Globus Command Line Interface

Globus Command Line Interface

The Globus Command Line Interface (CLI) is an alternative to the Globus web interface or Globus Connect Personal application for managing your Globus files and transfers.

The CLI is useful for: * Automating transfers with scripts * Interacting with Globus in a programmatic way * Managing files and folders without a graphical user interface (GUI)

Note

This documentation assumes that you have already installed the Globus CLI and authenticated to your Globus account. If you have not, please see the Globus Web Interface documentation.

Setup

Before you can use the Globus CLI, you must first authenticate to Globus. The first time you use the CLI, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) will be presented to you that you must visit to get an authorization code. Subsequent uses will not require this step unless your authentication token expires.

globus login

When you run the command, a message similar to the following will be displayed:

Globus CLI login prompt

Please authenticate with Globus here:
https://auth.globus.org/v2/oauth2/authorize?client_id=...
...
Enter the authorization code here:

Globus Endpoints

Globus Endpoints are the locations where your data resides. These can be servers, clusters, or even your personal computer. When using the Globus CLI, you will need to know the endpoint ID or name of the endpoints you wish to interact with.

Listing Endpoints

To list all endpoints you have access to, use the globus endpoint search command:

globus endpoint search

This command will return a list of all endpoints you have access to, along with their IDs and names. You can filter the results by adding a search term:

globus endpoint search "University of Alberta"

You can also get more details about an endpoint using the globus endpoint show command and the endpoint ID. For example, to show details about the University of Alberta Globus endpoint, you would use:

globus endpoint show 93c9d747-d510-11e7-8b94-22000a92ce73

Transferring Files

The most common use of Globus is to transfer files between endpoints. The globus transfer command is used for this purpose.

Initiating a Transfer

To initiate a transfer, you need to specify the source endpoint, destination endpoint, and the paths to the files or folders you want to transfer. The basic syntax is:

globus transfer <source_endpoint_id>:<source_path> <destination_endpoint_id>:<destination_path>

For example, to transfer a file named my_data.txt from your local machine (using Globus Connect Personal) to the University of Alberta Globus endpoint, you would use:

First, find your Globus Connect Personal endpoint ID by running:

globus endpoint search <your_username>

Then, initiate the transfer:

globus transfer <your_connect_personal_id>:/path/to/my_data.txt 93c9d747-d510-11e7-8b94-22000a92ce73:/path/to/destination/my_data.txt

This command will return a task ID. You can use this ID to monitor the transfer's progress.

Monitoring Transfers

To monitor the status of a transfer, use the globus task show command followed by the task ID:

globus task show <task_id>

To list all your active and completed tasks, use:

globus task list

Transfer Options

The globus transfer command has several useful options: * --recursive: Transfer directories recursively. * --sync-level: Synchronize files based on modification time, size, or checksum. Options are mtime, size, checksum, delete (deletes files at destination that don't exist at source), and none. * --label: Add a label to the transfer task for easier identification. * --verify-checksum: Verify file integrity using checksums after transfer.

For a complete list of options, see the Globus CLI documentation or use globus transfer --help.

Managing Files and Directories

The Globus CLI allows you to manage files and directories on your endpoints. These commands are similar to standard Unix commands.

Listing Contents (ls)

To list the contents of a directory on an endpoint, use the globus ls command:

globus ls <endpoint_id>:<path>

For example:

globus ls 93c9d747-d510-11e7-8b94-22000a92ce73:/home/user

Creating Directories (mkdir)

To create a new directory on an endpoint, use the globus mkdir command:

globus mkdir <endpoint_id>:<path>

For example:

globus mkdir 93c9d747-d510-11e7-8b94-22000a92ce73:/home/user/new_project

Deleting Files and Directories (rm)

To delete files or directories on an endpoint, use the globus rm command.

Note

Deleting files is permanent and cannot be undone. Use with caution.

globus rm <endpoint_id>:<path>

To delete a directory and its contents recursively, use the --recursive option:

globus rm --recursive 93c9d747-d510-11e7-8b94-22000a92ce73:/home/user/old_data

Other Useful Commands

• globus whoami: Display information about the currently authenticated user.
• globus logout: Log out of the Globus CLI and revoke your authentication token.
• globus version: Display the version of the Globus CLI.