Get Started as a Transfer Client

Aspera transfer clients connect to a remote Aspera transfer server and request a transfer with that server. Your Aspera application can be used as a client to initiate transfers with Aspera servers, as described in the following steps.

  1. Review the system requirements and install Desktop Client.
    See Requirements and Product Setup.
  2. Configure the firewall.
    See Configuring the Firewall.
  3. Configure transfer preferences.
    You can configure your bandwidth usage, email notification, and proxy settings to apply to all transfers. For more information, see Global Bandwidth Settings and Enabling a Transfer Proxy or HTTP Proxy.
  4. Test a locally-initiated transfer to the Aspera demonstration server to confirm your installation and firewall configuration are operational.
    For instructions, see Testing a Transfer. This provides a simple walk through of how to set up a connection with a server and transfer.
  5. Configure your email notification preferences.
    You can receive emails when transfer sessions start and finish to keep up-to-date on your transfer progress. For more information, see Configuring Transfer Notifications.
  6. If you need to authenticate to the remote server with an SSH key, create an SSH key and send the public key to the server admin.
    For instructions on creating an SSH key, see Creating SSH Keys in the GUI or Creating SSH Keys (Command Line).
  7. To run transfers in the GUI, create and configure a connection to the server.
    For instructions, see Adding and Editing Connections. If required, configure a proxy (Enabling a Transfer Proxy or HTTP Proxy). You can also configure transfer notifications (Scheduling and Customizing Transfers in Advanced Mode).

    Once your connection is configured, you can initiate transfers with the server. For instructions, see Transferring Content.

  8. To run transfers from the command line, review the instructions for the Aspera command line clients.
    Your Aspera product comes with two command line clients: ascp and A4. They are similar but have different capabilities. For a comparison, see Comparison of Ascp and Ascp4 Options.
Once you confirm that you can transfer with your server, your basic set up is complete.
  • If you want to automatically send or receive files and folders when they are added to a specific folder on your computer or the server, see Hot Folders.

For a comparison of automatic transfer tools, see Comparison of Aspera File Delivery and Synchronization Tools.