Windows users, update Globus Connect Personal for long-path support.

On Windows, most operations on files have a limitation known as “MAX_PATH”: Windows paths have a long-standing maximum length of 260 characters, measured from the start of the path (C:\, D:\, etc.), up to and including the file extension.

Most users do not encounter problems with MAX_PATH limits. But for folks working with large data sets—particularly in areas like genomics—you may have experenced MAX_PATH issues.

In Globus, MAX_PATH issues do not show up directly in error messages. Instead, Globus will report file-not-found, not-a-directory, or checksum-failed errors. In all cases, the file path will be very long, indicating the problem is likely due to the MAX_PATH limit.

As of Globus Connect Personal 3.2.7, this limit can now be increased, supporting paths up to 4,096 characters in length. To enable long-path support, do two things:

First, Upgrade Globus Connect Personal. Right-click on the Globus toolbar icon, and select “Check for Updates”. If 3.2.7 is not installed, you will be prompted to upgrade.

Next, follow the instructions to configure your machine for long-path support.