PagetGate GetAscii with NFS

[tariks]

Hello PageGaters

I wonder if anybody can help me with this problem I'm seeing?

We're currently evaluating PageGate as a possible paging solution for one of our key processes. To that end I have installed the software and set up a polling directory for the GetAscii function on my own PC. When I manually create messages using TextPad (or whatever) there's no problem and the SMS messages are delivered to my mobile phone as expected.

The problem I'm seeing is when I try to use the GetAscii function in conjunction with a Java Unix application. The application is running on a Solaris machine which has my Polling directory mounted locally via NFS, ie C:\Program Files\PageGate\Polling is mounted as /tmp/smsmsg (the NFS program is the Allegro NFS Server). The Java application writes the message out to that directory in the "standard" format (ie:

line 1 recipient (as defined in the recipients list)
line 2 from string
line 3 message text

and names the file like this to get a unique file name:

filename = DateHashCode.getHashCode() + PAGEGATE_FILE_EXT;
// Might start with a "-":
if (filename.startsWith("-"))
{
// Get rid of it!
filename = filename.substring(1);
}

The file is created with 777 protection code, although (at the moment) is owned by the root user.

The problem is PageGate doesn't seem to process the file. It just sits in the polling directory, neither being moved to process, good or bad directories. After a while watching PG Monitor, the GetAscii function turns red, and I can no longer send a message created on the PC (although I can send one from the Admin tool).

Any thoughts on what's wrong?

Tarik.

[tariks]

Just to add some further info...

I have just repeated the test using Samba instead of NFS.

This time I set PageGate up so that it polls a network directory for its messages. That directory is one exported from the Solaris machine using Samba as a hidden share (ie smsmsg$).

I then manually created a message using vi on the Unix system, and saved it to the exported directory as 1234567890.asc. Same problem.

The file appears under Windows Explorer correctly, but PageGate's GetAscii process goes red again and doesn't send the message. In the meantime I can happily send a message using the GUI in the Admin tool.

Is this happening because I'm using the evaluation software?

Thanks.

[Tech Support]

It sounds like "GetAscii" does not have "permission" to manipulate the files over the Network. Have you looked at the GetAscii log file "PGGAscii.log"? Are there any entries concerning errors / network access?

Is PageGate running as a NT Service? If so, switch it back to an "Application".

Can GetAscii read the files?

What happens if your application writes the files to a directory that is on the PageGate machine (local partition & directory)?

[tariks]

Ah I see what you mean...

The application is writing to the PC's directory on the C: drive (this is the NFS mounted one) and PageGate is running as a user application not as a service.

From a Windows point of view the permissions look a bit odd, whilst administrators, SYSTEM and myself have Full Control (Power users have modify), all other Users only have read/execute. However the files created appear to be owned by me, so shouldn't they be accessible to PageGate? Depends how PageGate runs presumably.

The log doesn't show any interesting messages, though. Here's today's:

18/10/2004 14:00:12 Module Started
18/10/2004 14:00:17 Running cleanup routine
18/10/2004 14:00:17 Module Stopped
18/10/2004 14:00:23 Module Started
18/10/2004 14:00:24 Time synchronized with scheduler
18/10/2004 14:25:13 Message accepted. Recipient: catsadmin from: AIT
18/10/2004 14:27:13 Message accepted. Recipient: catsadmin from: AIT
18/10/2004 14:47:09 Module Stopped
18/10/2004 14:52:38 Module Started
18/10/2004 14:52:43 Running cleanup routine
18/10/2004 14:52:43 Module Stopped
18/10/2004 14:52:48 Module Started
18/10/2004 14:52:50 Time synchronized with scheduler
18/10/2004 14:53:19 Message accepted. Recipient: catsadmin from: AIT
18/10/2004 15:51:50 Unable to synchronize time with scheduler. Using local time.
18/10/2004 15:51:50 Module Stopped
18/10/2004 15:54:37 Module Started
18/10/2004 15:54:39 Time synchronized with scheduler

[Tech Support]

If the ascii files are being written to a directory on the PC running PageGate, that should be fine.

Can you send copies of the following files to forumsupport@notepage.com :

any "*.asc" that is generated by your Java app
PageGate.log
PGSched.log
PGGAscii.log
PGDial1.log

Thanks!

[Tech Support]

There was a "issue" with the ".asc" file's format.

Opening the ASCII file in a HEX editor revealed that each line was being terminated with only a "<line feed>". PageGate's GetAscii is expecting each line to terminate with "<carriage return><line feed>".

Once the customer modified the application to terminate the strings, GetAscii accepted the message.