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How to Download and Upload Cloud Drive Data on Glows.ai

This guide will walk you through how to download from and upload to cloud storage services such as Google Drive on a Glows.ai machine. Please ensure the image you selected includes SSH or JupyterLab features.

Step 1: Create an Instance​

First, create a new instance on Glows.ai according to your needs. If you're not sure how, refer to the Create a New Instance Guide.

Step 2: Install Rclone​

Rclone is a powerful command-line tool for synchronizing files with various cloud storage services. It supports encryption, compression, and multi-threaded transfers, making cloud and local data management more efficient.

Once your instance status is Running, go to the Access section and click the Open button next to port 8888 to launch the JupyterLab interface.

Create an Instance

Inside JupyterLab, click the Terminal icon in the Launcher to open a terminal.

Launcher

Enter the following command in the terminal to install Rclone:

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | bash

After installation, use the following command to verify that Rclone was installed correctly:

rclone --version

Rclone Version

Step 3: Configure Google Drive​

Start the configuration process by entering:

rclone config

Follow the on-screen instructions:

  1. Type n to create a new remote (remote is a storage configuration in Rclone that represents your cloud drive; you can name it however you like for easy reference later).

  2. Then, name your remote (e.g., glows or mydrive), so you can refer to it easily in commands.

Create New Remote

Next, choose the cloud storage service you want to connect to. In this guide, we'll use Google Drive. Enter drive or the corresponding number (e.g., 20).

Choose Cloud Storage Google Drive

  • For client_id and client_secret, simply press Enter to use the default values.
  • For permissions, enter 1 to grant full access.

Access Permission

You can press Enter to accept the default values for the remaining options.

Note: Choosing an Authentication Method​

At this stage, you’ll be prompted to authenticate with Google Drive using one of two methods:

  • Method 1: Authenticate directly using your browser (only works for local machines).
  • Method 2: Use Rclone installed on your local computer with SSH port forwarding ✅ Recommended

Since authentication must occur from the Glows.ai server, simply clicking the link in your local browser won't work. We recommend using method 2:

Open your local terminal (CMD/Terminal) and run the following command to initiate SSH port forwarding:

ssh -p 23482 -NL 53682:localhost:53682 root@tw-02.access.glows.ai

Format explanation:
ssh -p [SSH port] -NL 53682:localhost:53682 root@[SSH host]

SSH Password

After entering the SSH password and pressing Enter, if no errors appear, the port forwarding is successful. Then, open the Google authentication link provided in the Rclone terminal in your local browser, sign in with your Google account, and authorize access.

Google Authorization

When the page shows Success!, authentication is complete.

Success

Back in the server's Rclone setup, when asked about setting up Team Drive, press Enter to skip. You should then see the Configuration complete message along with the setup details.

Configuration Complete

Step 4: Uploading and Downloading Files​

Downloading from Google Drive to Your Instance​

# Format:
rclone copy [Remote Name]:[Google Drive file path] [Local path] --progress

# Example:
rclone copy glows:/data/glows.zip ./ --progress

This command downloads the file /data/glows.zip from Google Drive to your current local directory. The --progress flag shows the download progress.

Download File

Uploading from Your Instance to Google Drive​

# Format:
rclone copy [Local file path] [Remote Name]:[Google Drive destination path] --progress

# Example:
rclone copy 123.txt glows:/data --progress

This command uploads the local file 123.txt to the /data folder in Google Drive.

Upload File Upload Result

Contact Us​

If you have any questions or feedback while using Glows.ai, feel free to contact us:

Email: support@glows.ai