Globus

Globus provides a secure, unified interface to your research data. Use Globus to 'fire and forget' high-performance data transfers between systems within and across organizations.

Documentation is sourced from https://www.globus.org and edited for the UAB environment

Using Globus Website

Log in with your BlazerID

Visit https://www.globus.org and click "Login" at the top of the page. On the Globus login page, choose an organization you’re already registered with, such as UAB.. (Try typing a few letters of your organization’s name to narrow the list.) When you find it, click "Continue."" If you can’t find your organization in the list, you can use Google, ORCID, or Globus ID, all three of which allow you to create new accounts if you don’t already have one.

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You’ll be redirected to your organization’s login page. Use your credentials for that organization to login.

Some organizations will ask for your permission to release your account information to Globus.

Once you’ve logged in with your organization, Globus will ask if you’d like to link to an existing account. If this is your first time logging in to Globus, click "Continue." If you’ve already used another account with Globus, you can choose "Link to an existing account."

You may be prompted to provide additional information such as your organization and whether or not Globus will be used for commercial purposes. Complete the form and click "Continue."

Finally, you need to give Globus permission to use your identity to access information and perform actions (like file transfers) on your behalf.

The File Manager

After you’ve signed up and logged in to Globus, you’ll begin at the File Manager.

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The first time you use the File Manager, all fields will be blank.

Access a collection

Click in the Collection field at the top of the File Manager page and type "globus tutorial end". Globus will list collections with matching names. The collections Globus Tutorial Endpoint 1 and Globus Tutorial Endpoint 2 are collections administered by the Globus team for demonstration purposes and are accessible to all Globus users without further authentication.

If you search for "uab", the collections "Cheaha cluster on-campus (UAB Science DMZ)" and "Cheaha cluster off-campus (UAB Science DMZ)"

The on-campus endpoint is to be used when transferring data to or from a non-Cheaha location within the UAB network. The off-campus endpoint is to be used when transferring data to or from a location that is outside of the UAB network.

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After you select a collection, you can enter a Cheaha location in the Path in the File manager (generally something like "/data/user/blazerid"

Then you can proceed to select a separate collection and path and start a transfer.

Collaborating with Globus

(for the below, replace "$USER" with your blazerid)

1. Create an empty folder in your Cheaha data space for example: "/data/scratch/$USER/temporaryGlobusShare"
2. Log in to Globus
3. Under "Collection" click on "Search"
4. Choose the "Cheaha cluster off-campus (UAB Science DMZ)" endpoint
5. Edit the "Path" on the Globus interface to the directory you are housing the globus share: "/data/scratch/$USER/temporaryGlobusShare"
6. Click on the "Share" icon, which looks like a folder icon with people overlaid on top of it. This will take you to a new page.
7. Click on "+ Add a Shared Endpoint"
8. Fill out the form and click "Create Share"
9. After the share is created, you will be taken to a permissions page, click on "+ Add Permissions - Share With"
10. In the form that is presented, ONLY fill in the "username/email" using the email address of the collaborating party
11. If the collaborating user is to upload data, make sure to select both read and write permissions.
12. The collaborating user will then receive an email from "Globus Notification" informing them of the share.
13. The user can then open the link in the email which will take them to the Globus Share and encourage them to create or link a GlobusID if they have not already done so.
14. To add data to the shared location, the collaborating user must either select a collection they already have access to or follow the instructions to "Install Globus Connect Personal"

Data can only be transferred via the Globus interface. Once a transfer is initiated, the web browser does not have to remain open, but the Globus Connect Personal application must continue running.

Transfer Files from Local Machine

Install Globus Connect Personal

Visit https://www.globus.org/globus-connect-personal and follow the instructions for your OS to install Globus Connect Personal.

Begin Transferring

Once you have configured which directory to default to when transferring files, click the Globus Personal Connect icon and select the option to Transfer Files. This should bring you to the Globus web app with your newly created endpoint pre-populated and displaying the contents of your configured directory.

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Now you can select a destination and begin transferring from your new endpoint!

Further Reading

For a more in depth tutorial, refer to: https://docs.globus.org/how-to/get-started/