File transfer using rsync

Learning outcomes

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

For teachers

Teaching goals are:

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

Lesson plan:

gantt
  title File transfer using rsync
  dateFormat X
  axisFormat %s
  section First hour
  Prior : prior, 0, 5s
  Present: present, after prior, 2s
  %% It took me 6 mins, here I do that time x2
  Challenge: crit, challenge, after present, 12s
  %% Here I use the same time it took me to give feedback
  Feedback: feedback, after challenge, 6s

Prior questions:

• How can one do a file transfer from the terminal?
• Can you name some programs that can do file transfer from the terminal?
• Who has heard of rsync?
• Who has already used rsync?

Notes:

• Bianca users will have the most complex procedure by far

Why?

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

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

Exercises

Need a video?

HPC Cluster	Link to documentation
Alvis	here
Berzelius	.
Bianca	here
COSMOS	.
Dardel	here
Kebnekaise	.
LUMI	.
Rackham	here
Tetralith	here
Vera	.

Exercise 1: transfer a file

Use the documentation of your HPC cluster.

• Search for how to transfer files to/from your HPC cluster using rsync. Which URL is it described? Tip: not all HPC centers have documented this, so you should give up searching after a while.

Where is that documentation?

HPC Cluster	Link to documentation
Alvis	Closest is here. For now, use here
Berzelius	Here
Bianca	Here
COSMOS	None. Closest is here
Dardel	Closest is here
Kebnekaise	Here
LUMI	here
Rackham	Here
Tetralith	Here
Vera	Here

If the center maintaining you HPC cluster has not documented how to use rsync, follow the Rackham documentation.

• Copy a file from your local computer to your Rackham home folder. Verify this worked.
• Copy a file from your Rackham home folder to your local computer. Verify this worked.