Diagnose file transfer errors with audit logs

SFTPPlus MFT is a commercial alternative to open source SFTP and FTP tools, designed to make daily operation and troubleshooting easier. If your current tools leave you piecing together incomplete logs or trying to interpret a generic transfer error, SFTPPlus provides detailed audit events to help you find the cause. Your administrators can investigate problems independently, with the SFTPPlus support team available when they need help.

ProAtria, the company behind SFTPPlus MFT, started as a consultancy helping customers implement file transfers with software developed by other companies. That work showed us how much time administrators could lose when a product moved files successfully but gave little useful information when something went wrong. We designed SFTPPlus around that experience, making clear logs and practical troubleshooting part of the product from the beginning.

Trace a connection before any file is transferred ​

An audit trail needs to cover more than completed uploads and downloads. SFTPPlus generates an event when a connection is opened, even if no file data is transferred, and another when it closes. This lets you identify a client that reached the service but disconnected before transferring anything.

As connection security is negotiated, SFTPPlus records the communication method and the algorithms selected. For an SFTP connection, the details include the encryption and key exchange algorithms and the software version advertised by the remote client. These records help you understand how the two systems connected and investigate compatibility problems. The SSH event reference describes the connection events and their fields.

Understand why authentication failed ​

When SFTPPlus rejects a login, its administrative logs record the reason. For example, they can distinguish a username that was not found from a password that was not accepted. This helps an administrator decide whether to check the account configuration or its credentials.

When an external authentication service checks the credentials, the available detail depends on the reason that service returns. The logs give administrators the information available to SFTPPlus for that authentication attempt.

Follow a file operation from request to result ​

File operations usually have three related event types: a request, a success, and a failure. For a particular operation, you normally see the request followed by either success or failure. The first event records what the client asked SFTPPlus to do, before the operation is performed. The result event then records whether it succeeded or why it failed.

This distinction matters when investigating a missing file. A request to upload a file shows that the client tried to send it; the follow-up result tells you whether the operation completed.

Failure events include details about the cause, such as a network interruption, an operating system resource error, an access restriction, or invalid request data sent by the remote client. These details help you decide whether to investigate connectivity, storage, permissions, or the client's request.

For example, if a client connects and authenticates successfully but cannot write a file, the earlier events establish that the connection and login worked. You can then inspect the file operation failure for the path involved and the reported reason.

Investigate independently, with support when needed ​

Use the Activity Log in Web Manager to find events for the relevant time, account, or remote IP address and inspect their details. Follow the surrounding events to see how the connection progressed and which operation failed. The audit trail documentation explains the event fields and filtering options.

You can also write audit events to log files for local investigation or collection by your existing monitoring system. Keep the connection, authentication, and operation events needed for troubleshooting when configuring log filters, so that a failure can be read in context.

SFTPPlus MFT is designed to give your team the information needed to run file transfers and resolve routine problems on its own. When an issue needs further investigation, contact the SFTPPlus support team with the relevant events and a description of the expected result. The same audit trail gives your administrators and our support team a shared starting point.