RClone

RClone is a command-line tool for synchronizing, backing up and managing files on over 70 cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, S3, etc.). It’s often dubbed the Swiss army knife of cloud storage.

You may find it on our login servers. To activate it during your session use Modules:

% module load DataManagement/rclone

and then configure it as explained on this page.

Installation

Please find below some tips to install RClone on your workstation depending on your OS:

Download and extract RClone (example for Linux):

% curl -O https://downloads.rclone.org/rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
% unzip rclone-current-linux-amd64.zip
% cd rclone-*-linux-amd64
% cp rclone ~/bin/
% chmod +x ~/bin/rclone

Add the ~/bin folder to your PATH in ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.:

% export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
% source ~/.bashrc

Verify the installation:
```
% rclone version
```

Download the appropriate ZIP archive and extract it (to C:\Users\<your_name>\rclone\ for example),

Open a terminal (CMD or PowerShell), then run:

% cd C:\Users\<your_name>\rclone\
% .\rclone.exe version

(Optional): Add the folder to the user’s PATH to use RClone from anywhere.

For more information, please check the official download page.

Configuration & Encryption

To start the configuration:

% rclone config
No remotes found, make a new one?
n) New remote
s) Set configuration password
q) Quit config
n/s/q>

RClone will guide you through setting up a remote server (cloud connection). Useful commands:

rclone listremotes: Lists the configured remotes.
rclone config show: Displays the current configuration (excluding passwords).
rclone config file: Shows the path to the rclone.conf file.

Example of rclone.conf file:

[<remote name>]
type = sftp
host = <hostname>
user = <username>
key_file = /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa
path = <backup path>
port = 22

Attention

The rclone.conf file contains your credentials. Never share it. Back it up securely. You may encrypt it if needed.

Adding Encryption

Run the command rclone config
Add a new remote of type crypt
Choose an existing remote connection to encrypt

Important

You are solely responsible for your password or encryption key. If you lose it, your data will be permanently inaccessible.

GUI and command line usage

If you want to integrate the installation of RClone on your workstation with a graphical interface, please refer to the following page :

Graphical Interface for RClone
- Native Web Interface
- Desktop Interface: RcloneBrowser

Commonly used commands

rclone help: Shows all available commands
rclone mount <remote>:<path> /mnt/<mount_point>: Mounts a cloud storage locally (Linux/macOS only)
rclone ls|lsd <remote>:<path>: Lists files / directories
rclone lsl <remote>:<path>: Detailed file listing
rclone tree <remote>:<path>: Shows the folder tree structure
rclone delete <remote>:<path>: Deletes files
rclone mkdir <remote>:<path>: Creates a folder
rclone rmdir <remote>:<path>: Deletes an empty folder
rclone purge <remote>:<path>: Deletes an entire folder
rclone size <remote>:<path>: Displays total size
rclone about <remote>:: Shows information about available space
rclone check <src> <dst>: Compares files between two locations
rclone copy|move <src> <dst>: Copies / Moves files from <src> to <dst>
rclone sync <src> <dst>: Synchronizes files. Deletes files not in <src>.

Troubleshooting

rclone: command not found: The binary is not in your PATH. Go back to the installation step and make sure to add ~/bin (or the Windows folder) to your PATH.
rclone cannot connect to the server: Check that your credentials are correct and that the remote is properly configured via rclone config.
I want to back up my configuration: Make a copy of the rclone.conf file (path shown via rclone config file).
I forgot my encryption password: Unfortunately, it is impossible to recover your data. You must create a new encrypted remote.