File transfer using FileZilla

Learning outcomes

• Practice using the documentation of your favorite HPC cluster
• Can install FileZilla
• Can transfer files using FileZilla

For teachers

Teaching goals are:

• Learners have practiced using the documentation of their favorite HPC cluster
• Learners have installed FileZilla
• Learners have transferred files using FileZilla

Lesson plan:

gantt
  title File transfer using FileZilla
  dateFormat X
  axisFormat %s
  section First hour
  Prior : prior, 0, 5s
  Present: present, after prior, 2s
  %% It took me 7 mins, here I do that time x2
  Challenge: crit, challenge, after present, 14s
  Feedback: feedback, after challenge, 7s

Prior questions:

• What is a file tranfer?
• How can one do a file transfer?
• Can you name some programs that can do file transfer?
• Who has heard of FileZilla?
• Who has already used FileZilla?
• What are features of FileZilla?

FileZilla being able to do file transfer to/from UPPMAX's Rackham HPC cluster.

Why?

Fairly sure you'll want to upload or download files to your HPC cluster. Here we do so.

We use a free and open-source graphical tool to do this, called FileZilla. It works under Linux, Mac and Windows.

Exercises

Need a video?

Here are videos that do this exercises for the differt HPC clusters:

You can find a video with solutions to these exercises:

HPC Cluster	Link to video
Alvis	Here
Berzelius	Cannot: is not a NAISS cluster
Bianca	Here
COSMOS	Here
Dardel	Here
Kebnekaise	Cannot: is not a NAISS cluster
LUMI	To do
Rackham	Here
Tetralith	Here
Vera	Cannot: is not a NAISS cluster

Exercise 0: pick a Zoom room

We will use breakout rooms, as this is best for learning. Ideally, each breakout room has 2 learners for the same HPC cluster. As it cannot be predicted how many learners show up per cluster, we do this dynamically:

• Go to the main breakout room of your HPC cluster

HPC cluster name	Main breakout room
Alvis	Room 1
Bianca	Room 2
COSMOS	Room 3
Dardel	Room 4
Kebnekaise	Room 5
Rackham	Room 6
Tetralith	Room 7
.	Room 8
.	Room 9

• When the main breakout room reaches 4 learners, decide upon 2 to move to a free breakout room. Repeat until the group size is below 4.
• When you are the only one in your main breakout room, the teachers will let you decide to either work in silence or to join another group. You will be takes care of well :-)

Exercise 1: install FileZilla

Install FileZilla.

Under Ubuntu, you can can use the Ubuntu App Center.

How does the Ubuntu App Center look like?

Here:

For non-Ubuntu users, search the web, download and install.

Where can I find it?

The FileZilla website can be found at https://filezilla-project.org/.

Clicking on 'Download FileZilla client' takes you to the FileZilla download page at https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client.

Download the file, maybe unzip it and run the installer

Exercise 2: transfer a file

Use the documentation of your HPC cluster for help.

• Search for the procedure on how to transfer a file to/from your HPC cluster using FileZilla

Where is that documentation?

HPC Cluster	Link to documentation
Alvis	None. Closest is here. Use this documentation instead
Berzelius	here
Bianca	here
COSMOS	None. Closest is here. Use this documentation instead
Dardel	None. Closest is here, under 'Data management -> File transfer'. Use this documentation instead
Kebnekaise	here (Linux and Mac) and here (Windows)
LUMI	To do
Rackham	here
Tetralith	here
Vera	None. Closest is here.

• Follow that procedure to transfer a file
• Use the file explorer to verify that files indeed are transferred

Some other tools

Graphical tools

• WinSCP - for Windows
• CyberDuck - other popular tool, available for all platforms