Automated file copying

Folks, here's my 'predicament'

I have a laptop with a wireless card connected to my home network. My Meade DSI is plugged into the laptop and generates an image every few seconds.

I'm sat here in the study (snug and warm) by a network PC.

How can I automatically copy an image from the laptop to the network PC at regular intervals every n seconds, where n is somewhere between 5 and 60 odd. Other than using VNC file transfer... I need something automated - task scheduler is no good AFAIK.

A batch file? A VB programme? Utility software?

Any ideas?

Cheers

Dave McD

Could you not just set the DSI's software to save the images directly to the networked PC in the house.

Maybe I am missing something here, but over a wire network it is as easy to point the location of where to the save the files to a directory on a networked drive as a it is to specify a local drive??

Would the transfer time be too long?

Michael Scully

Hi,

How can I automatically copy an image from the laptop to the network PC at regular intervals every n seconds, where n is somewhere between 5 and 60 odd. Other than using VNC file transfer... I need something automated - task scheduler is no good AFAIK.

I should prefix this answer by saying that I'm a unix person, so when something in windows irks me I use a unix solution This is therfore not the solution a windowsy person would use but hey!

Firstly set up an ssh server or ftp server on the PC,preferably ssh. Again being a unix person I'd do this by installing cygwin ( www.cygwin.com ).

Then on the client install cygwin also and write a shell script to upload the images. eg:
[code:1]
#!/bin/sh
while true
do
DATE=`date +%s`#seconds since 1970, unique identifier
scp file user@server:/destination/dir/file.${DATE}
sleep 60
done
[/code:1]

The trickiest bit is setting the ssh stuff up so that it doesnt ask for a password, but its not that tricky.

Cheers,
~Al

Michael - I guess with Autostar Suite being so quirky, I didn';t thing it could do it - but you're on the money. So simple eh? :oops:

Now all I need is an FTP server that will transmit the file to a web server evry so many seconds....

Al - thanks for the info - I use AceFTP Pro but it only uses windows scheduler which limits you to once per day. Unless anyone knows otherwise...

Cheers

Dave McD

How can I automatically copy an image from the laptop to the network PC at regular intervals every n seconds, where n is somewhere between 5 and 60 odd. Other than using VNC file transfer... I need something automated - task scheduler is no good AFAIK.

Map a networked drive on the laptop to the PC.

Al - thanks for the info - I use AceFTP Pro but it only uses windows scheduler which limits you to once per day. Unless anyone knows otherwise...

If your ftp server allows you to automate logins (eg by no authentication or trusted authentication) then you might get away with a batch file to copy the file. I know nothing of windows ftp server and clients though.

Cheers,
~Al