Re: Backup to network

[Robert Holmgren holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from Rafe Tennenbaum

> Is this possible -- I'm asking for OS/2, but perhaps it applies
> elsewhere:

> As I work on something in Xywrite on my desktop, I wish to backup to
> disk space on my dialup Internet server, for whatever reason. Is
> there any workaround which would allow me to use the DOS subst
> command or something like it to designate my directory on the server,
> then use Xywrite's x:,y: command to use it as the backup drive?

> Seems doubtful, I'd think, if only because I don't know of any file
> commands that are translatable across Warp tcip/ip connections...

I do exactly what you describe -- keep archival files in my directory on my
ISP (in order to access them from anywhere) -- and I upload them to the ISP
from the XyWrite command line, daily.

There are several approaches. Best is to use Hacksaw, a superb cross-
platform (OS/2|NT|95) command-line tool for manipulating FTP and Email
http://www.innoval.com. But Hacksaw costs money (maybe $40), whereas IBM
gives you a large set of easy-to-use OS/2 tools for free -- see "TCP/IP
REXX FTP API Reference" in the Information folder for details. I attach my
sample Rexx script (PUTFILE.CMD) to this message, which does exactly what
you want (the FTP API has most of the capabilities of Hacksaw, you just
have to roll your own).

Run PUTFILE without arguments to learn the syntax (help screen). You could
run it from an OS/2 command line, but -- screw that, install Xy-OS/2 Shell
instead. To put a local file on your ISP site via FTP, you might issue a
full CMline command (pre-Stacked, naturally) such as:

 o2 /i call d:\path\putfile d:\path\myfile This.Is.My.File

or (much easier) just establish a handle in O2-ALIAS.DAT (this will execute
in background, you'll never leave XyWrite; the script beeps when the
download is complete, and has barebones error checking, so you don't really
need to monitor its progress):

 putfile=/b /fs call d:\path\putfile.cmd %1 %2 %3

and then you issue pithy instructions from the CMline, e.g.:

 o2 putfile c:\xy4\xy.htm XY.HTML A

The first filename is your local file, the second name is the
target Host name, and "A" indicates an "Ascii" transfer, overriding
PUTFILE's Binary default.

You must hardcode a few details in the script: your host name, your
userid, your password, and the destination host directory for uploaded
files. Note that there are other, more comprehensive ways of doing all
this, but I wanted to write something that is plain simple.

Play with it. Let me know.


-----------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------
begin 644 putfile.cmd
M+RHJ*BH-"B!0551&24Q%+D--1"!V,2XP("!2+DHN2&]L;6=R96X@(#$P+S(X
M+SDW#0H@0V]M;6%N9"`B4%541DE,13QC2`G"55S86=E.B<-"B`@2`G<'5T9FEL92!L;V-A;&9I;&4@2`G"7=H97)E(")A(CU!'DT+VUY9FEL92YX>2!4:&ES+FES+DUY9FEL92Y8>5=R:71E
M($$G#0H@('-A>0T*("!S87D@)TAA2`G8F]T:"!I;B!T:&ES(%!55$9)3$4N0TU$+B<-
M"B`@97AI=`T*("!E;F0-"@T*:68@4GA&=6YC475E$9U;F-!9&0@(")&='!,;V%D1G5N8W,B
M+"`B2!E>&ES=',G*0T*:68@5F5R:69Y/22<-"F-A;&P@1G1P4V5T57-E&ET#0H-"AIE
`
end