Table of Contents
Supported server types and protocols
04. March 2025
Table of Contents
To make system administration easier, Connect makes a distinction between Servers and Folders on the one hand and Channels at the other. The obvious benefit of this is that you can easily change the folder paths on a server or move a workflow from one server to another and automatically update all the channels that use the folder in question. Connect does this by linking channels to folders by an internal identification rather than their paths.
Supported protocols
| Server type/protocol | Can be used as source | Can be used as destination | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local file transfer on server disk | Yes | Yes | Files can be transferred between folders and disks on the local server. Individual authentication credentials can be applied to each configured folder. |
| Network file transfer | Yes | Yes | Any SMB-compliant server can be used for file transfers, including Unix servers and Mac servers using the SMB protocol (Windows file sharing) |
| FTP file transfer | Yes | Yes | |
| FTPS file transfer | Yes | Yes | Connect will accept all security certificates, also expired ones. |
| SFTP file transfer | Yes | Yes | Connect will accept all security certificates, also expired ones. |
| Index Manager file transfer | Yes | No | Connect can search an Index Manager archive and download files from the server. The files transferred can then be removed, or updated with metadata to avoid duplicate file transfers. |
| FotoWeb server | Yes | Yes | Connect can query a FotoWeb archive and download files from the server, then output it to a destination. Internal file state handling prevents duplicate file transfers. Connect can also send files to FotoWeb, after which they are stored in the upload area on the server. |
| Email server | Yes | Yes | POP and IMAP servers are supported sources. Connect will strip the attachments from the messages and store the message content in XMP that follows the file. An SMTP server can be used as a destination. Connect will create a separate mail per file and send it to a distribution list or an email address in the file's XMP data. |
Server types / protocols
Servers are created by going to the Servers tab in the Connect configuration. To configure a new server type, click on Create New Server at the bottom of the server list. If you would like to group your servers for easier maintenance you can also do that by creating groups from this view.
Local server
This is the local server that runs Connect. To add local folders as source or destination folders for your workflows, this is the server you should use. Remember that the Background Service user account must have access to the folders you wish to use unless you choose to override the account settings. (See Local Server Settings for configuration options.)
Network server
This server type is used for file transfers using the SMB protocol, the kind used in Windows networks. Since Mac and Unix servers also typically support this protocol, connections to these systems are naturally also possible.
FTP server
Three kinds of FTP protocols are supported: Regular FTP, FTPS and SFTP (ssh-based). When transferring files to or from secure FTP servers Connect will accept all security certificates, even expired ones, and still transfer the files to avoid interrupting the workflow.
FotoWeb Server
This server connection communicates directly with a FotoWeb server using TCP/IP. FotoWeb servers can be used as channel sources by using an archive search as an input, and as a destination, in which case Connect delivers files to FotoWeb's upload module.
Email server
Lets you set up email pickup and / or transfer. An SMTP server is used for outgoing email, while POP and IMAP protocols are supported as sources. Thus a channel can be configured to send files (one file per email message) to a recipient or a whole distribution list.
Index Manager server
Performs a search in an Index Manager archive and retrieves the files. Hence, Index Manager servers are source-only. Connect cannot deliver files to an Index Manager archive directly. As a workaround you can have Connect deliver files to one of the Index' document folders using a local or network connection (see points 1 and 2 above).
A note about remote-to-remote file transfers:
Connect can be configured to transfer files from a remote source to a remote destination. When doing this, it will act like a hub where files are downloaded from the remote source and then transferred to the remote destination. Connect does not set up a direct connection between the source and the destination in this case.