Hello World,

I'm new to this snapshot methodology, and because of the way my Development team wants to use SQL pull merge replication, I'm reduced to using FTP Snapshot within IIS7 and/or Web Synchronization to handle SQL merge replication.

The general setup involves a Publisher/Distributor Server, an IIS FTP Server, and a Mobile Subscriber that uses a VPN to connect into the same network segment as the Publisher/Distributor Server and IIS FTP Server, which are on the same domain. The mobile is not on any domain, and cannot be on any domain, which is why this methodology is being used in the first place.

The problem is that the password travels over the network in plaintext and can easily by sniffed with Wireshark from within the protection of the firewall. The methodology itself works like a charm as an intranet FTP snapshot, but without a viable password encryption methodology, this prototype is useless. I need to figure out a way to encrypt the password by using SSL, or some other method, without abandoning the SQL merge replication FTP snapshot methodology, or altering the C# Replication Management Objects (RMO) objects within the executable. Does anyone have any recommendations or experience in this regard? If not, I don't blame you.

6/17/2011 11:28:51 AM

I don't know anything about snapshots, but I do know some things about FTP.
Filezilla FTP Server is pretty excellent and allows a lot of customization, including various methods of encryption.

Of course, that only works if you can ditch IIS.

[Edited on June 17, 2011 at 12:53 PM. Reason : Does this help? http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/304/using-ftp-over-ssl/#03]

6/17/2011 12:51:15 PM

Yeah, I have researched the same links. I appreciate the help, but unfortunately I cannot ditch IIS for this project. I'm beginning to think my best shot is the web synchronization option within IIS, using SSL. The more I read on the subject, the more people tend to abandon IIS altogether to solve the problem.

6/17/2011 1:08:01 PM

so is the problem settings up FTPS on IIS cus that seems pretty straightforward based on the learn.iis.net link?? or is it a matter of being unable to configure the publication to use the ftp setup?

6/17/2011 1:33:16 PM

I think I may have figured out a work around.

First I setup a web server on the same server that has the IIS FTP. However I'm going to use HTTPS instead of an FTP, or the Web Synchronization option.

I'm going to use a .NET function that will pull down the snapshot from the HTTPS site onto the local mobile device itself. This will encrypt the password and allow me to make a minor change to the RMO objects.

Next I will have to change the .NET executable which performs the SQL pull replication, and force it to load the snapshot from the local drive of the mobile, instead of the Publisher.

All this work just so other Developers don't have to re-write something. Reverse engineering sucks.

[Edited on June 17, 2011 at 3:13 PM. Reason : -]

6/17/2011 3:12:27 PM