cluckinchicken wrote:

I'm having the exact same problem, but my timeout is already low, like 30-60 seconds. Any other ideas?

Full story:
https://winscp.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12914

Mikkk wrote:

Your timeout of value of 100000 seconds is too great. WinSCP cannot convert this into a time value. Use something below 86400 (24 hours).

Thanks for your finding.

This bug has been added to the tracker:
https://winscp.net/tracker/1065

I'm having the exact same problem, but my timeout is already low, like 30-60 seconds. Any other ideas?

Thanks Mikk! I made the change and have run the script several times without any failures. It seems to have done the trick!

Your timeout of value of 100000 seconds is too great. WinSCP cannot convert this into a time value. Use something below 86400 (24 hours).

I have a simple script for uploading files to our linux server. When I use the script to transfer a file, I often (not always) get the following error: "Copying files to remote side failed. Invalid argument to time encode." Sometimes, the transfer will be successful. It seems more likely to fail with larger files, although I haven't been transfering extremely large files - these are on the order of 50MB. If I attempt to transfer the same file 10 times in a row, it might be successful 2 or 3 times out of 10.

One more thing. If I open the WinSCP GUI (commander mode) and transfer the file, it works every time without fail, even for very large files.

On the local side, I'm running the script via a dos batch file under windows XP X64 SP2. I have WinSCP 4.2.7 (Build 758) installed. The remote system is a 64bit Linux server.

Here is the dos script:
@echo on
@echo off
rem
rem set server user name and password
rem
set USER=username
set PASS=passwd
rem
rem ***************************************************************
rem BEGIN: Generate temporary winscp script to upload and run files
rem ***************************************************************
rem
echo option batch on > runscript.tmp
echo option confirm off >> runscript.tmp
echo option reconnecttime 1000 >> runscript.tmp
echo option transfer automatic >> runscript.tmp
echo open %USER%:%PASS%@atc-pbs00 -timeout=100000 >> runscript.tmp
echo cd /stage/jobs/rmorris/QTEST >> runscript.tmp
echo put -resume -nopreservetime -nopermissions upload.zip >> runscript.tmp
rem echo close >> runscript.tmp
rem echo exit >> runscript.tmp
rem
rem ********************************************************
rem END: Generate temporary script to upload and run files
rem ********************************************************
rem
winscp.exe /console /log=winscplog.txt /script=runscript.tmp
rem
@echo off

Next is the winscp script used to pass the file:
option batch on
option confirm off
option reconnecttime 1000
option transfer automatic
open rmorris:Jason1@atc-pbs00 -timeout=100000
cd /stage/jobs/rmorris/QTEST
put -resume -nopreservetime -nopermissions upload.zip

I have tried it with and without the -nopreservetime/-preservetime and -nopermissions switches.

Finally, below is the log file contents:
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 WinSCP Version 4.2.7 (Build 758) (OS 5.2.3790 Service Pack 2)
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Login time: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 1:51:55 PM
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Session name: username@atc-pbs00
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Host name: atc-pbs00 (Port: 22)
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 User name: username (Password: Yes, Key file: No)
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Tunnel: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Transfer Protocol: SFTP (SCP)
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Ping type: -, Ping interval: 30 sec; Timeout: 100000 sec
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Proxy: none
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 SSH protocol version: 2; Compression: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Bypass authentication: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Try agent: Yes; Agent forwarding: No; TIS/CryptoCard: No; KI: Yes; GSSAPI: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Ciphers: aes,blowfish,3des,WARN,arcfour,des; Ssh2DES: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 SSH Bugs: -,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 SFTP Bugs: -,-
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Return code variable: Autodetect; Lookup user groups: Yes
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Shell: default, EOL: 0
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Clear aliases: Yes, Unset nat.vars: Yes, Resolve symlinks: Yes
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 LS: ls -la, Ign LS warn: Yes, Scp1 Comp: No
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Local directory: default, Remote directory: home, Update: No, Cache: Yes
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Cache directory changes: Yes, Permanent: Yes
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 DST mode: 1
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.928 Looking up host "atc-pbs00"
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 Connecting to *.*.*.* port 22
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 Server version: SSH-1.99-OpenSSH_3.9p1
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 Using SSH protocol version 2
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 We claim version: SSH-2.0-WinSCP_release_4.2.7
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 Doing Diffie-Hellman group exchange
. 2010-06-23 13:51:55.990 Doing Diffie-Hellman key exchange with hash SHA-1
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 Host key fingerprint is:
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 ssh-rsa 1024 *:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 Initialised AES-256 SDCTR client->server encryption
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 Initialised HMAC-SHA1 client->server MAC algorithm
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 Initialised AES-256 SDCTR server->client encryption
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.131 Initialised HMAC-SHA1 server->client MAC algorithm
! 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Using username "username".
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Prompt (6, SSH password, , &Password: )
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Using stored password.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Sent password
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Access granted
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.178 Opened channel for session
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.225 Started a shell/command
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.225 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.225 Using SFTP protocol.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.225 Doing startup conversation with host.
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.225 Type: SSH_FXP_INIT, Size: 5, Number: -1
< 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_VERSION, Size: 5, Number: -1
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 SFTP version 3 negotiated.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 We believe the server has signed timestamps bug
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 We will use UTF-8 strings for status messages only
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Limiting packet size to OpenSSH sftp-server limit of 262148 bytes
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Getting current directory name.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Getting real path for '.'
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_REALPATH, Size: 10, Number: 16
< 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_NAME, Size: 47, Number: 16
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Real path is '/home/username'
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Startup conversation with host finished.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Cached directory change via "/stage/jobs/username/QTEST" to "/stage/jobs/username/QTEST".
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Getting current directory name.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Copying 1 files/directories to remote directory "/stage/jobs/username/QTEST"
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 PrTime: No; PrRO: Yes; Rght: rw-r--r--; PrR: No (No); FnCs: N; RIC: 01; Resume: S (102400); CalcS: No; Mask:
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 TM: M; ClAr: No; CPS: 0; ExclM(No):
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 AscM: *.*html; *.htm; *.txt; *.php; *.php3; *.cgi; *.c; *.cpp; *.h; *.pas; *.bas; *.tex; *.pl; .htaccess; *.xtml; *.css; *.cfg; *.ini; *.sh; *.xml
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 File: "upload.zip"
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Copying "upload.zip" to remote directory started.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Binary transfer mode selected.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Checking existence of file.
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_LSTAT, Size: 45, Number: 263
< 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_ATTRS, Size: 37, Number: 263
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Checking existence of partially transfered file.
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_LSTAT, Size: 54, Number: 519
< 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_ATTRS, Size: 37, Number: 519
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Resuming file transfer.
. 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Opening remote file.
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_OPEN, Size: 62, Number: 771
< 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_HANDLE, Size: 13, Number: 771
> 2010-06-23 13:51:56.240 Type: SSH_FXP_WRITE, Size: 4121, Number: 1286
. 2010-06-23 13:51:57.147 403 skipped SSH_FXP_WRITE, SSH_FXP_READ, SSH_FXP_DATA and SSH_FXP_STATUS packets.
> 2010-06-23 13:51:57.147 Type: SSH_FXP_CLOSE, Size: 13, Number: 52996
< 2010-06-23 13:51:57.162 Type: SSH_FXP_STATUS, Size: 24, Number: 52996
< 2010-06-23 13:51:57.162 Status code: 0
* 2010-06-23 13:51:57.162 (ECommand) Copying files to remote side failed.
* 2010-06-23 13:51:57.162 Invalid argument to time encode