Globus
Globus is a fast, reliable, high-performance service for secure data movement. Designed specifically for researchers, Globus has an easy-to-use interface with background monitoring features that automate the management of file transfers between any two resources, whether they are at Compute Canada, another supercomputing facility, a campus cluster, lab server, desktop or laptop.
Globus leverages GridFTP for its transfer protocol but shields the end user from complex and time consuming tasks related to GridFTP and other aspects of data movement. It significantly improves transfer performance by auto tuning the transfer settings, thereby reducing the time spent managing transfers. It also provides other features such as automatic restarts for interrupted transfers and file integrity checking.
Globus can be accessed via the main Globus website or via the Compute Canada Globus portal at https://globus.computecanada.ca.
Accessing Globus
Globus is a third-party service used by Compute Canada. To start using Globus, you must first sign up for an account on the Globus Sign Up page.
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Once the account is set up, it can be used to transfer information to/from Compute Canada systems. Note that Globus is hosted in the Amazon Cloud and managed by the University of Chicago, so your login information, including your account name, email address, and real name, will be stored in the United States.
Using Globus
Globus can be used for moving data between any two resources, whether it is a small number of very large (even terabyte-sized) files or a very large number of small files.
To Start a Transfer
(1) Go to...
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...or select the “Transfer Files” option from the “Quick Links” menu on the main Globus page.
(2) Select the source endpoint in the “Endpoint” field. You may browse the drop-down list or type the name into the Endpoint field to find the desired endpoint. All Compute Canada resources are listed under computecanada#[system name].
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You will be prompted to activate the endpoint. This will involve entering your username and password for the system the endpoint refers to. For example, if you are activating the endpoint for Silo, which is in WestGrid, you would use your WestGrid username and password.
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Once the endpoint is activated you may browse and select the files or directories you wish to transfer. The exact method of authentication varies, depending on which site is hosting an endpoint. If you are unsure of how to proceed, check the site-specific documentation (links below):
- WestGrid Globus documentation
- Calcul Québec Globus documentation
- Globus documentation
- SciNet: Select
computecanada#gpcand you will be redirected to a page requesting your SciNet username and password to activate the endpoint.
(3) Select the files or directories that you want to transfer, then click the blue arrow to initiate the transfer. The task will be queued, and will begin shortly. You will receive an email (at the email address you registered with your Globus account) when the transfer is complete. You can also monitor in-progress transfers and view details of completed transfers from the activity tab on the Globus site.
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Advanced Transfer Options
Globus also provides some more advanced features, including encryption and file integrity checking. To access these features, access the “more options” tab at the bottom of the transfer page. Here, you can enable advanced features including encryption, file synchronization between two hosts, and preservation of file modification times. Note that enabling encryption significantly reduces transfer performance, so it should only be used for sensitive data.
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Transferring from a Personal Computer
Globus provides a desktop client, called Globus Connect Personal, to make it easy to transfer files to and from a personal computer running Windows, MacOS X, or Linux.
To install Globus Connect Personal:
(1) Go to the Compute Canada Globus portal and log in if you have not already done so.
(2) Once you are logged in, go to the Manage Endpoints page...
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...then select “Add Globus Connect Personal”.
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(3) Enter an endpoint name, which you will use to access the computer you will be installing Globus Connect Personal on. Example: MacLaptop or WorkPC.
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(4) Click the “Generate Setup Key” button. Copy the key to your computer’s clipboard, then click the download link for your OS.
(5) Install the program. Once it is installed, run the Globus Connect Personal program.
(6) The first time you run the program, enter the site key in the box that pops up.
(7) You should now be able to access the endpoint through Globus. The full endpoint name is [your username]#[name from step 3] Example: smith#WorkPC
Further Reading
Globus sharing makes collaboration between users easy. Sharing enables people to access files stored on your account on a Compute Canada system even if the other user does not have an account on that system. Files can be shared with any user, anywhere in the world, who has a Globus account. See Sharing Files With Globus, and https://support.globus.org/entries/23602336-Sharing-Data-using-Globus.
Globus groups provide an easy way to manage permissions for sharing with multiple users. When you create a group, you can use it from the sharing interface to quickly control access to a share for multiple users simultaneously. See Globus Groups and https://support.globus.org/entries/23586412-Managing-Globus-Online-Groups-for-Data-Sharing
Support and More Information
If you would like more information on Compute Canada’s use of Globus, or require support in using this service, please send an email to globus@computecanada.ca and provide the following information:
- Name
- Compute Canada Role Identifier (CCRI)
- Institution
- Inquiry or issue. Be sure to indicate which sites you want to transfer to and from.