aspera.conf - File System

This topic describes how to manually modify the <authorization/> section of aspera.conf. You can also add and edit these parameters using asconfigurator commands. For more information on using asconfigurator, see User, Group and Default Configurations.

Open aspera.conf.

You can find the aspera.conf configuration file at:

/opt/aspera/etc/aspera.conf

Add or locate the <file_system /> section, as in the example below.

<file_system>
   <access>
      <paths>
         <path>
            <absolute peer_ip="ip_address">/path/$(name)</absolute>
                                                       <!-- Absolute Path (conditional) -->
            <absolute>/path/$(name)</absolute>            <!-- Absolute Path -->
            <read_allowed>true</read_allowed>          <!-- Read Allowed -->
            <write_allowed>true</write_allowed>        <!-- Write Allowed -->
            <dir_allowed>true</dir_allowed>            <!-- Browse Allowed -->
         </path>
      </paths>
   </access>
   <read_block_size>0</read_block_size>                <!-- Read Block Size -->
   <write_block_size>0</write_block_size>              <!-- Write Block Size -->
   <read_threads>0</read_threads>                       <!–- Number of I/O Read Threads -->
   <write_threads>0</write_threads>                     <!–- Number of I/O Write Threads -->
   <scan_threads>0</scan_threads>                       <!-- Number of Dir Scanning Threads -->
   <meta_threads>0</meta-threads>                       <!-- Number of Metadata Threads -->
   <sparse_file>false</sparse_file>                     <!-- Sparse File Checking -->
   <fail_on_attr_error>yes</fail_on_attr_error>         <!-- Behavior on Attr Error -->
   <compression_method>lz4</compression_method>         <!-- Compression Method for File Transfer --> 
   <use_file_cache>true</use_file_cache>               <!-- Use File Cache -->
   <max_file_cache_buffer>0</max_file_cache_buffer>    <!-- Max File Cache Buffer-->
   <resume_suffix>.aspx</resume_suffix>                <!-- Resume Suffix -->
   <preserve_attributes> </preserve_attributes>        <!-- Preserve Attributes -->
   <overwrite>allow</overwrite>                        <!-- Overwrite -->
   <file_manifest>disable</file_manifest>              <!-- File Manifest -->
   <file_manifest_path>path</file_manifest_path>        <!-- File Manifest Path -->
   <file_manifest_inprogress_suffix>.aspera-inprogress</file_manifest_inprogress_suffix -->
                                                       <!-- File Manifest Suffix -->
   <pre_calculate_job_size>any</pre_calculate_job_size><!-- Pre-Calculate Job Size -->
   <replace_illegal_chars></replace_illegal_chars>     <!-- Convert Restricted Windows Characters -->
   <storage_rc>
      <adaptive>true</adaptive>                        <!-- Storage Rate Control -->
   </storage_rc>
   <filters>                                           <!-– File Filter Pattern List -->
      <filter>rule1</filter>
      <filter>rule2</filter>
   </filters>
   <file_create_mode> </file_create_mode>              <!-- File Create Mode -->
   <file_create_grant_mask>644</file_create_grant_mask><!-- File Create Grant Mask -->
   <directory_create_mode> </directory_create_mode>    <!-- Directory Create Mode -->
   <directory_create_grant_mask>755</directory_create_grant_mask>
                                                       <!-- Directory Create Grant Mask -->
   <partial_file_suffix>.partial</partial_file_suffix> <!-- Partial File Suffix --> 
   <file_checksum>any</file_checksum>                  <!-– File Checksum Method -->  
</file_system>

Configuration options reference.

