Jim

[thomp237]

Well lots of views, but no posts. So I have decided to share the source code in hopes that someone finds it useful and either does or doesnt have the same problem I do. That will help isolate the error.

To utilize JimZilla you need only download the JimZilla executable, the config.ini file and the ftpsynclst.lst file.

In the config.ini you will need to enter the relevant information like IP address, IP port, user name, and password. You also need to hard code in the path to the Sync list file.

In the Sync list file you will find the format needed to sync the folders. Simply code in the remote directory you want to scan and where on the local server you want the new data saved. There are a couple of examples in the Sync List file for reference.

It might help to explain our usage model to help you determine if this will help you. Every day we generate about 200 MB of test data, per vehicle, that needs to be sent from our office in Los Angeles to our office in Detroit. At any time we may have anywhere from 3-10 vehicles running so you can see having the data waiting for me when I walk in the door each morning is appreciated.
Our operations manager in LA creates a new uniquely named directory in the remote target directory for each days data and when JimZilla sees a new directory it downloads it contents to the local server. We set it up as a scheduled task in Windows Server so that every evening starting at 10pm EST and occuring every hour it does a sync check.

I have uploaded the compiled executable as well as all of the relevant source code to my Dropbox account.

If this works for you or if you have questions please drop me a PM to let me know.
Thanks
Jim

JimZilla executable and source code - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3gj31zkndwd9 ... vxVea?dl=0

[botg]

Apart from a copycat name and logo, this piece of software has nothing in common with FileZilla. It's even written in an entirely different programming language.

[thomp237]

Apart from a copycat name and logo, this piece of software has nothing in common with FileZilla. It's even written in an entirely different programming language.

Maybe I mispoke. I was under the impression this utility was powered by the FileZilla source code.

[boco]

Even if it once used FileZilla code, I can see two problems:

1. The license FileZilla is distributed under permits everyone to use the source code to create derivative works. You are allowed to distribute derivatives under the same license as the original FileZilla (GPL v2) and you must provide access to the sources if you do (you did).
Now the problem part: Whoever creates and distributes a derivative, must provide full support by his/her own. The original FileZilla project can and will provide support only for the genuine packages offered on this site.

2. If the utility was created eleven years ago, it most probably used FileZilla 2.x code. The 2.x codebase has been completely abandoned for many years now. The current FileZilla 3.x is completely new code and doesn't share anything with your utility, anymore.
In short: FileZilla has moved on and nobody knows the old code, anymore.


That being said, could the error message come from the server you're connected to?

[thomp237]

Even if it once used FileZilla code, I can see two problems:

1. The license FileZilla is distributed under permits everyone to use the source code to create derivative works. You are allowed to distribute derivatives under the same license as the original FileZilla (GPL v2) and you must provide access to the sources if you do (you did).
Now the problem part: Whoever creates and distributes a derivative, must provide full support by his/her own. The original FileZilla project can and will provide support only for the genuine packages offered on this site.

2. If the utility was created eleven years ago, it most probably used FileZilla 2.x code. The 2.x codebase has been completely abandoned for many years now. The current FileZilla 3.x is completely new code and doesn't share anything with your utility, anymore.
In short: FileZilla has moved on and nobody knows the old code, anymore.


That being said, could the error message come from the server you're connected to?

Thanks for the reply. I have restarted both the Local and Remote servers to no avail. It may be time to put this project out to pasture. Unfortunately I am not the developer of this derivative so trying to debug it is a fruitless endeavor for me. I had hoped someone would find this a useful utility for a similar usage model and would be interested enough in the project to help me solve my problem. But alas that may be wishful thinking.

Thanks for you time
Regards,
Jim

[boco]

Unfortunately, that's the problem with such small projects having only a handful or even only one developer. If the developer leaves or cannot maintain the project anymore, it dies. Have seen it happening more than once, already.
Note that botg is the only developer of FileZilla, so, life of this project depends on him alone. Same issue.

There's still the chance of someone stumbling upon this topic and the download. It might not be today or tomorrow, but consider re-visiting from time to time.

[botg]

Macabrely known as the bus factor.

[humaj]

That is quite macabre. I suspect I'm going to apply "bus factor" too frequently and to a wider range than technical experts, so thank you twice, botg.

I feel like this option is implemented too rarely, so I'll ask despite the age of this thread and the near-certainty that someone already considered this: Is it not possible to hire the original developer as a contractor on a temporary basis to troubleshoot the issue and ... I guess train someone to some degree on the utility? If it was based on FileZilla 2.x, obviously the additional value invested in it might be limited by that fact, but it worked without significant problems for 11 years, and this problem may turn out to be fairly trivial. From the original post, it sounds like the issue may not have much to do with the code, and Jim or I might be moments of research or server tinkering away from a solution. Not that I'm actually offering my services, since (despite the bitterness of denying anyone the many great benefits of inviting a complete stranger from the internet to fiddle with one's server) I'm more likely to tinker almost blindly for hours and discover a solution mostly by luck, and probably not at all.

I can't be the first person to think of this as a solution to this issue, but "ask the person" has become a persistent bugbear for me, so here I am, the paragon of efficacy.