GT 3.9.5 pyGlobus: System Administrator's Guide

Introduction

pyGlobus provides a Python API to the pre-OGSI GT API (GT2). This guide contains installation and configuration information for system administrators installing pyGlobus. It explains how to install, configure and test the installation.

This information is in addition to the basic installation instructions in the GT 3.9.5 System Administrator's Guide.

Building and installing

pyGlobus requires python version 2.2 or newer, and the GT2 libraries built with a threaded flavor. The full source installation of GT 3.9.5 will build the prerequisite libraries with the correct flavor.

Configuring

pyGlobus requires that the environment variables GLOBUS_LOCATION and GPT_LOCATION are set. These are set to the base of your Globus installation and Grid Packaging Toolkit (GPT) installation. In GT 3.9.5, the GPT is installed in the same place as Globus. So you can set both of these environment variables to the same location.

Deploying

To install pyGlobus, set the GLOBUS_LOCATION and GPT_LOCATION environment variables. Use the python distutils setup script:

 %python setup.py install

Testing

pyGlobus comes with unittests that are arranged by module. To run the unittests you first must be able to create a valid user proxy, using grid-proxy-init. You must edit config.txt in the pyGlobus/test directory.

To run all of the tests:

%python test_pyGlobus.py

If you only wish to run tests from a single module, for example the security module:

%python test_security.py

Security considerations

pyGlobus has a security module which allows for proxy creation, signing, encryption, the creation and inquiry of security contexts. Care must be taken when developing applications which use GSI to ensure that authentication information will not be compromised. When creating a security context, one must ensure that the context will have the properties that they desire. For example should the context use confidentiality of integrity? These concerns are not specific to pyGlobus but rather to any application developer who is using low level security APIs.

Troubleshooting

See our FAQ and webpage for any problems concerning pyGlobus.

You can also contact us on our mailing list python-discuss@globus.org.