Testing the Web UI

Once your HST Server web UI is set up and your server is running, test web UI-initiated transfers. Users must be configured with a docroot and a token encryption key before they can access the web UI.

1. Configure an Aspera transfer user in HST Server.
   Linux users can configure the transfer user in the GUI or from the command line.

   GUI:

   1. Create a system user (such as aspera_user_1).
   2. Launch the application.

      # asperascp

   3. Click Configuration.
      
      
      
   4. In Server Configuration, click the Users tab, and click to add a user.
      
      
      
   5. Enter the system user's name (aspera_user_1) and click OK.
   6. Click the user's Docroot tab and in the Effective Value field for Absolute Path, enter or select an existing path as the user's docroot.
      For example, /sandbox/aspera_user_1.

      Note: The system user must have read and write permissions to the assigned docroot.

      
      
      
   7. Set read, write, and browse permissions to true.
   8. Go to the Authorization tab and set a value for Token Encryption Key, globally or for the user. The key string should be a random string of letters and numbers that is at least 20 characters long. Do not use UUIDs for this key because they might be generated using cryptographically insecure methods.
   9. Click OK.
   Command Line:

   Set default values to authorize transfers in and out, set the encryption key, and set the default docroot by running the following commands:

   $ asconfigurator -x "set_node_data;authorization_transfer_in_value,allow"
   $ asconfigurator -x "set_node_data;authorization_transfer_out_value,allow"
   $ asconfigurator -x "set_node_data;token_encryption_key,token_key"
   $ asconfigurator -x "set_node_data;absolute,docroot"

   These commands create the following lines in aspera.conf. In the example, the docroot is /sandbox/$(name). By using the substitutable string $(name) in the docroot, the application automatically replaces it with the login user name.

   <CONF version="2">
      ...
      <default>
       <authorization>
          <transfer>
           <in>
             <value>allow</value>
           </in>
           <out>
             <value>allow</value>
           </out>
         </transfer>
         <token>
           <encryption_key>fwierj283ru23jrszellr73rj2fnsk38ru28h3r3ashre</encryption_key>
         </token>
       </authorization>
       <file_system>
         <access>
           <paths>
             <path>
               <absolute>/sandbox/$(name)</absolute>
             </path>
           </paths>
         </access>
       </file_system>
       ...
      </default>
   </CONF>

   To add the settings to aspera.conf manually, open it from the following directory:

   /opt/aspera/etc/aspera.conf

2. Test the web UI with the client computer.
   The client computer must be running a supported operating system and browser and cookies must be enabled in the client's browser.
   1. Go to the following address in the browser:

      HTTP	http://server_ip_or_name/aspera/user
      HTTPS	https://server_ip_or_name/aspera/user

   2. The IBM Aspera Connect banner appears with a link to download and install the latest version of Connect:
      
      
      

      Click Download latest version.

   3. Once the installation is complete, refresh the page and the web UI for appears:
      
      
      
   4. In the web UI, click Upload and select one or more files to upload to HST Server.
      Note: When you add files to the web UI, do not use the following characters in the filenames:

      / \ " : ' ? > < & * |

   5. When the transfer is finished, select the uploaded files in the web UI, and click Download.