Tube Quick Start Guide

The Tube File Transfer Service provides HPCMP users with the ability to perform unattended file transfers within a center or between centers. Tube supports one-way transfer from a client machine to a server and provides a common, inter-center solution for HPCMP users.

Tube uses host based Kerberos principals between trusted hosts in the HPCMP realm so users do not need to have a Kerberos ticket during the transfer process. Tube performs the actual file transfers using Kerberized scp. The Tube command is installed on every allocated HPC system and is available for general use.

Any user on a tube client machine may push files to any user on a tube server machine. Files are placed in a restricted target directory for files: /incoming/$username/. Files of the same name are not overwritten; the user must explicitly remove a file from the server machine before a new file of the same name can be sent.

The /incoming directory is typically not part of the default path (i.e. $PATH). Users should avoid running executable files received from other users.

Tube Examples

Below are several simple examples for transferring a files from centennial.arl.hpc.mil to mustang.afrl.hpc.mil.

• Push a file to yourself:
  [myself@centennial.arl.hpc.mil]$ tube myself@mustang.afrl.hpc.mil filename1
  
  • Results:
    /incoming/myself/filename1
• Push a file to another user:
  [myself@centennial.arl.hpc.mil]$ tube yourself@mustang.afrl.hpc.mil filename1
  
  • Results:
    /incoming/yourself/myself@###.###.###.###/filename1
    
    (Where ###.###.###.### is the IP address of the client system that is the source of the files that were transferred.)

For a complete list of Tube options see the man pages on systems that have it installed.