installation of Aspera connect fails

Question

I have recently installed Aspera connect plugin in firefox for downloading large packages at faster rate, but since last few days, i am unable to download any package or file using Aspera connect plugin and i dont know the reason for this.

Note: for downloading the files from human connectome project i have to use aspera connect, there is no other alternative for me to download the files.

I am using ubuntu 14.04

http://www.humanconnectome.org/documentation/connectomeDB/downloading/installing-aspera.html

Answer 1

I never got aspera plugin to work correctly with Ubuntu 14.04, but I did manage to get ascp to work. It work much like scp, but uses the proprietary aspera protocol.

After installing the "Aspera connect plugin", just go to ~/.aspera/connect/bin/ and type ./ascp -h for usage instructions.

I know it's not the answer you were looking for. It's just a workaround, but in my experience, the CLI client is able to do everything the desktop client does.

Disclaimer: I don't personally understand why someone would use the proprietary aspera instead of something open like "rsync", but it seems to be becoming very popular among biologically oriented web resources.

Answer 2

When connect is installed, it installs a protocol handler, check it is there:

xdg-open fasp://initialize

This should start the Connect application. If not, start manuall:

$HOME/.aspera/connect/bin/asperaconnect

In its older versions, Aspera Connect uses an HTTPS connection between the browser and connect application, using the "local.connectme.us" FQDN. If you use a HTTP proxy, make sure that: 1- this FQDN fall in exception and goes "DIRECT" 2- this FQDN is properly resolved to 127.0.0.1 3- your browser recognized properly the certificate to this FQDN.

Try to connect tho this URL in browser when connect is started:

http://local.connectme.us:33003/v5/connect/info/version
https://local.connectme.us:43003/v5/connect/info/version

Else on command line:

$ curl http://local.connectme.us:33003/v5/connect/info/version
{ "version" : "3.6.2.117442" }
$ curl https://local.connectme.us:43003/v5/connect/info/version
{ "version" : "3.6.2.117442" }

Check the certificate is recognized:

openssl x509 -in $HOME/.aspera/connect/etc/localhost.crt -noout -text

and

:|openssl s_client -connect local.connectme.us:43003 2>&1

You can install the missing certificate authority:

$ curl -s
https://support.comodo.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/GetAttachment/9
70/821027|sudo tee /usr/share/cacertificates/
mozilla/Comodo_RSA_Domain_Validation_Secure_Server_CA.crt>/dev
/null
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure ca-certificates

or try to do:

$ sudo update-ca-certificates

Starting with version 3.9.6, connect can be used with a browser extension, if the application supports it, that do not make use of the certificate.