Globus

About Globus

Globus is a secure data transfer tool that allows users to transfer data to any SDSU server or device from anywhere in the world. When using Globus there are two types of transfers. They are personal to personal. Which is when the user sets up two personal endpoints on two seperate devices. This allows the user to transfer from one device to another. The other type of transfer is personal to DTN (Data transfer node). SDSU currently has one DTN, that is attached to our GPFS filesystem. The GPFS filesystem is the Roaring Thunder cluster storage. The DTN is connected to 100GB fibre, your only speed limitations when transferring to this device will be your upload speed from where you are transferring the data.

Setting up Globus

1. Requesting Access

1. To obtain access to Globus, Email SDSU.HPC@sdstate.edu requesting access.

2. Signing into Globus

1. Navigate to (https://www.globus.org/) and click login in the upper right-hand corner.
2. Select your organization (South Dakota State University) from the drop-down menu and select continue.
3. Use your AD account username and password to log into SDSU’s SSO
4. If you have an existing Globus account, you can link it to your SDSU account (see section 5 on how to link your account).

3. Setting up Endpoints

3.1 SDSU's Endpoint

1. Once logged in, you should be taken to the main screen under the File Manager tab.
2. If not, switch to the tab from the tabs on the left hand side

3. From Here click in the Collection box at the top of your screen to connect to SDSU’s endpoint.
4. Then search for South Dakota State Fiona DTN (or other DTN on the list above) and select it.

5. You will by default be in your home directory on the DTN
6. The path for your home directory is /home/first.lastname/
7. This will be your folder to transfer files onto the DTN local storage
8. Use the up one folder button to navigate to gpfs storage (cluster storage). Or type in the path /gpfs/home/first.last/ to naviage to gpfs home folder

3.2 Personal Endpoint

1. To configure a personal endpoint on your machine, select the Endpoints tab.

2. Then select Create new endpoint at the top right of your screen.

3. Then select Globus Connect Personal
4. Enter a Display Name then click Generate setup key
   1. Make sure to copy or save the setup key
5. Then select your OS type and download the personal connect client
6. Once the download is complete click on the installer, and run through the default install
7. You may be prompted to verify and/or modify some settings, such as folder access. You may add or remove folders that Gobus can access.
8. Once you have set up folder access, you should see a Globus icon in your computer's system tray
9. Now go back to the Internet browser and select the  File Manager tab. we now must tell Globus where to find the folder(s) on our computer
10. First, click  on the Collections box. Search for the name gave your endpoint earlier when requested your  Setup Key. Select you endpoint from the search results
11. The Path field should automatically be directed to the folder you specified during the setup. If it does not, you may navigate to it either by typing the path or by clicking on the navigation buttons.
12. After location your personal endpoint. A transfer setup to the SDSU DTN should look like this.

3.3 Setting up an Endpoint on Linux server command line

1. Load globus module using module load globus
2. Run globus setup script globusconnectpersonal -setup --no-gui
3. Follow the on screen prompt to open up a webpage to get an access key

4. Navigate to the web page, select South Dakota State University from the dropdown and sign in using your credentials. You will be asked to provide a label for the connection and to also accept a prompt. Click Allow. 

5. Copy the auth code to your terminal
6. Create your endpoint name
   1. input a value for the endpoint name: Your_Endpoint_name_here

Your connection to Globus is now set up.  What we need to do is edit the Globus configuration file to show both your /home and /scratch directories.  Globus defaults to /home only.

1. Using your favorite text editor, create the following file:
   1. [chad.julius@login ~]$ vim /home/chad.julius/.globusonline/lta/config-paths
   2. Add your desired file locations… in my case /scratch/chad.julius,0,1 the default ~/ indicates your /home directory

 

2. Save the file and now you can start the Globus application

4 Using Globus to Create and Transfer Files and Folders

4.1 Creating Folders

1. You can view one or two endpoints at once using the panels tab at the top right of your screen

 

2. To create a folder as well as perform other tasks, use the tools in the middle in dual panel mode or on the right-hand side in single panel mode.

4.2 Transferring Files

1. Be sure to navigate to the correct folders in both the DTN and your local computer. Then Simply click and hold on the data file and drag it to the folder on the left. To choose files individually highlight them by clicking on them, then hit start underneath the endpoint panel you are looking at.

2. If the file or folder you are transferring is large, you may monitor the transfer’s progress by using the Activity tab. Globus may send you an email notifying you that a large transfer is complete.
   1. Large file transfers may not start right away. Be patient.

5 Linking Existing Globus Account to AD Account

5.1 Linking Accounts

1. To link an account first click on the Account tab. Then click Link Another Identity

2. Next select the organization the account belongs to, or click link an email address to link an account that doesn’t belong to one of the Identity providers.

3. Accept the user agreement and continue. The next screen will ask you to allow permissions

6 Globus Plus Access and Features

6.1 Requesting Access to Globus Plus

1. To request access to Globus Plus, go to the Groups tab on the left toolbar. Then use the search bar ath the top of the page.
2. Search for South Dakota State University Research Computing and click Join Group.
3. Fill out the information necessary and click submit application then wait for approval.

6.2 Personal to Personal Transfer

1. Go through the process in 3.2 to install a local endpoint on another device
2. Go to the transfer tab and select one local endpoint on the right and one local endpoint on the left.
3. Then drag and drop to transfer files as we did in section 4.2.