Transfer data

Transfer Appliance supports the following methods to copy data to the appliance:

• SCP or SFTP for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• NFS share for Linux and macOS.

Use SCP or SFTP to copy data

To copy data to the appliance using SCP or SFTP, follow these steps:

Microsoft Windows

1. Download an SCP or SFTP client that supports UTF-8 filenames, such as WinSCP.

2. Using the SCP tool, connect to the appliance using the following settings:

   • File protocol: SFTP
   • Host name: The IP address for the appliance.
   • Port number: 22
   • Username: The appliance username provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.
   • Password: The appliance password provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.

   The destination directory on the Transfer Appliance must be /mnt/ta_data.

Linux

1. Run the following command:

   scp PATH_TO_FILES USERNAME@IP_ADDRESS:/mnt/ta_data
   

   Replace the following:

   • PATH_TO_FILES: The path to the files you are copying.
   • USERNAME: The appliance username provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.
   • IP_ADDRESS: The IP address for the appliance.

2. When prompted, enter the appliance password provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.

Apple macOS

1. Run the following command:

   scp PATH_TO_FILES USERNAME@IP_ADDRESS:/mnt/ta_data
   

   Replace the following:

   • PATH_TO_FILES: The path to the files you are copying.
   • USERNAME: The appliance username provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.
   • IP_ADDRESS: The IP address for the appliance.

2. When prompted, enter the appliance password provided by the Transfer Appliance Team.

Use NFS share to copy data

To copy data to the appliance using NFS share, follow these steps:

1. To mount Transfer Appliance, run the following commands on your data source:

   Linux

   1. sudo mkdir /mnt/data
      

   2. sudo mount -o vers=4 IP_ADDRESS:/mnt/ta_data /mnt/data
      

      Replace IP_ADDRESS with the IP address for the appliance.

   Apple macOS

   1. cd ~
      

   2. mkdir ta_data
      

   3. sudo mount -t nfs -o vers=4,resvport IP_ADDRESS:/mnt/ta_data ~/ta_data
      

      Replace IP_ADDRESS with the IP address for the appliance.

2. To copy data to the appliance, use a copy utility of your choice.

   Copying data is a long-running operation. On Apple macOS or Linux, we recommend using tmux or screen to ensure the copy process survives logout or network disconnects.

Monitor copy status

While you're transferring data, you can monitor the progress of your transfer.

To monitor the progress of Transfer Appliance, do the following:

1. Connect to the appliance and run the following command:

    ta status --verbose
    

   The following sample response resembles the output that is returned:

   Checking the state of the appliance:
   » The encrypted partition key is present.
   » The data partition is mounted and shared.
   
   You are ready to copy data to the appliance.
   
   Data partition:
   » Mount path: /mnt/ta_data
   » Used space: 2.6M
   » Available space: 919M
   » Used inodes: 11
   » Available inodes (required to create new files): 64k
   
   Next steps:
   » Use these commands to mount the NFS share from your client:
     > sudo mkdir /mnt/data
     > sudo mount 192.168.0.100:/mnt/ta_data /mnt/data
   » When done copying, finalize the appliance with this command:
     > ta finalize
   

Finalize copied data

Finalizing prepares the appliance for shipping to Google by removing the decryption key, rendering the data inaccessible until it reaches Google. When the decryption key is removed, you cannot copy additional data to the appliance without deleting all previously copied data.

To finalize the copied data, follow these steps:

1. Connect to the appliance.

2. Run the command ta finalize and note the passcode returned in the output.

   The following sample response resembles the output that is returned:

   Finalizing prepares the appliance for shipping by removing the decryption key,
   making the data inaccessible until it reaches Google. Once finalized, there is
   no way to access your data or add more data without deleting everything on the
   drive.
   
   Are you ready to finalize the appliance and ship it back to Google? (y/n) y
   Umounted data partition and disabled automount.
   Finalize step is complete.
   
   This passcode must be used to get a return shipping label: NNNN
   If you forget your passcode, run 'ta status' to display it again.
   TA:~$ ta status
   
   You are ready to ship the appliance back to Google.
   
   Next steps:
   » Use this passcode when requesting a shipping label: NNNN
   » Contact the appliance team at [e-mail].
   

3. Enter the passcode returned by the ta finalize command in the form included in the email titled Google Transfer Appliance Return Instructions sent by the Transfer Appliance Team.

   To view the passcode again, run ta status.

   The Transfer Appliance Team responds with the shipping label for the Transfer Appliance for the given passcode.

   Note: The passcode is specific to each appliance. If you have several Transfer Appliances, verify that the session ID printed on the shipping case.

4. Once you receive the shipping label, turn off the appliance and disconnect all cables to it.