execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab

igrepstuff has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I'm a beginner with perl and have been tasked with the following, which I do not understand.

I have a perl script that executes a third party api (via LWP) to obtain attendee information (json format) and load that data into a db. I have been asked to move this script to an internal machine (no web access) and, using ftp and cron jobs, execute the internal perl on a remote machine (with web access).

It doesn't seem to make sense to execute the local script remotely over an ftp connection but I'm not sure whether it is and is just foreign to me. What I'm looking for is something of a birds eye perspective as to how this type of scenario would / should typically be approached.

Comment on execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab

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Re: execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab by Mr. Muskrat (Canon) on Aug 03, 2017 at 18:46 UTC
What you have described is not a Perl problem but you want "a birds eye perspective" so here are two approaches. Configure the remote machine to act as a proxy for the internal machine. Execute the script on the internal server as described. Execute the script on a remote machine with web access. Transfer the files to the internal server via SFTP, SCP or another secure protocol. Forget about FTP or telnet.	[reply]
Re: execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab by talexb (Chancellor) on Aug 03, 2017 at 19:23 UTC
As has already been pointed out, this isn't really a Perl specific question. It could be that the direction was to use `ftp` to collect the script from the current machine and move to the new machine. The bad news is that `ftp` is hilariously insecure -- the username/password is sent in plaintext. Also, the `ftp` protocol is just used to transfer files (`ftp` stands File Transfer Protocol, in case you weren't aware); normally, there's no way for you to execute a script using `ftp`. Once the script is moved to the new machine, you could set `cron` up to run the script at particular times, perhaps saving the result in a directory, possibly with a timestamp so that you could get datasets at difference times. Alternatively, `cron` could run on your local machine to run the script on the internal server. Alex / talexb / Toronto Thanks PJ. We owe you so much. Groklaw -- RIP -- 2003 to 2013.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab by kcott (Archbishop) on Aug 04, 2017 at 06:53 UTC
G'day igrepstuff, Welcome to the Monastery. I have done something fairly similar to this; although, it was a long, long time ago (>15 years). The basic steps, as best as I remember, were: Use `cron` to start Perl script on local Unix machine. Perl script connects, via `ftp`, to remote MVS machine. The ftp `quote` command started COBOL program on MVS machine. The ftp `get` command retrieved output from MVS machine. Retrieved output processed on the local Unix machine. Rinse and repeat on next `cron` cycle. It was somewhat more involved than that; for instance, there was the ability to monitor progress on the remote machine from the local machine. However, the important bit is that everything, except basic FTP commands (like `get`), were performed using the `quote` command. I don't know how the commands via `quote` were set up for the remote machine; it's not something I've ever had to do; I can't help you further with that aspect of your task. I suggest you speak to the administrators of your remote machine and discuss your task with them. [As already pointed out by others, this in not really a Perl question. We do allow some latitude with off-topic questions; however, please add an [OT] prefix to your question's title. See "How do I change/delete my post?" if you're not sure how to do this. Thankyou.] — Ken	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: execute local script on remote machine via ftp & crontab by igrepstuff (Initiate) on Aug 04, 2017 at 21:21 UTC
Thank you all for responding to my question! I appreciate that it's not exactly a perl question and also that you did respond and not just dismiss it. Each of your responses has helped. I was able to resolve the issue by keeping my perl script on the web machine, executing it with a cron (encrypt the output) and send the results back via ftp.	[reply]