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Transferring Files

Anvil supports several methods for file transfer to and from the system. Users can transfer files between Anvil and Linux-based systems or Mac using either scp or rsync. Windows SSH clients typically include scp-based file transfer capabilities.

SCP

SCP (Secure CoPy) is a simple way of transferring files between two machines that use the SSH protocol. SCP is available as a protocol choice in some graphical file transfer programs and also as a command line program on most Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X systems. SCP can copy single files, but will also recursively copy directory contents if given a directory name. SSH Keys is required for SCP. Following is an example of transferring test.txt file from Anvil home directory to your local machine, make sure to use your anvil username x-anvilusername:

localhost> scp x-anvilusername@anvil.rcac.purdue.edu:/home/x-anvilusername/test.txt .
Warning: Permanently added the xxxxxxx host key for IP address 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx' to the list of known hosts.
test.txt                                                                    100%    0     0.0KB/s   00:00

Rsync

Rsync, or Remote Sync, is a free and efficient command-line tool that lets you transfer files and directories to local and remote destinations. It allows to copy only the changes from the source and offers customization, use for mirroring, performing backups, or migrating data between different filesystems. SSH Keys is required for Rsync. Similar to the above SCP example, make sure to use your anvil username x-anvilusername here.

SFTP

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a reliable way of transferring files between two machines. SFTP is available as a protocol choice in some graphical file transfer programs and also as a command-line program on most Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X systems. SFTP has more features than SCP and allows for other operations on remote files, remote directory listing, and resuming interrupted transfers. Command-line SFTP cannot recursively copy directory contents; to do so, try using SCP or graphical SFTP client.

Command-line usage:

$ sftp -B buffersize x-anvilusername@anvil.rcac.purdue.edu

      (to a remote system from local)
sftp> put sourcefile somedir/destinationfile
sftp> put -P sourcefile somedir/

      (from a remote system to local)
sftp> get sourcefile somedir/destinationfile
sftp> get -P sourcefile somedir/

sftp> exit
  • -B: optional, specify buffer size for transfer; larger may increase speed, but costs memory
  • -P: optional, preserve file attributes and permissions

Linux / Solaris / AIX / HP-UX / Unix:

  • The "sftp" command-line program should already be installed.

Microsoft Windows:

  • MobaXterm
    Free, full-featured, graphical Windows SSH, SCP, and SFTP client.

Mac OS X:

  • The "sftp" command-line program should already be installed. You may start a local terminal window from "Applications->Utilities".
  • Cyberduck is a full-featured and free graphical SFTP and SCP client.

Globus

Globus is a powerful and easy to use file transfer and sharing service for transferring files virtually anywhere. It works between any ACCESS and non-ACCESS sites running Globus, and it connects any of these research systems to personal systems. You may use Globus to connect to your home, scratch, and project storage directories on Anvil. Since Globus is web-based, it works on any operating system that is connected to the internet. The Globus Personal client is available on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It is primarily used as a graphical means of transfer but it can also be used over the command line. More details can be found at ACCESS Using Globus.

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