aspera.conf - Transfer

This topic describes how to manually modify the <transfer> section of aspera.conf, which includes parameters for inline validation (see Configuring Inline File Validation for more information). You can also add and edit these parameters using asconfigurator commands.

Open aspera.conf.

The aspera.conf configuration file is in the following location:

/opt/aspera/etc/aspera.conf

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

<transfer>
 <in>
    <bandwidth>
       <aggregate>
          <trunk_id>109</trunk_id>        <!-- Incoming VLink ID -->
       </aggregate>
       <flow>
          <target_rate>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Incoming Target Rate Cap -->
             <default>10000</default>     <!-- Incoming Target Rate Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Incoming Target Rate Lock -->
          </target_rate> 
          <min_rate>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Incoming Minimum Rate Cap -->
             <default></default>          <!-- Incoming Minimum Rate Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Incoming Minimum Rate Lock -->
          </min_rate>
          <policy>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Incoming Policy Allowed -->
             <default></default>          <!-- Incoming Policy Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Incoming Policy Lock -->
          </policy>
          <priority>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Incoming Priority Allowed -->
             <default></default>          <!-- Incoming Priority Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Incoming Priority Lock -->
          </priority>
          <network_rc>
             <module></module>              <!-- Incoming Rate Control Module -->
             <tcp_friendly>no</tcp_friendly>    <!-- Incoming TCP Friendly Mode -->
          </network_rc>  
       </flow>
    </bandwidth>
 </in>
 <out>
    <bandwidth>
       <aggregate>
          <trunk_id>109</trunk_id>        <!-- Outgoing VLink ID -->
       </aggregate>
       <flow>
          <target_rate>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Outgoing Target Rate Cap -->
             <default>10000</default>     <!-- Outgoing Target Rate Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Outgoing Target Rate Lock -->
          </target_rate> 
          <min_rate>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Outgoing Minimum Rate Cap -->
             <default>0</default>         <!-- Outgoing Minimum Rate Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Outgoing Minimum Rate Lock -->
          </min_rate>
          <policy>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Outgoing Policy Allowed -->
             <default></default>          <!-- Outgoing Policy Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Outgoing Policy Lock -->
          </policy>
          <priority>
             <cap></cap>                  <!-- Outgoing Priority Allowed -->
             <default></default>          <!-- Outgoing Priority Default -->
             <lock>false</lock>           <!-- Outgoing Priority Lock -->
          </priority>
          <network_rc>
             <module></module>              <!-- Outgoing Rate Control Module -->
             <tcp_friendly>no</tcp_friendly>    <!-- Outgoing TCP Friendly Mode -->
          </network_rc>  
       </flow>
    </bandwidth>
 </out>
<protocol_options>
    <bind_ip_address></bind_ip_address>            <!–- Bind IP Address -->
    <bind_udp_port>33001</bind_udp_port>           <!-- Bind UDP Port -->
    <disable_batching>false</disable_batching>     <!-- Disable Packet Batching -->
    <batch_size>1</batch_size>                     <!-- Batch Size -->		
    <datagram_size>1000</datagram_size>            <!-- Datagram Size -->
    <max_sock_buffer>0</max_sock_buffer>           <!-- Maximum Socket Buffer (bytes)-->   
    <min_sock_buffer>0</min_sock_buffer>           <!-- Minimum Socket Buffer (bytes)-->   
    <rtt_autocorrect>false</rtt_autocorrect>       <!-- RTT auto correction -->   
    <rtt_reverse_infer>false</rtt_reverse_infer>   <!-- Reverse path congestion inference -->   
 </protocol_options>
<encryption>
    <content_protection_strong_pass_required>false
    </content_protection_strong_pass_required>
                                          <!-- Strong Password Required for Content Protection -->
    <content_protection_required>false
    </content_protection_required>
                                          <!-- Content Protection Required -->
    <allowed_cipher>any</allowed_cipher>  <!-- Encryption Allowed -->
    <fips_mode>false</fips_mode>          <!-- Transfer in FIPS-140-2-certified encryption mode -->
 </encryption>
 <validation_file_start>AS_NULL</validation_file_start>               
                                               <!-- Validation File Start -->
 <validation_file_stop>AS_NULL</validation_file_stop> 	  
                                               <!-- Validation File Stop -->
 <validation_session_start>AS_NULL</validation_session_start> 
                                               <!-- Validation Session Start -->
 <validation_session_stop>AS_NULL</validation_session_stop>   
                                               <!-- Validation Session Stop -->
 <validation_threshold>AS_NULL</validation_threshold>         
                                               <!-- Validation Threshold -->
 <validation_uri>AS_NULL</validation_uri> 			 
                                               <!-- Validation URI -->
 <validation_threshold_kb>0</validation_threshold_kb> 	  
                                               <!-- Validation Threshold KB -->
 <validation_threads>5</validation_threads>    <!-- Validation Threads -->
 <validation_lua_script_base64></validation_lua_script_base64>
                                                <!-- Validation Lua Script Base64 -->
 <validation_lua_script_path></validation_lua_script_path>     
                                               <!-- Validation Lua Script Path -->
</transfer>

