How do I transfer data on Second Tier Storage between users?

An approved self-service workflow has been developed by MSI to detail the process in transferring data from one user to another using Second Tier Storage. A good example of a use case for this scenario is when one member of a group is leaving the University and wants to transfer all data they own to their PI.  

The recommended workflow to transfer between Second Tier Storage users is for the current owner to use Globus to share a copy of the data with the new owner.  When the new owner receives access to this share, they can then copy their own version of the data over to a storage point that they own.  The new owner now owns a copy of the data.  Once both the new owner and previous owner confirm that the data transferred successfully, the previous owner is now free to delete their copy of the data.  

Below is a quick start guide meant for users familiar with Globus.  Further down this page are more detailed instructions with screenshots for each step in the process.  For more information on how to use Globus to access Second Tier Storage, see the articles https://www.msi.umn.edu/support/faq/how-do-i-use-globus-transfer-data-msi-0 and https://www.msi.umn.edu/support/faq/how-do-i-use-globus-transfer-data-second-tier-storage-msi

*INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREVIOUS OWNER WILL BE BLUE TEXT*

*INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NEW OWNER WILL BE IN GREEN TEXT*

QUICK START GUIDE:


 

PREVIOUS OWNER

1. Log into Globus and load the endpoint containing the data you wish to transfer

2. Locate the directory containing the data you wish to transfer and click “Share” in the topbar of the current directory window

3. Input a name for the share, as well as the email address of the user you wish to share with.  Click “Add Permission”  

4. Globus is now processing the share request.  The new owner of the data will get an email when it is finished.
   
   NEW OWNER

5. Follow the link in the email you received from Globus.  Log in and the share will automount in the left transfer pane

6. In the right transfer pane, open up the endpoint you wish to pull the data into.

7. Select/highlight all the files and folders you wish to transfer, and hit the blue transfer arrow in between the transfer panes to start a transfer request.  Data will start to copy over

8. When the transfer is complete, you’ll receive an email.  You are now the owner of a copy of the data
   
   PREVIOUS OWNER

9. (Optional) Once you’ve confirmed with the new owner that the data transfer is complete, you should now be free to delete the data in your own storage, should you choose.
    

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:    
 

PREVIOUS OWNER INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Log into Globus at https://www.globus.org/app/transfer using your UMN MSI credentials.  You’ll be taken to the “Transfer Files” screen, with two panes.  In the left pane, open up the endpoint which stores the data you wish to transfer.  The endpoint that MSI provides to access Tier 2 storage is UMN MSI Tier2
   
    

2. When you are in the directory containing the data you wish to share, click “Share”
   
   
    

3. You’ll be taken to the “My Shares” screen.  Here you should

   1. Enter a display name for the share, to make it easier for the new owner to identify (this is a mandatory)

   2. Enter a brief description of the data you’re sharing (this is optional)

   3. Then click “Create” at the bottom to finish creating the share
      
      
       

4. You’ll then be taken to the “Sharing” tab on the “Manage Endpoints” screen.  By default, the options for “Path” should be set to the current directory that contains the data, and the “Share With” option should be set to User, which indicates that we’re sharing our data with a single user.  Here you should:

   1. In the “Identity/E-Mail” field, enter the username or email of the user you want to share with

   2. Click “add”.  This will open up the email pane the “Identity/Email” field.  If Globus finds the username / email you entered in step A, it will fill in the neccessary information, allowing you to skip step C

   3. If Globus didn’t autofill the “Send Email” field, enter the email address of the user you want to share with

   4. Make sure “Permissions”  has “read” checked.  The new owner of the data is going to copy a read only version into their own storage space, which they’ll then have read/write ownership over.  The “read” option should be set by default.      

   5. Click “Add Permission” when you’re finished
      
      
       

5. An email should be sent to the user you requested.  You can confirm the share has been sent by going to the “My Shares” tab on the “Manage Endpoints” screen from Step 4.  Here you can see what you’ve shared and with whom.  The new owner should now be able to copy over the data.
   
   
   
    

6. You should now wait until the new owner copies over the data to their own storage space.
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NEW OWNER INSTRUCTIONS

 

7. You should receive an email from Globus that a folder has been shared with you.  Follow the link in the email you receive.  You’ll log into Globus with your UMN MSI credentials.
   
   
   
   
    

8. Once you log in, the Globus transfer window should open and the share containing the data you wish to acquire should automount on the left side pane.  On the right side pane, open the endpoint where you wish to keep the data.  When moving from a Secondary Tier Storage point to another Secondary Tier Storage point, you’ll open the endpoint at UMN MSI Tier2
   
   
   
    

9. Once you have the shared data loaded in the left pane and the location you wish to store the data in the right pane:

   1. Click on the folder/files in the share in the left pane you wish to transfer so that they highlight with a light blue tint.

   2. Once you’ve highlighted all the files/folders you wish to copy, hit the blue right arrow in between the panes.

   3. You should get a notification across the top of the screen that the transfer request has been submitted successfully.  It’s important to note that this is just the request to transfer; it doesn’t yet mean the data has transferred successfully yet.  

   4. To view the actual status of the data transfer, you can click on the green circle in the “Recent Activity” pane in the upper right
      
      
      
       

10. On the “Activity” screen, you can see how far along the transfer is.  When it’s finished, you’ll see the green check mark.  You’ll also get an email when the transfer is complete.
     

11. At this point, a copy of the data is now in the new owners storage space with their own owner privileges.  For all intents and purposes, the new owner now “owns” the data, the same way in which the previous owner had.  
    
    

PREVIOUS OWNER INSTRUCTIONS
 

12. (Optional) The previous owner should now be safe to delete the data in their storage, if they choose.