Q: Why not just use rsync?
A: Rsync is a great tool for problems of a certain size,
but LDR has a number of features that make it more suitable for
the types of data replication that many organizations need. Said
features include high-speed data transfers using multiple parallel
channels and tunable TCP windows, database backend for data tracking
and determinging file locations, the ability to select sets of data
for replication based on so-called metadata (information known about a
file) rather than just filenames, the ability to set priorities
for replication at the file or metadata level, and last but not least
so-called "strong" authentication based on a PKI security model (in
the future sophisticated authorization protocols, based on Globus CAS,
will also be implemented).
Q: What if I already have Globus installed?
A: LDR "brings with" the necessary Globus infrastructure that
it needs and can be installed without interference on a machine
with an existing Globus installation.
Q: What do I need to do if our LDR lives behind a
firewall?
A: Currently it is necessary to open ports so that the Globus
RLS server and the Globus GridFTP clients and servers can operate. The
single port that the RLS server requires is configurable; see the
documentation on configuring LDR. The range of ports that GridFTP
requires is also configurable.
