GridFTP

GridFTP is a protocol developed by the Globus Alliance for high-speed data transfer. It is an extension of the standard File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and is designed to provide secure, reliable, and efficient transfer of large amounts of data. GridFTP is widely used in the medical imaging and genomics fields, where large datasets are common.

Overview

GridFTP uses the Grid Security Infrastructure (GSI) for authentication and security. It supports parallel data transfer, which allows multiple data streams to be transferred simultaneously, increasing the overall transfer speed. GridFTP also supports partial file transfer, which allows a portion of a file to be transferred without transferring the entire file. This is particularly useful in medical imaging, where a large image file may need to be partially transferred for analysis.

Use in Medicine

In the field of medicine, GridFTP is often used for the transfer of large datasets, such as those generated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans. These datasets can be several gigabytes in size, and transferring them over a standard FTP connection can be slow and unreliable.

GridFTP is also used in genomics, where large amounts of genetic data need to be transferred between research institutions. This data is often used in genome sequencing and genetic analysis, and the ability to transfer this data quickly and securely is crucial to the progress of research in these fields.

Implementation

GridFTP is implemented as part of the Globus Toolkit, a set of open-source software tools for grid computing. The Globus Toolkit includes a GridFTP client and server, as well as libraries for developing GridFTP applications.

See Also

• Grid computing
• Globus Toolkit
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
• Grid Security Infrastructure (GSI)