Supported Operating Environments

• Supported SAS Sessions:
  • Unix
  • Windows
• Unsupported SAS Sessions:
  • SAS on z/OS (native FILENAME SFTP is not available)

Required Client Software

• Windows: Requires the PuTTY PSFTP client.
• UNIX: Requires the OpenSSH client.

See Configuring SSH Client Software in UNIX and Windows Environments for Use with SFTP for information about the client setup.

Server Compatibility

• FILENAME SFTP supports only connecting to a remote OpenSSH server.
• Other SSH server types might or might not work.
• Custom OpenSSH installations that modify default Send or Reply messages break the FILENAME SFTP functionality.

z/OS (Mainframe) Considerations

If you connect from SAS (Unix/Windows) to z/OS, note the following:

• You can connect to a z/OS system running IBM z/OS OpenSSH server. However, IBM z/OS OpenSSH server provides access to only z/OS UNIX System Services (USS) files.
• To access traditional datasets, alternative SSH/SFTP software on z/OS might work
• SAS Note 61243, "Alternative FILENAME SFTP code when running SAS^® software on z/OS"

Related Knowledge Base Articles

• SAS KB0041662, "Differences between FILENAME Access Methods: FTP, FTP/TLS, and SFTP"
• SAS KB0041832, "You can use the FILENAME PIPE access method as an alternative way of executing SFTP"
• SAS KB0041741, "The FILENAME SFTP access method is not available in SAS^® Viya^® 2020.1 and later"