Field	Description	Values	Default
Absolute Path	The docroot: the area of the file system that is accessible to Aspera users. The default empty value gives users access to the entire file system. You can set one global docroot and then further restrict access to the file system by group or individual user. Docroot paths require specific formatting depending on where the transfer server's storage is located. Format examples Local storage absolute path /home/bear/movies Local storage in URI format (required for server-side encryption-at-rest, not supported by the Aspera Watch Service) file:////home/bear/movies Cloud or on-premises object storage For more information, see Setting Docroots for Object Storage and HDFS. You can also set multiple docroots and make them conditional based on the IP address from which the connection is made by editing aspera.conf. To do so, edit the absolute path setting by adding the IP address using the following syntax: <absolute peer_ip="`ip_address`">`path`</absolute>	file path or URI	undefined (total access)
Read Allowed	Setting this to `true` (default) allows users to transfer from the designated area of the file system as specified by the Absolute Path value.	`true` `false`	`true`
Write Allowed	Setting this to `true` (default) allows users to transfer to the designated area of the file system as specified by the Absolute Path value.	`true` `false`	`true`
Browse Allowed	Setting this to `true` (default) allows users to browse the directory.	`true` `false`	`true`
Read Block Size (bytes)	Set the maximum number of bytes that can be stored within a block as the block is being transferred from the source disk drive to the receiver. The default of zero causes the Aspera sender to use its default internal buffer size, which may vary by operating system. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera sender (which only takes effect if the sender is a server).	positive integer, where 500MB or 524,288,000 bytes is the maximum block size.	0
Write Block Size (bytes)	Set the maximum bytes within a block that an ascp receiver can write to disk. The default of zero causes the Aspera receiver to use its default internal buffer size, which may vary by operating system. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver (which only takes effect if the receiver is a server).	positive integer, where 500MB or 524,288,000 bytes is the maximum block size.	0
Number of I/O read threads	Set the number of threads the Aspera sender uses to read file contents from the source disk drive. It takes effect on both client and server, when acting as a sender. The default of zero causes the Aspera sender to use its internal default, which may vary by operating system. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera sender.	positive integer	0
Number of I/O write threads	Set the number of threads the Aspera receiver uses to write the file contents to the destination disk drive. It takes effect on both client and server, when acting as a receiver. The default of zero causes the Aspera receiver to use its internal default, which may vary by operating system. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver.	positive integer	0
Number of Dir Scanning Threads	Set the number of threads the Aspera sender uses to scan directory contents. It takes effect on both client and server, when acting as a sender. The default of zero causes the Aspera sender to use its internal default. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera sender.	positive integer	0
Number of Metadata Threads.	Set the number of threads the Aspera receiver uses to create directories or 0 byte files. It takes effect on both client and server, when acting as a receiver. The default of zero causes the Aspera receiver to use its internal default, which may vary by operating system. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver.	positive integer	0
Sparse File Checking	Set to `true` to enable sparse file checking, which tells the Aspera receiver to avoid writing zero blocks and save disk space. The default of `false` to tell the Aspera reciever to write all the blocks. This is a performance-tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Behavior on Attr Error	Set behavior for when operations attempt to set or change file attributes (such as POSIX ownership, ACLs, or modification time) and fail. Setting to `yes` returns an error and causes the operation to fail. Setting to `no` logs the error and the operation continues	`no` or `yes`	`yes`
Compression Method for File Transfer	Set the compression method to apply to transfers. It applies to both the client and server.	`lz4`, `qlz`, `zlib`, or `none`	`lz4`
Use File Cache	Set to `true` (default) to enable per-file memory caching at the data receiver. File level memory caching improves data write speed on Windows platforms in particular, but uses more memory. This is a performance tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver. Aspera suggests using a file cache on systems that are transferring data at speeds close to the performance of their storage device, and disable it for system with very high concurrency (because memory utilization will grow with the number of concurrent transfers).	`true` or `false`	`true`
Max File Cache Buffer (bytes)	Set the maximal size allocated for per-file memory cache (see Use File Cache) in bytes. The default of zero will cause the Aspera receiver to use its internal buffer size, which may be different for different operating systems. This is a performance tuning parameter for an Aspera receiver.	positive integer	`0`