Configuration options reference.

Field	Description	Values	Default
Incoming Vlink ID	Set the Vlink ID for incoming transfers. Vlinks are a mechanism to define aggregate transfer policies. The default setting of `0` disables Vlinks. One Vlink—the virtual equivalent of a network trunk—represents a bandwidth allowance that may be allocated to a node or a user. Vlink ID is defined in each Vlink created in Aspera Console. Vlink ID is a unique numeric identifier.	predefined value	`0`
Incoming Target Rate Cap (Kbps)	Set the Target Rate Cap for incoming transfers. The Target Rate Cap is the maximum target rate that a transfer can request, in kilobits per second. No transfer may be adjusted above this setting, at any time. The default setting of `unlimited` signifies no Target Rate Cap. Clients requesting transfers with initial rates above the Target Rate Cap will be denied.	positive integer	`unlimited`
Incoming Target Rate Default (Kbps)	Set the initial rate for incoming transfers, in kilobits per second. Users may be able to modify this rate in real time, if allowed. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of `fixed`.	positive integer	`10000`
Incoming Target Rate Lock	Set to `false` to allow users to adjust the transfer rate once an incoming transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the transfer rate.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Incoming Minimum Rate Cap (Kbps)	Set the Minimum Rate Cap for incoming transfers. The Minimum Rate Cap is a level, specified in kilobits per second, below which an incoming transfer will not slow, despite network congestion or physical network availability. The default value of `unlimited` effectively turns off the Minimum Rate Cap.	positive integer or `unlimited`	`unlimited`
Incoming Minimum Rate Default (Kbps)	Set the initial minimum rate for incoming transfers, in kilobits per second. Users may be able to modify this rate in real time, if allowed. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of `fixed`.	positive integer	`0`
Incoming Minimum Rate Lock	Set to `false` (default) to allow users to adjust the minimum transfer rate once an incoming transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the minimum transfer rate. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of Fixed.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Incoming Bandwidth Policy Allowed	Set the allowed Bandwidth Policy for incoming transfers. Aspera transfers use fixed, high, fair and low policies to accommodate network-sharing requirements. When set to `any`, the server will not deny any transfer based on policy setting. When set to `high`, transfers with a Policy of high and less aggressive transfer policies (e.g. fair or low) will be permitted. When set to fair, transfers of fair and low will be permitted, while fixed transfers will be denied. When set to `low`, only transfers with a Bandwidth Policy of low will be allowed.	`fixed`, `high`, `fair / regular`, `low`, or `any`	`any`
Incoming Bandwidth Policy Default	Set the default Bandwidth Policy for incoming transfers. The default policy value may be overridden by client applications initiating transfers. `fixed` Attempt to transfer at the specified target rate, regardless of network capacity. Content is transferred at a constant rate and the transfer finishes in a guaranteed time. The `fixed` policy can consume most of the network's bandwidth and is not recommended for most types of file transfers. It requires setting a maximum (target) rate (`-l` option). `high` Adjust the transfer rate to fully utilize the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. When congestion occurs, the transfer rate is twice as fast as a fair-policy transfer. The `high` policy requires the setting of maximum (target) and minimum transfer rates (-l and -m). `fair` Adjust the transfer rate to fully utilize the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. When congestion occurs, bandwidth is shared fairly by transferring at an even rate. The `fair` policy requires the setting of maximum (target) and minimum transfer rates (-l and -m). `low` Adjust the transfer rate to use the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. Similar to fair mode, but less aggressive when sharing bandwidth with other network traffic. When congestion occurs, the transfer rate is reduced to the minimum rate until other traffic decreases.	`fixed`, `high`, `fair / regular`, `low`, or `any`	`fair`
Incoming Bandwidth Policy Lock	Set to `false` (default) to allow users to adjust the Bandwidth Policy once an incoming transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the Bandwidth Policy.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Incoming Priority Allowed	The highest priority your client can request. Use the value 0 to unset this option; 1 to allow high priority, 2 to enforce normal priority.	`0`, `1`, or `2`	`1`
Incoming Priority Default	The initial priority setting. Use the value 0 to unset this option, 1 to allow high priority; 2 to enforce normal priority	`0`, `1`, or `2`	`2`
Incoming Priority Lock	To disallow your clients change the priority, set the value to true	`true` or `false`	`false`
