Built upon Aspera Enterprise Server technology, the Aspera Connect Server is the ideal solution when files and directories are exchanged with a large number of users over the WAN.
With patented fasp™ transport at its core, the Aspera Connect Server delivers unmatched performance and includes all the exceptional transfer and user management capabilities of the industry-standard Enterprise Server.
Featuring a web-based directory listing that can be accessed from most standard browsers, the Aspera Connect Server lets authorized users upload and download data with the free, automatically-installed Aspera Connect web browser plug-in. Connections with Enterprise Servers, Point-to-point, Client and Mobile Uploader applications are also supported.
Thanks to a set of rich APIs that allow developers to embed the software into any web application, the Aspera Connect Server can serve as the high-speed backbone to any online service or system involving transfers of file-based data over the public Internet or private IP links.
Download the Aspera Connect Server datasheet
Applications
• Global file exchange for large, distributed groups of users
• Enterprise-wide file movement
• Field and third-party content or data gathering
• Uploads from customers, partners or end users
• Underlying transfer for web applications such as digital asset management systems, and media content portals
Functionality at-a-glance
• Transfer file and directory data with high-performance fasp™ transport
• Solid throughput over high-loss and delay networks
- From low capacity to multi-gigabit networks
• Flexible per-transfer and aggregate bandwidth management
• Highly scalable
- Thousands of concurrent transfer sessions
- Multi gigabit-per-second aggregate throughput
• Complete state-of-the-art security in-transit and at-rest
• Comprehensive automation and scheduling
• Advanced user and server management
• Complete monitoring and reporting, including auditable history
• Supplied web portal and rich APIs for integration in any web application
• Uploads and downloads via:
- Web browser plug-in (free of charge)
- Desktop application
- Mobile application
- Scriptable command line
- Third-party embedded clients
New in version 2.7 (available now!)
• Large file sessions
- Individual transfer sessions are no longer limited to 6 TB and can be virtually limit-less
• Optimized rate control mechanism for virtualized systems on VMware appliances
- Protects against clock imprecision in virtual machines
• Enhanced partial-file transfer management
- Writes files being transferred with “.partial” extension and in-progress manifest files with “.in-progress” extension
• Extended user and transfer management
- Enhanced user management in Windows, with flexible handling of Active Directory domain aliases and improved support, security and feedback to user (in asconfigurator)
- New ability to allow/deny transfer requests by client IP address and by cookie patterns
- Improved proxy support
• Augmented ascp features and new command options
- SrcBase - preserve directory structure of source arguments
- Manifest in-progress suffix
- Symlink and overwrite/force modifiers
- Command file now supports users with “@” and paths with “:”
- ascp can now “auto-accept” server keys
- ascp preserves source (owner) uid/gid on Unix
- faspmanager - support for private ascp runs
- ascmd file/directory creation mode in Unix, to change permissions when creating new files or directories, based on aspera.conf settings
• Expanded SDK
- new reliable query API for Web Services SDK, which manages persistence of transfer management data on the node and supports queries from third-party applications
- Support for private ascp runs for faspmanager SDK
- Persistent session “soft close” for faspmanager SDK
Transfer
• GUI, command line or SDK initiation of transfers
• Multi-location file delivery at once, using multi-point transfers
• Robust and reliable transfers with automatic retry and resume of partial or failed transfers
• Transfer priority levels (fair, high, low), with “minimum rate” for guaranteed delivery time
• Option to name any transfer, for tracking and reporting purposes
• Optional transfer history database
• Native IPv6 support
Browser plug-in Client
• Automatic in-line installation and upgrade from the web browser
• Upload/download client transparently launched by browser
• File, directory, and multi-item transfers
- Basic upload and download queueing
- User-override queue capabilities
• Browser-independent transfers
- Web browser can be closed during transfer
• Transfer monitor allowing on-the-fly rate control changes
- Basic transfer bandwidth and progress reporting
Administration
• Configure all node properties including bandwidth controls, encryption
- Advanced user and access control
- Restrict user access to a “document root” directory
• Unlimited number of concurrent users
- Flexible transfer and bandwidth management & scheduling
- Adjustable, real-time bandwidth controls
- Transfer scheduling & queueing
- Reordering of transferqueues on-the-fly
- Aggregate or per-flow bandwidth profiles (cap and prioritization)
• vLink™ virtual/QoS aggregate bandwidth management
• Time-of-day/day-of-week scheduling of aggregate bandwidth
- Pre-set bandwidth profiles per user/group
•Rule-based vLink™ setting by client IP address or metadata
• Real-time control of aggregate and per-flow transfer caps and prioritization
- Cancel, pause, or resume transfers on-the-fly
• Flexible file handling, including file symlinks, with symlink “follow” and “copy” operations
• Monitoring and reporting
- Real-time activity monitoring for all incoming and outgoing transfers
- Configurable e-mail notifications
- Delivery confirmation manifest on client and server, as a “transfer receipt” for tracking and auditing
- Server detailed transfer logging in centralized database
• Remote central management, monitoring and control through Aspera Console
- Auditable, centralized transfer history
• Multi-user setup, sharing connection and private keys’ settings with all users
Security
• Thorough SSH authentication
• AES-128 data encryption in-transit and at-rest
• FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptographic module
• Configurable encryption settings per user, with complete transfer authorization policies and security options
- Sender can decide to encrypt-at-rest
- Admin can enforce encryption-at-rest, including passphrase strength
• Data integrity verification for each transmitted block
Automation
• Transfer bandwidth scheduling on the server, including vLink™ (aggregate bandwidth) scheduling
• Repeatable and scheduled transfers (one-time and recurring) through templates using Aspera Console
• Hot folder service
- Built-in with Windows, separately installed on Mac & Linux
• Custom pre- and post-processing functionality
- Custom processing of transfer completion events (script, web-services, SDK library)
• Automatic forwarding on the server
- Forward to/from server to any other Aspera server or another computer running Aspera software for further processing
- Can forward files arriving by FTP or other means in addition to Aspera transfers
• Scriptable command line
SDK
• All core file transfer functionality is available through a comprehensive Software Development Kit (SDK)
- Transfer initiation and monitoring via Web Services
- Deployment of integrated applications requires valid Aspera licenses
• Available to developers via an annual development subscription
- Includes available libraries, APIs, development licenses and support
- Rich Java, C#, and C++ APIs for integration in any web application
- Web Services API for transfer automation