Anonomous FTP access to data

XOR has an anonymous ftp server for a user to transfer data to a computer outside the APS firewall (Guest House network is outside the APS firewall). In sector 4, we run a script that automatically makes a copy of all user data to this server every 15 minutes ( :00, :15, :30, :45). The data is placed in a directory called "/pub/sector4/4id#/200*_*", where * is either "c" or "d" for each beamline and "#_#" is replaced by the year and run number (i.e. 7_1, for the first run { January to April } in 2007). This not only provides access to your data but also creates a backup copy in case a file is deleted.

To retrieve the data using an FTP program ( or a web browser) follow these steps

Step 1: Zip up data directory (optional)
If a user prefers to download all their data as one file, create a zip archive of it by using the command:
zip -r <filename> <dirname>
This will create a file called “filename.zip” that contains everything in the directory "dirname". This file is compatible with PCs, so the end user can unpack using a PC also (double click on file in windows). On UNIX systems including Mac OSX (and DOS?) you unpack it by typing "unzip filename"

Step 2: Copy file to XOR FTP server (optional)

If you can't wait 15 minutes for the file to be copied over you can use the following command to copy your file over to the ftp sever.

cp filename.zip /home/ftp/pub/sector4

You could also copy over an entire directory if you did not do step 1, using the following command

cp –R dirname /home/ftp/pub/sector4

If copying multiple files make a dirrectory in /home/ftp/pub/sector4/ to put all the files in.

 

Step 3: Retrieve the file
Using an ftp program:

1. Connect to ftp.xor.aps.anl.gov
2. When it prompts you for a user type “anonymous” and use your e-mail as a password
3. Change to directory “pub/sector4”.
4. If did not do step 2 above change directory to “4id*/200#_#”
5. Get files from sever.
Using a web browser:

1. Go to http://ftp.xor.aps.anl.gov/pub/sector4
2. Change directory into "4idc/200#_#/" or "4idd/200#_#/" where "#_#" is the year_run number (i.e. 7_1)
3. Click on file to download onto your computer.


Posted by: Jonathan Lang ( lang@aps.anl.gov)
Content by: Jonathan Lang ( lang@aps.anl.gov)