Module (for incoming rate control)	Located within the incoming `</network_rc>` stanza, this hidden setting is meant for advanced users to select an incoming rate control module (which will only be applied at the local "receiver" side). It should only be used with special instructions for debugging. Options include: delay-odp: queue scaling controller delay-adv: advanced rate controller air: FASP air If the client does not specify a configuration, then the server configuration is used. If the client specifies a non-default value (delay-odp or delay-adv) and the client is the receiver, then the client configuration overrides the server configuration.	`delay-odp`, `delay-adv`, or `air`	blank
TCP Friendly (for incoming rate control)	Located within the incoming `</network_rc>` stanza, this hidden setting is meant for advanced users to turn TCP-friendly mode on or off (which will only be applied at the local "receiver" side when the transfer policy is set to `fair`). It should only be used with special instructions for debugging. If turned on ("`yes`"), this mode allows an incoming FASP transfer to maintain relative fair bandwidth share with a TCP flow under congestion.	`yes` or `no`	`no`
Outgoing Vlink ID	Set the Vlink ID for outgoing transfers. Vlinks are a mechanism to define aggregate transfer policies. The default setting of 0 disables Vlinks. One Vlink—the virtual equivalent of a network trunk—represents a bandwidth allowance that may be allocated to a node or a user. Vlink ID is defined in each Vlink created in Aspera Console. The Vlink ID is a unique numeric identifier.	predefined value	`0`
Outgoing Target Rate Cap (Kbps)	Set the Target Rate Cap for outgoing transfers. The Target Rate Cap is the maximum target rate that a transfer can request, in kilobits per second. No transfer may be adjusted above this setting, at any time. The default setting of `unlimited` signifies no Target Rate Cap. Clients requesting transfers with initial rates above the Target Rate Cap will be denied.	positive integer	`unlimited`
Outgoing Target Rate Default (Kbps)	Set the initial rate for outgoing transfers, in kilobits per second. Users may be able to modify this rate in real time, if allowed. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of `Fixed`.	positive integer	`10000`
Outgoing Target Rate Lock	Set to `false` (default) to allow users to adjust the transfer rate once an outgoing transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the transfer rate.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Outgoing Minimum Rate Cap (Kbps)	Set the Minimum Rate Cap for outgoing transfers. The Minimum Rate Cap is a level specified in kilobits per second, below which an outgoing transfer will not slow, despite network congestion or physical network availability. The default value of `Unlimited` effectively turns off the Minimum Rate Cap.	positive integer	`unlimited`
Outgoing Minimum Rate Default	Set the initial minimum rate for outgoing transfers, in kilobits per second. Users may be able to modify this rate in real time, if allowed. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of `Fixed`.	positive integer	`0`
Outgoing Minimum Rate Lock	Set to `false` (default) to allow users to adjust the minimum transfer rate once an outgoing transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the minimum transfer rate. This setting is not relevant to transfers with a Policy of Fixed.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Outgoing Bandwidth Policy Allowed	Set the allowed Bandwidth Policy for outgoing transfers. Aspera transfers use fixed, high, fair and low policies to accommodate network-sharing requirements. When set to `any`, the server will not deny any transfer based on policy setting. When set to `high`, transfers with a Policy of high and less aggressive transfer policies (e.g. fair or low) will be permitted. When set to fair, transfers of fair and low will be permitted, while fixed transfers will be denied. When set to `low`, only transfers with a Bandwidth Policy of `low` will be allowed.	`fixed`, `high`, `fair` (regular), `low`, or `any`	`any`
Outgoing Bandwidth Policy Default	Set the default Bandwidth Policy for outgoing transfers. The default policy value may be overridden by client applications initiating transfers. `fixed` Attempt to transfer at the specified target rate, regardless of network capacity. Content is transferred at a constant rate and the transfer finishes in a guaranteed time. The `fixed` policy can consume most of the network's bandwidth and is not recommended for most types of file transfers. It requires setting a maximum (target) rate (`-l` option). `high` Adjust the transfer rate to fully utilize the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. When congestion occurs, the transfer rate is twice as fast as a fair-policy transfer. The `high` policy requires the setting of maximum (target) and minimum transfer rates (-l and -m). `fair` Adjust the transfer rate to fully utilize the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. When congestion occurs, bandwidth is shared fairly by transferring at an even rate. The `fair` policy requires the setting of maximum (target) and minimum transfer rates (-l and -m). `low` Adjust the transfer rate to use the available bandwidth up to the maximum rate. Similar to fair mode, but less aggressive when sharing bandwidth with other network traffic. When congestion occurs, the transfer rate is reduced to the minimum rate until other traffic decreases.	`fixed`, `high`, `fair`, `low`	`fair`
