NIH Enterprise Architecture Home

File Transfer Middleware Brick

Description

File Transfer Middleware is a class of communication middleware specifically focusing on the transfer of files from application to application. The transfer may be secure, insecure or managed.

Brick Information

Tactical

(0-2 years)

Strategic

(2-5 years)

File Transfer
  • DICOM

Secure File Transfer

  • Native OS Tools*

Managed Secure File Transfer

  • Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct*
File Transfer
  • DICOM
Secure File Transfer
  • Native OS Tools*
Managed Secure File Transfer
  • Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct*

Retirement

(To be eliminated)

Containment

(No new development)

 

File Transfer
  • AFS
  • NFS
  • Physical Transfer (CD/Tape)
  • SAMBA (NT/UNIX)
  • WS FTP*

Secure File Transfer

  • E-mail for integration

Baseline

(Today)

Emerging

(To track)

File Transfer 

  • AFS (Andrew File System)
  • DICOM
  • Native OS Tools*
  • NFS (Network File System)
  • Physical Transfer (CD/Tape)
  • SAMBA (NT/UNIX)
  • WS FTP*

 Secure File Transfer

  • Email for Integration
  • Native OS Tools*

Managed Secure File Transfer

  • Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct*
  • MS DFS 

Comments

  • Unsecured file transfer mechanisms should not be used.  Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server and managed secure file transfer (file transfer with scheduling, administration, management, etc.) such as Connect:Direct are preferred.
  • DICOM is used for transfer of medical images.
  • Physical transfer, WS FTP, and email for integration have been designated as Containment. These products are either not as widely or successfully deployed at NIH, or they do not provide as much security or reliability as the selected Tactical and Strategic products.
  • FTP, SFTP, Securt Copy (SCP), SSH (secure shell plus a transfer command), HTTP, and HTTPS are classified as Native OS Tools.
  • Andrew File System (AFS), Network File System (NFS), and SAMBA are in containment as file transfer tools for application integration. They should still be used for network file sharing and to support server clustering requirements.
  • Tactical and strategic products were selected to leverage NIH's investment in products that are a proven fit for NIH's known future needs. Leveraging baseline products in the future will minimize the operations, maintenance, support and training costs of new products.
  • Some baseline products have been designated retirement and containment. These products are either not as widely or successfully deployed at NIH, or they do not provide as much functionality, value, or Total Cost of Ownership as the selected tactical and strategic products.

*Supports standard FTP protocol.

Time Table

This architecture definition approved on: May 24, 2006

The next review is scheduled in: TBD