Using the RDSS Globus Endpoint

The Northwestern Quest RDSS endpoint allows you to transfer data between RDSS/FSMResfiles and Quest. Currently, all data to/from RDSS must go through Quest due to current system architecture.

Setup

To use the RDSS endpoint you must:

1. Have a Quest Allocation: Follow the linked instructions to request a Quest allocation.
2. Have access to an RDSS/FSMResFiles Allocation: See the linked page for more information about RDSS
3. Request access to RDSS/FSMResFiles via Globus: Send an email to quest-help@northwestern.edu with the subject line "RDSS Globus Access". Include the following in the body of your email
   • your NetID
   • The path of the RDSS share you would like to access via Globus

Mounting your RDSS/FSMResFiles share

Once these steps are complete, mount RDSS on Quest. To do this, make sure you are either on campus, or are connected to GlobalProtect VPN. Then, open your terminal program of choice and type the following command

When you select this endpoint, Globus will then ask you to authenticate using your Northwestern NetID and password

Then, you should see the /rdss/ directory, which contains folders with users' NetIDs. 

To navigate to access your RDSS/FSMResFiles content, navigate into the folder with your NetID as the name. Inside that folder, you will see a folder called "resfiles", "fsmresfiles", or "resfiles-audit", depending on where your allocation is located. Navigate into that folder. You should see the files contained in the directory that you requested access to in the Setup section.

We recommend bookmarking this folder to avoid having to navigate to this folder every time you initiate a file transfer. To create a bookmark, select the bookmark icon to the right of the path you would like to bookmark. The icon will appear yellow if the path is bookmarked. 

Transferring files to/from RDSS/FSMResFiles

The Northwestern Quest RDSS endpoint only allows data transfers within RDSS and to the Northwestern Quest managed endpoint.

• To transfer to Quest: No staging is necessary.
• To transfer anywhere else: To transfer files from RDSS/FSMResfiles to any other endpoint, first transfer the data to Quest. Your Quest allocation must have enough storage space to accommodate the files that you're transferring. Then, you can transfer the files to any other Globus endpoint.

Extending RDSS/FSMResFiles endpoint activation

Northwestern Quest RDSS endpoint activation on Globus expires after 1 day by default. Once it expires, you must reauthenticate.

To extend the activation period: 

First, on the Globus website, find the Northwestern Quest RDSS Endpoint in the File Manager window.

Then, select the Manage Activation icon that looks like a power button at the bottom of the column between the file browser windows (red box)

Click Extend Activation. Globus will ask you to reauthenticate with your Northwestern NetID

BEFORE YOU AUTHENTICATE, click Advanced under the password field. This will allow you to specify how long you would like the endpoint to remain activated up to 168 hours (7 days). Enter the amount of time you would like to extend the activation for in hours. 

If you would like to create a stable endpoint that does not expire, you can create a Shared Collection on the RDSS Endpoint. See Globus's How to Share Data Using Globus documentation for more information.

Troubleshooting

Here are some common issues with using the Quest RDSS Globus endpoint and how to resolve them.

I get a "permission denied" error when I try to access my files

Seeing a "permission denied" error when trying to access a folder on the Quest RDSS endpoint (below) means that Globus does not think you have permission to see the folder you're trying to access. 

The two most common reasons for this are: 

Reason 1: You don't have access to the file or folder on RDSS/FSMResFiles

To check whether you have access on RDSS/FSMResFiles, connect to your shared drive on your computer and see if you have access. If you do not, 

• RDSS users should contact the owner of your share. They can grant you access using our self-service tool.
• FSMResFiles users should contact FSM-IT (fsmhelp@northwestern.edu) for access. 

Reason 2: Your RDSS share was unmounted from the Quest RDSS Globus node

Occasionally, the Quest RDSS Globus (qglobus02) node has to be restarted for system maintenance. Our current system architecture requires users to log in to the qglobus02 node to remount the share. Please see instructions in the "Mounting your RDSS/FSMResFiles share" section above for details.

If neither of these methods solve your problem, email quest-help@northwestern.edu and we will help you troubleshoot.

I can't get to the folder I need in the Globus interface

When we set up access to the Quest RDSS Globus endpoint for users, we have to choose a mountpoint, which determines what you see inside your NetID folder in Globus. For example, if you need access to multiple shares in the resfiles zone or multiple lab groups/departments in FSMResFiles, we set your mountpoint to the folder that contains these folders. If you can only see one of those shares/folders, we will have to change your mountpoint.

To request this change, email quest-help@northwestern.edu with the following information:

• Your NetID
• Where you want your mountpoint to be OR the filepaths you need to see in Globus. We can help you figure out the correct mountpoint if you give us all the locations you need access to.

My file transfer fails when I try to transfer files between RDSS and my personal endpoint

Our current infrastructure only allows transfers between the RDSS and Quest endpoints. You can transfer your data to Quest and then transfer your data to your personal endpoint or any other Globus endpoint. Do not use Quest to store sensitive data even temporarily. 

Email quest-help@northwestern.edu if you need help setting up this two-stage transfer, don't have enough storage space on Quest, or are working with sensitive data that cannot be stored on Quest.