Outgoing Bandwidth Policy Lock	Set to `false` (default) to allow users to adjust the Bandwidth Policy once an outgoing transfer is started. Set to `true` to prevent real-time modification of the Bandwidth Policy.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Outgoing Priority Allowed	The highest priority your client can request. Use the value 0 to unset this option; 1 to allow high priority, 2 to enforce normal priority.	`0`, `1`, or `2`	`1`
Outgoing Priority Default	The initial priority setting. Use the value 0 to unset this option, 1 to allow high priority; 2 to enforce normal priority.	`0`, `1`, or `2`	`2`
Outgoing Priority Lock	To prevent your clients from changing the priority, set the value to `true`.	`true` or `false`	false
Module (for outgoing rate control)	Located within the outgoing `<network_rc>` stanza, this hidden setting is meant for advanced users to select an outgoing rate control module. It should only be used with special instructions for debugging. Options include: delay-odp: queue scaling controller delay-adv: advanced rate controller air: FASP air If the client does not specify a configuration, then the server configuration is used. If the client specifies a non-default value (delay-odp or delay-adv) and the client is the receiver, then the client configuration overrides the server configuration.	`delay-odp`, `delay-adv`, or `air`	blank
TCP Friendly (for outgoing rate control)	Located within the outgoing `<network_rc>` stanza, this hidden setting is meant for advanced users to turn TCP-friendly mode on or off (which will only be applied at the local "receiver" side when the transfer policy is set to `fair`). It should only be used with special instructions for debugging. If turned on ("`yes`"), this mode allows an outgoing FASP transfer to maintain relative fair bandwidth share with a TCP flow under congestion.	`yes` or `no`	no
Bind IP Address	Specify an IP address for server-side ascp to bind its UDP connection. If a valid IP address is given, ascp sends and receives UDP packets only on the interface corresponding to that IP address. Important: The bind address should only be modified (changed to an address other than 127.0.0.1) if you, as the System Administrator, understand the security ramifications of doing so, and have undertaken precautions to secure the SOAP service.	valid IPv4 address	blank
Bind UDP Port	Prevent the client-side ascp process from using the specified UDP port.	integer between 1 and 65535	`33001`
Disable Packet Batching	Set to `true` to send data packets back-to-back (no sending a batch of packets). This results in smoother data traffic at a cost of higher CPU usage.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Batch Size	When set to "0" (default), the system uses a pre-computed batch size. Set this to "1" for high concurrency servers (senders) in order to reduce CPU utilization in aggregate.	Integer	0
Datagram Size	Sets the datagram size on the server side. If size is set with both -Z (client side) and `<datagram_size>` (server side), the `<datagram_size>` setting is used. In cases where the client-side is pre-3.3, datagram size is determined by the -Z setting, regardless of the server-side setting for `<datagram_size>`. In such cases, if there is no -Z setting, datagram size is based on the discovered MTU and the server logs the message "LOG Peer client doesn't support alternative datagram size".	Integer	1492
Maximum Socket Buffer (bytes)	Set the upper bound of the UDP socket buffer of an ascp session below the input value. The default of `0` will cause the Aspera sender to use its default internal buffer size, which may be different for different operating systems.	positive integer	`0`
Minimum Socket Buffer (bytes)	Set the minimum UDP socket buffer size for an ascp session.	positive integer	`0`
RTT auto correction	Set to `true` to enable auto correction of the base (minimum) RTT measurement. This feature is helpful for maintaining accurate transfer rates in hypervisor-based virtual environments.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Reverse path congestion inference	Set to `true` to prevent the transfer speed of a session from being adversely affected by congestion in the reverse (non data-sending) transfer direction. This feature is useful for boosting speed in bi-directional transfers.	`true` or `false`	`true`
