Testing Web UI

Test Aspera Connect client transfers through Web UI.

Follow the steps below to test your client transfers through the Web UI.

Note: The instructions require steps to be taken on both the Connect Server system and a client computer. Make sure you are performing the steps on the specified machine.

  1. Clients: Test the connection to the Web UI

    To test your connection to the Connect Server Web UI, go to the following address with a client computer's browser:

    Scope URL
    HTTP http://server-ip-or-name/aspera/user
    HTTPS https://server-ip-or-name/aspera/user

    Note: Ensure that your client users have cookies enabled within their browsers before attempting to log in. Failure to do so may result in an error message as they attempt to access the Connect Server Web UI.
  2. Connect Server: Set up a test user account
    Click the Configuration.

    In the Server Configuration, select the Users tab and click Add user. Enter the system user's name (asp1).

    Click the Configuration.

    Select the user's Docroot tab, check Absolute Path and enter or select an existing path as the user's docroot (for example, /sandbox/asp1). Set all other options true. Click OK or Apply when finished.

    Set up the docroot.

    Note: On the operating system, the system user should have read and write permissions to its docroot.

    On top of SSH authentication, Connect Server uses Apache's authentication to authorize Web UI access. To set up a system user for Apache authentication (asp1), use the htpasswd command to set up the user for Web UI.

    $ htpasswd /Library/Aspera/etc/webpasswd asp1

    Note: Use the -c option only if this is the first time running htpasswd to create the webpasswd file. Do not use the -c option otherwise.
  3. Client: Test the Web UI with the client machine
    Note: Cookies must be enabled in a client's browser!

    Prepare a client computer with the supported OS and browser to test connecting to the Web UI. See the Introduction for supported platform and browser. Browsing the Web UI from the client machine, you should see the Aspera Connect browser plugin installation instruction on the web page. Click either Install Now or Download Aspera Connect and follow the instructions.

    The "Install Now" button appears on Web UI.

    In the Web UI, click Upload and select one or more files to send to Connect Server. When finished, select the uploaded files on the Web UI, and click Download.

    Note:
    When adding files to the Web UI, do not use the following characters in the filenames:
    / \ " : ' ? > < & * |

    For further information about the Aspera Connect browser plugin, see the Aspera Connect User Guide.

If you are having difficulties establishing fasp transfers using the Web UI, see Clients Can't Establish Connection.