Instant GridFTP

A foundational need in high-performance computing is to move large (multi-gigabyte and even terabyte) datasets between sites. Simple file transfer mechanisms such as FTP and SCP are not sufficient from either a reliability or performance perspective. GridFTP is the de facto standard protocol for transferring large data files in production Grid/HPC environments. GridFTP extends the standard FTP protocol to provide a high-performance, secure, reliable data transfer protocol optimized for high-bandwidth wide-area networks. The Glob us GridFTP implementation has become the preeminent high-performance data transfer tool for the Grid community, with large facilities and projects using it to transfer billions of files per year. We report here on a new product, Glob us Connect Multi User (GCMU), that greatly streamlines Glob us GridFTP installation and configuration. GCMU packages a GridFTP server, My Proxy Online Certificate Authority, and other components in a manner that avoids the need for any end-user or system administrator involvement in security configuration or credential management. We describe the GCMU design and a GridFTP protocol extension that simplifies transfers across security domains. We also explain how GCMU interacts with the Glob us Online software-as-a-service solution. By enabling "instant GridFTP," this work makes the powerful Glob us GridFTP tool accessible to nonexpert users and to smaller laboratories and projects.