FTP error "550 can't access file"

[Dave Deacon-Holmes]

I'm trying to 'put' a csv file from a VMS box onto a non VMS box, and I'm getting a "550 can't access file" error. Anyone have any idea how I can get around this please?

[P Muralidhar Kini]

Hi Dave,

>> 550 can't access file" error
May be you dont have the required permissions to access the file.
Do you have permissions to access the file ?
what is the output of
$ DIR/PROT

Regards,
Murali

[P Muralidhar Kini]

Hi Dave,

Also, the CSV file may be open and getting modified at the time the FTP is
going on. This may be causing the problem.

May be the VMS Box is still updating the CSV file.
Is the CSV file open for write when the FTP is going on ?

Regards,
Murali

[Dave Deacon-Holmes]

Hi Murali - the file is a one line test file.
dir/prot gives me (RWED,RWED,RWED,RE).

I tried to ftp the file via filezilla too, and get the same error. Could it be a priviledge setting on the client's server?

[P Muralidhar Kini]

Hi Dave,

>> dir/prot gives me (RWED,RWED,RWED,RE).
The protection of the CSV file looks ok.

Check my previous response.
Is the CSV file open for write on the VMS Box when the FTP is going on ?

Regards,
Murali

[P Muralidhar Kini · Accepted solution]

Hi Dave,

>> I tried to ftp the file via filezilla too, and get the same error.
>> Could it be a priviledge setting on the client's server?
Check the following link -
http://forum.filezilla-project.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5559

It talks about FTP "550 can't access file" error with filezilla.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Murali

[Dave Deacon-Holmes]

Hi - no the file isn't open anywhere.
All that's in the file is '$test', so it's tiny.

[P Muralidhar Kini]

Hi Dave,

>> Hi - no the file isn't open anywhere.
>> All that's in the file is '$test', so it's tiny.
Ahh. Thats bad.

- Does the problem occur always with this file ?
- Is the problem seen with only this file or with other files on the VMS Box also ?

Regards,
Murali

[Dave Deacon-Holmes]

Hi,

This is a new transfer I'm trying to setup, for the first time onto this specific box. I'm guessing it's a permissions issue on the box, but thought i'd run it past the big brains on here first. Many thanks for your help.

[Hoff]

The ftp 550 error is typically an error from the ftp server, which means OpenVMS and the local file likely isn't particularly relevant.

Check your credentials and your associated access on the remote ftp server. Put another way, this doesn't appear to be an OpenVMS question.

Presuming V6.2 or later, the usual command to push a file from OpenVMS to a remote ftp server would be:

$ COPY/FTP [/binary or /ascii] -
[/active or /passive] -
local-file-spec -
host"rem-user rem-pass"::"rem-file-spec"

(The older ftp utility is still available, but somewhat more involved to script in DCL.)

I'd also suggest switching to sftp, as ftp is problematic in modern networks, and particularly when firewalls are involved. (Though the sftp client isn't yet supported by a hypothetical COPY /SFTP command, unfortunately.) But you can get sftp to work with public key authentication, which means you don't need to embed passwords in your DCL procedures, etc.

If you're issuing a PUT operation from VMS to the target system, or if you're getting a 550 error back from the remote ftp server, then Filezilla and the local protections and related likely aren't relevant.

The Filezilla tool would be a GET from the OpenVMS system into a Microsoft Windows box, and if you're using Filezilla and Microsoft Windows. And that Filezilla tool would also be expected to generate a 550 error given the same set of credentials and a PUT into the same remote ftp server. (Try that Filezilla PUT, for instance, or try an ftp PUT from bash or whatever other client environment you happen to have around on your local network; PUT into the same server with the same credentials, and see if you can eliminate OpenVMS here.)