SFTP vs. webDAV
In this user story, we want to evaluate webDAV against SFTP. Both protocols are suitable for data upload and data download, the main advantage of webDAV however is that it is using HTTP which bypasses the firewalls. For an SFTP access, one commonly needs an extra SSH gateway (bastion) and then tunnel through to the SFTP server. And, as we aim to use the Helmholtz AAI, we‘d need a SSH key pair for accessing the SFTP server. This all makes the usage for less-experienced SSH users more difficult. On the other hand we would not need an extra web server (as we would need for webDAV) as all the requirements are already available and secure for standard Linux operating systems.
Within this user story we want to evaluate a bunch of webDAV solutions concerning the relevant aspects in the model data explorer, namely the possibilities
- to reserve space (quota) for model runs
- to restrict read-/write-access via LDAP
- to upload large data files via scripts
- to automatically link folders to related groups, model runs and users
The outcome should be a table of pros and cons for the different solutions. This is then presented and discussed with the IT at Hereon and we‘ll make a final decision what technique to use and how to proceed further. One meeting with the IT should be enough here.
related User Story (Hereon internal access only): #298