IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Services and service-related functions > Access external services with adapters > Configure and using adapters > IBM WebSphere Adapters > FTP > Overview of IBM WebSphere Adapter for FTP > Technical overview > Inbound processing
File store
When the adapter polls the event directory, an entry is created in the file table for each event file that matches the search criteria specified in the activation specification properties. The adapter uses the file table to track the inbound files. Each time a file is created, updated, or deleted, the adapter updates the status of the entry in the file table.
In a clustered environment, the adapter uses the file table for the following:
- To share the processing of files among the multiple instances of the adapter.
- To avoid the multiple instances of the adapter pointing to the same file content for processing.
In addition, the file table enables the adapter to process large files (of any size).
The following figure illustrates the event and file management flow of the adapter. The adapter records the status of each entry as New.
Figure 1. Event and File management flow
- File store structure
The file table contains the entries for the files to be polled by the adapter. The entries in the table support the adapter to read only the file content required by the polling quantity. In addition, the last position of the file pointer after the partial read is recorded in this table.