Shared database repository
/datasets/globe_databasesWhere should my files go? already lists this as one of the supported storage locations — a shared, read-only repository of reference databases, not a place for your own data. This page covers what that page doesn't: how it's organized, what read-only means day to day, and what to do when something you need isn't there.
The repository isn't Mjolnir-only — see Access for non-Mjolnir users below.
How it's organized#
The top level is one entry per database — listing it only gives you names, not what's inside:
ls /datasets/globe_databasesLive-verified: inside a database's directory you'll typically find one or more date-stamped subdirectories (YYYYMMDD, the date that copy was installed), sometimes with an extra variant-name level first when a database has more than one build:
kraken2/kraken2_standard/20240112/
kraken2/kraken2_standard/20250402/In what's been observed, older dated copies are kept alongside newer ones rather than being overwritten in place — but that isn't a guarantee any particular version stays available indefinitely. If your work depends on getting the same result later, point your job at a specific dated path rather than assuming "the current one" will still mean the same thing next year.
There's no README or index file at the root — browsing is how you see what's there. This directory structure tells you what physically exists and when it was installed; it's not a curated catalogue with scientific descriptions, licensing notes, or recommended versions attached.
Read-only means read-only#
This repository is centrally installed and is not user-maintained — you can't add your own files to it, and you can't write into an existing database's directory. Live-verified: this is applied uniformly across the whole repository rather than varying database by database — if you can read one database here, you can read all of them, and none of them are writable by ordinary accounts.
If you can't list /datasets/globe_databases at all, that's worth raising through Getting help rather than assuming it's expected.
What if the database or version you need isn't there?#
See Request a database.
Access for non-Mjolnir users#
The repository serves more than Mjolnir — it's shared across Globe-affiliated users on other KU Research IT-hosted compute systems too, not just Mjolnir accounts. If you need access to it but don't otherwise use Mjolnir, request it with the Globe Database access request form:
Open the Globe Database access request form
The form is for researchers affiliated with the Globe Institute, and your affiliation is checked before access is granted.