Transferring Data to or from Northwestern Storage Services
Whether you are a new faculty member who needs to bring your data with you from a previous institution, departing Northwestern with your data, or moving your data within Northwestern storage services, this page will help you transfer your data efficiently.
Globus Data Transfer Tool
The preferred method of moving data to or from Northwestern storage services is the Globus data transfer tool. Globus is designed to efficiently transfer large files and manage the transfer to ensure completion and accuracy. You can either initiate a one-time transfer of specific files or set up a sync process that transfers files that have changed on one system to a second system on a set schedule. Globus also has error-handling features that will restart your transfer if it encounters errors and let you know when it is complete.
Many other institutions and data sources use Globus, making it easy to transfer your data onto our systems. See the following table for Northwestern storage services that are connected to Globus. Please note that Northwestern’s Globus service is not yet approved for Level 3 data or above.
You can also install Globus Connect Personal on your computer to transfer files between your computer and other Globus-connected services like high performance computing centers and data portals that use Globus. Please see our Globus documentation for complete details.
* Northwestern’s Globus service does not currently support Level 3 data or above, but this feature is in development. Contact globus-help@northwestern.edu for assistance with transferring Level 3 data.
** In development: contact globus-help@northwestern.edu for assistance.
Other Options
You may be unable to use Globus to transfer your data because not all data sources are connected to Globus, and our Globus infrastructure is not yet approved for Level 3 or higher data. Additionally, data sources may have their own policies and mechanisms for transferring data. For example, the National Center for Biotechnology Information databases use FTP servers or Aspera to transfer large datasets to or from their servers. The best method of transferring data in these cases varies widely. We have options for transferring sensitive data and support for using specific tools. Email globus-help@northwestern.edu, and our data management specialists will find a workflow that works for you.