Strong Password Required for Content Encryption	Set to `true` to require the password for content encryption to contain at least 6 characters, of which at least 1 is non-alphanumeric, at least 1 is a letter, and at least 1 is a digit.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Content Protection Required	Set to `true` to require that content be left encrypted at the destination. Users are required to enter a password during upload to encrypt the files on the server. Users will be given the option when downloading to decrypt during transfer.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Encryption Allowed	Set the type of transfer encryption accepted by this computer. Set to `any` to allow both encrypted and non-encrypted transfers to this computer. Set to `none` to allow only non-encrypted transfers. Set to `aes-128` to allow only encrypted transfers.	`any`, `none`, `aes-128`, `aes-192`, or `aes-256`	`any`
Do encrypted transfers in FIPS-140-2-certified encryption mode	Set to `true` for ascp to use a FIPS 140-2-certified encryption module. When enabled, transfer start is delayed while the FIPS module is verified. When you run ascp in FIPS mode (that is, `<fips_enabled>` is set to `true` in aspera.conf), and you use passphrase-protected SSH keys, you must use keys generated by running ssh-keygen in a FIPS-enabled system, or convert existing keys to a FIPS-compatible format using a command such as the following: `openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -v2 aes128 -in id_rsa -out new-id_rsa` Important: When set to `true`, all ciphers and hash algorithms that are not FIPS compliant will abort transfers.	`true` or `false`	`false`
Run at File Start	Validate using the specified method when starting a file (before file transfer starts). For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation .	`uri`, `lua_script`, or `none`	`none`
Run at File Stop	Validate using the specified method when file transfer is complete and file is closed. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation.	`uri`, `lua_script`, or `none`	`none`
Run at Session Start	Validate using the specified method when an ascp session starts. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation.	`lua_script` or `none`	`none`
Run at Session Stop	Validate using the specified method when an ascp session ends. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation.	`lua_script` or `none`	`none`
Run when Crossing File Threshold (Validation Threshold)	Validate using the specified method when a set threshold in the file transfer is reached. The threshold must be specified by editing aspera.conf. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation. Note: For threshold validation, it is possible for the file transfer to complete before the file threshold validation response comes back (because ascp doesn't pause file transfers during file threshold validation); therefore, a complete file transfer could happen even with validation failure.	`uri`, `lua_script`, or `none`	`none`
Validation Threshold KB	Validate files once the download size exceeds the threshold value. Since threshold validation can only be triggered periodically (every second in the worst case), the file must be large enough to trigger this validation. The Validation Threshold option must also be specified (`uri` or `lua`) if this option is to be recognized by the system. If Validation Threshold is also enabled, and this value is not specified (or set to `0`), the ascp session will exit with an error.	Positive integer	`0`
Validation Threads	Enable multiple validations to occur in parallel validator threads. If the number of validation threads is not set to `1`, then multiple threads may perform different types of validations for different (or the same) files at the same time. In such a situation, the response of a `validation_file_stop` at the end of a file download might come before the response of a `validation_threshold` for the same file.	Positive integer	`5`
Validation URI	Use the specified external URL for validation calls. When this parameter is defined, at least two validations, validation_file_start and validation_file_stop will happen for every file. The entry should define a URL, port, and URL handler for validation. For example, `http://127.0.0.1:8080/SimpleValidator` This value must be defined if any of the following values are set to `uri`: `validation_file_start` `validation_file_stop` `validation_ session_start` `validation_session_stop` `validation_threshold`	URL	none
Base64-Encoded Lua Action Script	For Lua API validation, the path to the base64-encoded Lua script. This value or File Path to Lua Action Script must be defined if any of the following values are set to `lua_script`: Run at File Start, Run at File Stop, Run at Session Start, Run at Session Stop, `Run when Crossing File Threshold`. If both this option and File Path to Lua Action Script option are defined, this value is ignored. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation.	Base64-encoded string	blank
File Path to Lua Action Script	For Lua API validation, the path to the Lua script. This value or Base64-Encoded Lua Action Script must be defined if any of the following values are set to `lua_script`: `validation_file_start` `validation_file_stop` `validation_ session_start` `validation_session_stop` `validation_threshold` If both this option and the Base64-Encoded Lua Action Script option are defined, this value is used. For more information on inline file validation, see Configuring Inline File Validation.	Filepath	blank

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
```