Skip to content

File browser and accessing storage services from the web interfaces

The file browser can be opened from the Files section on the top navbar (this displays a list of all project disk areas), or using the shortcut to your home folder in the Pinned Apps view on the landing page (dashboard). In the file browser, you can upload/download files, create new files and directories, or open a shell in the current directory. You can also use it to move data between Allas, LUMI-O, IDA and the supercomputer.

Important

Keep the tab with the file browser open while the file transfer is in progress to ensure that it completes successfully. Also note that uploaded files will overwrite existing files with the same name without prompting! Currently, the maximum size for individual file uploads is 10 GB.

Clicking on a file will open it in view-only mode. For more options like editing, renaming and deleting, use the button with three dots next to the filename.

The file browser comes with a basic text editor. Some important notes about the editor:

  • If no changes have been made, the save button is grayed out.
  • There is no save-as feature.
  • The user is not notified if a read-only file is opened using the editor. Accordingly, no changes will be applied to the file.

Accessing Allas and LUMI-O

The Allas object storage service can also be accessed from the web interfaces using the file browser.

To configure authentication for Allas:

  1. Open the Cloud storage configuration app either from the Pinned Apps or the Tools dropdown in the navbar.
  2. Once you open the app, you will be prompted to enter your CSC password at the bottom of the page.
  3. After you have authenticated using your password, you will be able to create both S3 and Swift connections, also known as remotes, to Allas. Each remote is only valid for a single project, but you can create multiple remotes to cover different projects.
  4. The created remotes will be visible in the Files dropdown in the navbar, as well as in the file browser (e.g. s3allas-project_2001234).

Note

The Swift and S3 protocols are not fully compatible with each other, particularly for files larger than 5 GB. For more details about the differences between the protocols, see Allas protocols.

LUMI-O can also be used through the file browser. However, some steps need to be first performed on the command-line.

  1. Open a command-line shell (either SSH or through the web interface) and configure a connection to LUMI-O: 
    module load allas
allas-conf --lumi
  2. Follow the steps to authenticate. See Using LUMI-O with Allas tools for more details.
  3. After this, restart the web interface by clicking Restart web server in the Help menu in the top-right section of the navbar.
  4. Once the server has been restarted, the lumi-o remote will be available in the Files dropdown in the navbar, as well as in the file browser.

Once you've set up a connection to Allas/LUMI-O from a web interface, you can use the file browser to access Allas/LUMI-O in the same was as when accessing the shared file system on the supercomputers.

Note that configured remotes that are not accessible due to, for example, expired authentication or network connection issues, will not be visible in the Files dropdown menu.

Large files

Uploading large files from your local computer to Allas via the web interfaces is currently not recommended due to technical limitations.

Accessing IDA

The IDA storage service can also be used from the web interfaces. However, some key features, such as moving data from the staging area to the frozen area, are only possible though the IDA web interface.

To use IDA from the Puhti/Mahti web interfaces, it must first be configured for use with Rclone in a login node shell as follows:

module load allas
rclone config

In the Rclone configuration interface, create a new remote with the following settings:

  1. Storage: WebDAV (#45)
  2. URL: https://ida.fairdata.fi/remote.php/webdav/
  3. Vendor: Nextcloud (#1)
  4. Username: Your CSC username
  5. Password:
    1. Login to the IDA web interface.
    2. Go to the settings in the top right corner.
    3. Go to the Security tab and create a new app password.
    4. Copy the password and paste it in the Rclone configuration interface.
  6. Bearer token: Leave empty
  7. Advanced config: No

After completing the Rclone configuration, restart the Puhti/Mahti web interface by clicking Restart web server in the Help menu in the top-right section of the navbar. IDA can now be accessed in the file browser, where you will be able to upload, download, transfer and edit files in the staging area, as well as view and download files in the frozen area.

Last update: May 17, 2024