VAL Manager files vs. FTP files 1

[Duaneness]

CM 4.0.1 on S8720 servers
VAL Manager 4.0.11
Windows XP SP2

I've been trying to get VAL Manager to work. I finally got it to connect and see my lone VAL board. When I back up the files, they are all in the 2KB - 3KB size, and will not play in Windows Media Player.

When I back up the files manually using FTP, the files are much larger (132KB), and play in Media Player when I click on them.

I figure I'm doing something wrong in VAL Manager. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance -

- Duaneness

 

[europe]

I never use VAL manager, FTP is much better, U can use just any client. I've even written a batch script that runs on any Windows client and can be scheduled. If you are interested I'll post it next week when I'm in the office

Please let me know if the information that was provided is helpfull.
Edwin Plat
A.K.A. Europe

 

[Ronster]

VAL Manager is very buggy.
If you are familiar with ftp it is quicker and easier.

If you are not familiar with ftp it is quicker and easier to learn ftp than re-install VAL Mgr every other day.

Ronster
"If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.

 

[phoneguy55]

europe.

I would be interested in seeing that script and I'm sure others would be as well.

 

[gblucas]

Wow, that's interesting. I have problems using FTP, and use VAL Manager exclusively. It works great. I really like the feature where, I have 2 VAL boards, one in each port network, in an Audio Group, and I am able to transfer files to both boards at the same time. I do admit, that it took a lot of patience at first to learn the product, and re-learn it after going from CM1.3 to CM4.0, but I am not sure that I would go back to using FTP after I have finally figured out what to do with VAL Manager.

gblucas
Your mileage may vary...

 

[Duaneness]

I have used FTP for copying my announcements to a local or network drive, and while it is not difficult, I just hate it when I can't get a program (VAL Manager) to do what it says it will do.

That being said, I followed europe's advice and wrote a script to automate the FTP process. I don't want to steal europe's thunder, but thought I'd share that script file:

TEST.SCR

user
val
val12345
bin
prompt
mget .wav
quit

(val is the FTP username, and val12345 is the password.)

Being a computer guy from the old DOS days, I wrote a batch file to call the script. It first prompts you to enter the name of a new directory, then it creates that directory, changes to it, launches FTP with the necessary switches to launch the script, copies the announcements to the new directory, then executes the DIR command to list all of the files in the new directory. The batch file and the FTP script are in a directory called VAL, and I create sub-directories based on the date of the back-up (ie, 20080807). That way I have multiple versions of the announcements as they change - in case I ever need to go back to a previous version.

Here is the batch file:

@echo off
cls
echo.
echo.
set /P tdir=Enter the name for the new directory: 
::
:: Make directory
::
echo.
echo The Variable entered is %tdir%
echo.
echo.
echo Making directory %tdir%
MD %tdir%
echo.
echo Changing to directory %tdir%
cd %tdir%
echo.
dir
::
:: Launch the FTP script
::
ftp -n -s:H:\val\test.scr xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
dir
::
:: Pause and end
::
Pause
cd ..
goto end


:end

The FTP command has two switches: -n, which turns off the automatic login process, and -s: which is the script file. In my case, that script file (test.scr) is stored in H:\val\. That is followed by the IP address to which you want to connect. You will need to change the IP address to the IP of your VAL board.

It is my understanding that the SET /P command is only valid under Windows XP.

I then made a shortcut for this and put it on my desktop. Now I just have to enable filexfer, run the batch file, and disable filexfer. If anyone knows of a way to automate that process, I'd like to know it.....

Feel free to try this, and please share any tweaks you may come up with.

And if you know how to get VAL Manager to do what it's supposed to do, please share that as well....

- Duaneness

 

[donbott]

In val manager, voice system properties, try turning off SFTP.

DonBott

 

[Duaneness]

That was it! Thank you! And a Star for you!