GridTorrent Installation

GridTorrent is written in Java and doesn't need any installation. Just download the code from here and unzip it to a directory

GridTorrent Operation Modes

GridTorrent can run as :

a. a standalone torrent application to upload/download a file b. a server attached in a terminal which can accept remote requests for download/upload files c. a daemon (linux service) that is detached from any terminals and has the same functionality as the above server d. a shell that provides functionality of remote administrating GridTorrent servers/daemons

GridTorrent standalone application

To run the GridTorrent standalone application execute gtorrent.sh in Linux or gtorrent.exe in Windows. With the -h option a help message is provided.

[azisi@gridvm5 GrediaGridTorrent]$ gtorrent.sh -h
usage: java -jar GridTorrent.jar [ -f filename | -i id ] -r rls
 -b,--blocksize <arg>        The block size that will be used when
                             transmitting a file
 -e,--failurerate <arg>      The failure rate that will be used when
                             sending a file
 -f,--filename <arg>         The filename to seed
 -h                          Print help for this application
 -i,--id <arg>               The id/hash of the file to download
 -o,--propertiesfile <arg>   The GridTorrent.properties file
 -p,--piecesize <arg>        The piece size that will be used when
                             uploading a file
 -r,--rls <arg>              The rls endpoint (DRLS/
 -t,--seedtime <arg>         The seconds to seed after downloading the
                             file
 -u,--uploadservers <arg>    A comma separated list of servers to use for
                             uploading the file <host:port,host:port>

For easier visual integration the command line arguments can be included in a file and then the file can be given as a unique command line argument. For example we make the following sample with gtorrent file extension:

[azisi@gridvm5 GrediaGridTorrent]$ cat sample.gtorrent 
-r 
https://gridvm6.cslab.ece.ntua.gr:8443
-f 
dummyfile
-u 
gridvm1.cslab.ece.ntua.gr:48620,gridvm2.cslab.ece.ntua.gr:48620

If the user has selected the gtorrent.sh/gtorrent.exe to open the .gtorrent by default, then by double-clicking the .gtorrent file, GridTorrent will find the file named dummyfile in the data/ directory, connect to the DRLS to publish it and send remote download command to gridvm1/gridvm2 GridTorrent servers to start downloading the file.

GridTorrent server

The GridTorrent server can be invoked by executing gtserver.sh. We can interact with the server only with remote commands that can be issued by the GridTorrent shell or the GridTorrent standalone application. According to the etc/log4j.properties diagnostic messages will be print in the terminal or the log file.

GridTorrent daemon

The GridTorrent daemon can be invoked by executing gtdaemon.sh start and can be stopped with gtdaemon.sh stop

We can interact with the daemon only with remote commands that can be issued by the GridTorrent shell or the GridTorrent standalone application. According to the etc/log4j.properties diagnostic messages will be print in the log file.

GridTorrent shell

Executing gtshell.sh the GridTorrent shell will be initiated and we will be able to connect to remote servers. The help command shows the implemented remote commands

[azisi@gridvm5 GrediaGridTorrent]$ gtshell.sh 
Java GridTorrent Shell starting
# help
GridTorrent commands
start name rlsip:rlsport ip:port 
         Starts a new download on server listening on ip:port
                         if the LFN=name exists in the data directory then GT starts to share the file
                         else GT search in the RLS for the UID=name and tries to downloaded
stop uid ip:port   
         Stops an existing download on server listening on ip:port
delete lfn ip:port 
         Stop and deleting local files for existing download on server listening on ip:port
list ip:port       
         Listing existing downloads UIDs/LFNs on server listening on ip:port
stats uid ip:port  
         Show download statistics for the specific UID on server listening on ip:port
shutdown ip:port   
         Shutting down server listening on ip:port
sleep sec          
         The shell sleeps for sec seconds
exit               
         Exiting/Quiting GridTorrentClient
quit               
         Exiting/Quiting GridTorrentClient

GridTorrent and Globus Security Infrastructure (GSI)

GridTorrent uses GSI to secure the data and control channel when communicating with other peers. These features can be enabled/disabled using the suitable options in etc/GridTorrent.properties By default all security checks are disabled.

The available security checks are:

• authentication: Both client and server check the remote peer's certificate in order to authenticate. The certificate must be signed by a mutually trusted CA. (the CA files - cert/policy - must stored in /etc/grid-security/certificates/ or $HOME/.globus/certificates/)
• verification: Authentication is done as described above and also all messages have a cryptographic checksum in order to prevent data modification.
• encryption: Authentication is done as described above and also all messages are transmitted in encrypted form.

When GridTorrent starts, it expects to find a valid Globus proxy credential in the default location. This proxy credential is the output of a grid-proxy-init command or the fivo-authn login operation. If the proxy credential is not found or is not valid, GridTorrent tries to find the default Globus certificates usually situated in $HOME/.globus/user{cert,key}.pem In windows $HOME usually points to C:\Documents and Settings\username