Remote agent, variables

Hi

I need to get program produced logging information back to the master scheduler from a remote agent, and I can't have a network share going from agent to scheduler machines.

Can something like getremotevariable in JAL help me? So if I have a job that runs on the remote server can I have a statement within it which sets a global variable (will it exist in the context of the remote agent or the scheduler?) and then harvest the value of that variable and use it to write the log in a subsequent job?

Also are master scheduler global variables mirrored to a standby scheduler on the fly?

Yes, you can Set global variable on the agent and then use GetRemoteVariable on the master to copy the information. Please note that in version 3.x memory variables are not replicated between master and standby. In version 4 global variables will be cashed in an ecrypted disk file and will be replicated to standby.

Another way to get remote logs or just transfer the data is to use FileTransfer, FileTransferEx and similar commands. For example, FileTransfer can be used to copy remote log file to the master computer. No network shares are involved and the file contents is transfered over the wire in compressed and encrypted format. The data is then extracted and decrypted on the master schedule computer.

So for the second idea involving filetransfer does the remote agent need to have a remote agent profile defined for the master scheduler?

I have job db security turned on for my master scheduler. When I turn my remote agent to master mode to put in the remote agent profile I can put in a valid username and password in the test connect details box and the connection is successful. However when I turn it back to remote agent mode and run a remote job from the master scheduler to use filetransfer it says connection failed, error code 50. Is that bad password? How can I specify the details if so?

Hmm... I think you are trying to push the log file from the agent. Why not simply grab it from the master? Just add FileTransfer to the notification action of the job to make it got to the agent and grab the log file. Same agent, same profile…

If you were to push the file from agent, you would need to define a profile for the master as you did. As far as I remember error 50 occurs when a connection cannot be established because the target server cannot be found or not responding.

Yep thats right, I'm trying to do it that way so I can do it in a single job rather than two.

I've just tried it without job sec turned on and it works, so it seems likely to be the issue.

Also filetransfer cannot transfer a zero byte file; not a biggie but slightly odd...

Yes, it cannot transfer zero length files. Internally it is considered to be a transmission error or file read error, 0 bytes transferred, which is odd, and well-known issue.

The solution is to always have something appended to the log file, for example, at the end of the run or as a separate command add cmd /C @echo END-OF-FILE >> myfile.log

How can I get around job sec blocking the filetransfer? I can't have job sec off in production.

Why you don't want the master to pull the remote log file as I described in the previous post?

The situation I want to do this stuff in is as part of a larger series of jobs; if I have to do it in two jobs that just makes it longer and more clunky.

How would you run a filetransfer operation between two master schedulers with job sec on? Surely it must be doable. I've tried synching the accounts in each scheduler.

There is no need for 2 jobs or a loop-back. Just check the job option to execute notification script on job finish event and in the notification script in the same job place FileTransfer command. Will that work for you?

Clever. That will run in the master context if I'm not wrong.

By the way, the reason for 50 errors is you likely don't have your master scheduler setup to listen for network connections from other schedulers and agents. Do you have the "server" check box set in the Tools/Options menu, Network options tab?