Resume Suffix	Set the file name extension for temporary metadata files used for resuming incomplete transfers. Each data file in progress will have a corresponding metadata file with the same name plus the resume suffix specified by the receiver. Metadata files in the source of a directory transfer are skipped if they end with the sender's resume suffix.	text string	.aspx
Preserve Attributes	Set the file creation policy. Set to `none` to not preserve the timestamps of source files. Set to `times` to preserve the timestamp of the source files at destination. Note: For Limelight storage, only the preservation of modification time is supported.	`none` or `times`	blank (use the client setting)
Overwrite	Set to `allow` to allow Aspera clients to overwrite existing files on the server, as long as file permissions allow that action. Note: The `deny` setting does not work, and clients are still allowed to overwrite files on the server if file permissions allow it.	`allow` or `deny`	`allow`
File Manifest	Set to `text` to generate a text file "receipt" of all files within each transfer session. Set to `disable` to not create a File Manifest. The file manifest is a file containing a list of everything that was transferred in a given transfer session. The filename of the File Manifest itself is automatically generated based on the transfer session's unique ID. The location where each manifest is written is specified by the File Manifest Path value. If no File Manifest Path is specified, the file will be generated under the destination path at the receiver, and under the first source path at the sender.	`text`, `disable`, or `none`	`none`
File Manifest Path	Specify the location to store manifest files. Can be an absolute path or a path relative to the transfer user's home. Note: File manifests can only be stored locally. Thus, if you are using S3, or other non-local storage, you must specify a local manifest path.	text string	blank
File Manifest Suffix	Specify the suffix of the manifest file during file transfer.	text string	.aspera-inprogress
Pre-Calculate Job Size	Set to `yes` to enable calculating job size before transferring. Set to `no` to disable calculating job size before transferring. Set to `any` to follow client configurations.	`yes`, `no`, or `any`	`any`
Convert Restricted Windows Characters	To enable the replacement of reserved Windows characters in file and directory names with a non-reserved character, set to the single byte, non-restricted character that will be used for the replacement. Only applies to files written to the local Windows file system; to enable on the peer it must be set on the peer's system.	single-byte, non-restricted character	blank
File Create Mode	Set the file creation mode (permissions). If specified, create files with these permissions (for example, 0755), irrespective of File Create Grant Mask and permissions of the file on the source computer. Only takes effect when the server is a non-Windows receiver.	positive integer (octal)	undefined
File Create Grant Mask	Set the mode for newly created files if File Create Mode is not specified. If specified, file modes will be set to their original modes plus the Grant Mask values. Only takes effect when the server is a non-Windows receiver and when File Create Mode is not specified.	positive integer (octal)	644
Directory Create Mode	Set the directory creation mode (permissions). If specified, create directories with these permissions irrespective of Directory Create Grant Mask and permissions of the directory on the source computer. Only takes effect when the server is a non-Windows receiver.	positive integer (octal)	undefined
Directory Create Grant Mask	Set the mode for newly created directories if Directory Create Mode is not specified. If specified, directory modes will be set to their original modes plus the Grant Mask values. Only takes effect when the server is a non-Windows receiver and when Directory Create Mode is not specified.	positive integer (octal)	755
File Filter Pattern List	Exclude or include files and directories with the specified pattern in the transfer. Add multiple entries for more inclusion/exclusion patterns. To specify an inclusion, start the pattern with '+ ' (+ and a whitespace). To specify an exclusion, start the pattern with '- ' (- and a whitespace). Two symbols can be used in the setting of patterns: A "" (asterisk) represents zero to many characters in a string. For example, `.tmp` matches .tmp and abcde.tmp. A "?" (question mark) represents a single character. For example, `t?p` matches tmp but not temp. For details on specifying rules, see Applying Filters to Include and Exclude Files. This option applies only when the server is acting as a client. Servers cannot exclude files or directories uploaded or downloaded by remote clients.	text entries	blank
Partial File Name Suffix	Set the filename extension on the destination computer while the file is being transferred. Once the file has been completely transferred, this filename extension is removed. Note: This option only takes effect when it is set on the receiver side.	text string	blank
File Checksum Method	Set the type of checksum to calculate for transferred files. The content of transfers can be verified by comparing the checksum value at the destination with the value read at the source.	`any`, `md5`, `sha1`, `sha256`, `sha384`, or `sha512`	`any`

Save and validate aspera.conf.
Run the following command to confirm that the XML is correctly formatted and the parameter settings are valid:
```
# /opt/aspera/bin/asuserdata -v
```