Quirky FTP Problem

[Vinic]

Hi Folks,

I'm using some perl script running on a local server that uploads files to a remote server every 10 minutes. Everything has been running fine for months (and did so for a few months last year, similar script). But recently I've seen an odd problem; the only text file that's being uploaded ends up as a bunch of jibberish (this is just a sample, it ends up being several dozen lines of the same):

IHDR„&„�Ó= IDATxœíÝ{xSU¾ÿño.I‹:0E,J[Ð>U&u2*Î(ŒTñ‚f&%U

First suspect is a recent upgrade that my ISP did, and some problem from their side is still not ruled out. But then I noticed that I had been setting the ftp mode to binary, so switched to ascii (default). Thought that did the trick, but then later noticed it doing it again. It won't do it all the time, just sporatically.

Here's the perl script used to upload the files:

sleep(25);

use Net::FTP;

$ftp = Net::FTP->new("www.peacefulbend.com", Debug => 0)
or die "Cannot connect to some.host.name: $@";

$ftp->login("user",'password')
or die "Cannot login ", $ftp->message;

$ftp->cwd(" ")
or die "Cannot change working directory ", $ftp->message;

#$ftp->binary();

$ftp->put( "c:/digi/temptable.txt" , "peacefulbend.com/temperatures/temptable.txt")
or die "get failed ", $ftp->message;



$ftp->quit;

I added the delay to see if it might be a time conflict with the other uploads (two more which ARE binary, about 15 kb each, with similar time delays added)

Here's the page that it's being displayed, via SSI:

http://peacefulbend.com/temperatures/temperatures.shtml


Any ideas? Anybody?

tia

[nasty.web]

Have you tried to see what happens when Debug => 1 ?

[nasty.web]

Also do you use warnings?

[Vinic]

Thanx for the nasty reply. I just now set the debug (duh, like I even had the switch there already) we'll see if we can catch it with it on. Have only noticed the problem happen once since I posted this yesterday. The next upload usually corrects it. Have increased the sleep on each upload.... like I mentioned before, suspect are delays from my slow host server and possibly my isp; they both seem to going thru upgrades at the same time.. argh!! . Increasing the delay between uploads should not be an issue with my setup, up to the 10 minute interval that the temperatures are being read. Even that 10 minutes could be lengthened, though that would take a bit more work as much of the graphing script revolves around it.

By "warnings" are you speaking of -w? I know I had this on when first writing the program, but turned it off to keep things from running too slow. Also, I thought this would only catch a syntax error; not an erratic problem like I'm seeing!? As may be obvious, I'm quite the noob with perl, so please correct me if this is wrong. I turned it back on along with the debug, just to see.

Have you ever used Log::Log4perl ?

Part of my problem is the sporactic character of this problem. As far as I know, I have to be watching when it happens. I haven't see it in the error logs.

Thanx for your help.

[nasty.web]

Originally Posted by Vinic

T
By "warnings" are you speaking of -w? I know I had this on when first writing the program, but turned it off to keep things from running too slow. Also, I thought this would only catch a syntax error; not an erratic problem like I'm seeing!? As may be obvious, I'm quite the noob with perl, so please correct me if this is wrong. I turned it back on along with the debug, just to see.

use warnings;

It may help your to notice what's wrong. Syntax errors are cached by parser

Have you ever used Log::Log4perl ?

no, I haven't.

Part of my problem is the sporactic character of this problem. As far as I know, I have to be watching when it happens. I haven't see it in the error logs.

Thanx for your help.

[Vinic]

Just wanted to make a final note here. At this point I'm 99% sure that this problem was server specific. I was having multiple issues with db access on a previous host, and now after switching to another host, all of those issues have gone away. Most of the issues were related to time outs.

Thanx so much for your help.... I did learn a wee bit more than before, though I'm not sure the loss of hair was worth it!!