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Move data from the legacy GEOS domain home directory to the new AUTH domain using rsync over SSH.

linuxendpointmigrationgeosauthrsync

GEOS Home Directory Migration

Now that we are transitioning from the GEOS domain to the AUTH domain, users must move their data stored under the legacy GEOS home directory path to their desired destinations if their server is re-provisioned under the AUTH domain:

/net/snowflake.geos.tamu.edu/stor/homes/<username>

In this document a recommended method for transferring the data — "rsync over SSH" — is explained, which is secure, efficient, and preserves file attributes.

Prerequisites

  • You must have access to your new AUTH-domain server
  • Your GEOS account must still be active on the source server
  • Ensure adequate disk space in the destination

Pull Data From the Destination Host

Pulling data from the old GEOS location to the new AUTH server (i.e. running rsync from the new AUTH server) is the most reliable method. This avoids UID/GID mismatch issues.

SSH into your new AUTH-domain server

ssh <username>@<new-auth-server>

Create a directory for the migrated files

You could migrate directly into your home folder but this way allows you to review your data on the destination. It is also useful when you want to keep the data in separate locations — you might already have data in your home directory on the destination server and you don't want the old data to be merged.

mkdir -p ~/old_home_backup

~ denotes your home directory on the new server with a typical path like /home/username. You are creating the old_home_backup directory in your home directory and migrating the old data there.

Pull your data from the old GEOS server

rsync -avh --progress <username>@snowflake.geos.tamu.edu:/stor/homes/<username>/ ~/old_home_backup/

The rsync options explained:

  • -a — Archive mode — preserves permissions, timestamps, symlinks
  • -v — Verbose output
  • -h — Human-readable sizes
  • --progress — Shows real-time transfer progress

Optional step for safety: Use --dry-run

If you want to see what will happen before really copying any files you can use the --dry-run option with rsync. This will not copy your files but will just simulate the operation.

rsync -avh --dry-run <username>@snowflake.geos.tamu.edu:/stor/homes/<username>/ ~/old_home_backup/

After the Migration

Verify the files

ls -lah ~/old_home_backup/

Confirm total size

du -sh ~/old_home_backup/

Perform an incremental sync

Even after you successfully copied all your data to the new destination you may run an incremental rsync just to double check. This will copy only the missing and modified files and will not start copying from scratch. You will be using the same command with the same options:

rsync -avh --progress <username>@snowflake.geos.tamu.edu:/stor/homes/<username>/ ~/old_home_backup/

Home directories on AUTH-domain servers

Getting help

If you need help with this process, send an email to artsci-help@tamu.edu or open a ticket in the TS-AO-Linux-Infrastructure queue in TDX.