What is Globus?

Globus is designed to transfer and share data within and between organizations. For researchers at NC State, Globus is a valuable tool to help curb your data management frustrations.

Whether your data is stored via NC State Research Storage, the Hazel High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster, Google Drive or another location, Globus makes it easy to connect your data to those who need it. The platform supports external authentication, eliminating the need to create accounts and ensuring that your data stays secure. You can simply log in using your Unity ID and password while Globus users from other universities, national labs, government facilities and research institutions log in with their own single sign-on credentials.

From gigabytes to petabytes, Globus allows you to take a hands-off approach to moving data. Once initiated, data transfers happen behind the scenes within the platform, saving you time and freeing up your devices for other important tasks.

Globus at NC State is managed by the Office of Information Technology. The service was developed and is operated by the University of Chicago.

How Can Globus Help?

Wondering if Globus is right for you? Here are a few common tasks that Globus has helped other university researchers perform.

Scenario 1:

Copy data from Google Drive to NC State Research Storage
A researcher at NC State needs to move several gigabytes of data from Google Drive to Research Storage. The time it would take to mount each storage location on their laptop and transfer the data, tying up the laptop until the transfer is complete, is impractical.

Solution
The researcher logs in to Globus using their NC State Unity ID, mounts the endpoints in the platform and starts the transfer process. They then log out of Globus and continue to use their laptop as usual. They even shut the device down when not in use. In the background, Globus successfully transfers the data.

Scenario 2:

Receive data from another institution
A researcher at NC State needs to receive several terabytes of raw research data from a colleague at another institution that also uses Globus.

Solution
The colleague logs in to Globus using their institution login credentials, mounts the endpoint that stores their data, creates a guest collection from that endpoint and sets appropriate permissions for the NC State researcher to access the data. The researcher logs in to Globus using their NC State Unity ID and initiates a secure transfer of the data to a storage location here at NC State.

Scenario 3:

Share data with collaborators across the globe
A researcher at NC State is working on a project with collaborators located in several other countries and needs to securely share data with everyone. Some of the collaborators work at institutions that use Globus, but some do not use it.

Solution
The NC State researcher creates a Research Storage project share, where they store the project data. They log in to Globus using their NC State Unity ID and use the Research Storage collection to create a guest collection. The researcher sets appropriate sharing permissions using the institution-specific credentials for current Globus users and a Google account, ORCID ID or Globus ID for non-Globus users. The collaborators from institutions that use Globus log in using their institution login credentials and view the data. The non-Globus collaborators access the data using a link sent to their email.

Scenario 4:

Access and sync data from remote locations with unreliable network access
A researcher from NC State travels often and requires remote access to data stored in various locations, including Research Storage, HPC storage and a server in their lab on campus. The researcher also generates data while traveling that needs to be copied from their laptop back to NC State, even if network access is unreliable or something happens to their laptop.

Solution
Globus Connect Server is installed on the server in the researcher’s lab. OIT helps the researcher create and register a Globus mapped collection to access the data stored on the lab’s server. The researcher installs Globus Connect Personal on their laptop. They then log in to Globus using their NC State Unity ID and transfer data between their laptop and any of the university storage locations they use. If the network connection is spotty, Globus automatically attempts to copy the data until it is successful. Globus also verifies that all of the data is copied correctly after each transfer and sends the researcher a notification.

How to Use Globus

The following documentation can help you better understand how to set up and use Globus.

• Introduction to Globus Data Transfer at NC State (on-demand video)
• Using Globus to Access Research Storage and HPC Collections
• Using Globus to Access Your NC State Google Drive
• Install Globus Connect Personal

Get Help

For assistance getting started with or using Globus, contact the Globus Service Team by submitting a ticket to oit_globus@help.ncsu.edu.