File Management

This Common Capability covers the need to upload, download and access files from the portal.

The File Management Common Capability allows a user to:

upload files to Grid repositories using a Web interface
download files from Grid repositories using a Web interface
view/access files residing in Grid repositories (including changing their properties and access rights)
delete files from Grid repositories

Motivation and foreseen Business Value

The motivation for this Common Capability comes directly from Business Needs for File Management, such as the ability for users to upload and manage datasets, to access heterogeneous data sources and share files with other users.

The File Management Common Capability will offer improved management of data assets and improved resource reallocation through the portal in a simplified way. Thus, it is considered of medium importance according to a criterion of Business Impact.

Relationship to other Common Capabilities

This Common Capability is required during JSMC, even though it could be replaced by a simple data-staging component, and in the Job Visualisation Common Capability.

The File Management Common Capability also has strong dependences with the following Common Capabilities and / or Design Patterns: Access to a Remote Data Source (Data Management), Homogenise Data Sources (Data Management) and Treat Multiple Data Sources as One (Data Management). The relations are explained below

The File Management Common Capability involves the creation of a virtual layer of Grid data based on distributed Grid repositories for the portal hiding users from data locations.
This virtual layer presents a logical view of data files located in distributed remote storage systems. It should be noted that the communication between the portal and remote storage systems is carried out via multiple protocols, e.g. FTP, GridFTP, etc.
These remote storage systems can be databases or file systems.