diff --git a/copy_big_files.py b/copy_big_files.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..407c33b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/copy_big_files.py
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+import subprocess
+import os.path
+import argparse
+import time
+import fcntl
+import sys
+import os
+import datetime
+
+# DG, May 3, 2016
+
+sys.stderr.write( "from copy_big_files.py\n" )
+
+# alert!  This script is running in the 0-rawreads/preads subdirectory
+# of the network disk
+
+ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="copy_big_files.py")
+ap.add_argument( "szDevShmRawReadsDir" )
+args = ap.parse_args()
+
+print "from copy_big_files.py"
+sys.stderr.write( "from copy_big_files.py\n" )
+szCommand = "uname -a"
+szOutput = subprocess.check_output( szCommand, shell = True )
+print "from: " + szOutput,
+sys.stderr.write( "from: " + szOutput + "\n" )
+# looks like:
+# > uname -a
+#Linux e61.grid.gs.washington.edu 2.6.32-573.18.1.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Jan 6 11:20:49 EST 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
+
+aWords = szOutput.split()
+szNodeFull = aWords[1]
+aWords2 = szNodeFull.split(".")
+szNode = aWords2[0]
+
+
+szCommand = "mkdir -p ../locks"
+subprocess.call(szCommand, shell = True )
+
+szLockFile = "../locks/copy_big_files_" + szNode + "_lock"
+
+with open( szLockFile, "w" ) as fLockFile:
+    # wait until have lock
+    print "about to try to get lock"
+    date1 = datetime.datetime.now()
+    fcntl.flock( fLockFile.fileno(), fcntl.LOCK_EX )
+    date2 = datetime.datetime.now()
+    
+    nSecondsElapsed = ( date2 - date1 ).total_seconds()
+    print "{:f} seconds to get lock".format( nSecondsElapsed )
+    
+
+    if ( os.path.exists( args.szDevShmRawReadsDir + "/raw_reads.db" ) ):
+        print "file " + args.szDevShmRawReadsDir + "/raw_reads.db" + " already exists"
+        fcntl.flock( fLockFile.fileno(), fcntl.LOCK_UN )
+        sys.exit( 0 )
+
+    szCommand = "mkdir -p " + args.szDevShmRawReadsDir
+    subprocess.call( szCommand, shell = True )
+
+    # if reached here, we have the lock and the file doesn't exist
+
+    szBwlimit = "50000"
+
+    aFilesToCopy = [".raw_reads.bps", ".raw_reads.idx", "raw_reads.db" ]
+
+    
+
+    for szFileToCopy in aFilesToCopy:
+        date3 = datetime.datetime.now()
+        szCommand = "rsync -v --bwlimit=" + szBwlimit + " ../" + szFileToCopy + " " + args.szDevShmRawReadsDir
+
+        sys.stderr.write( "about to " + szCommand + "\n" )
+        subprocess.call( szCommand, shell = True )
+        date4 = datetime.datetime.now()
+        fSecondsElapsed = ( date4 - date3 ).total_seconds()
+
+        ( nMinutes, fSeconds ) = divmod( nSecondsElapsed, 60 )
+
+        
+        print "completed copying {:s} in {:f}:{:02.0f}".format( szFileToCopy, nMinutes, fSeconds )
+
+        szOutput =  "completed copying {:s} in {:f}:{:02.0f}".format( szFileToCopy, nMinutes, fSeconds )
+        sys.stderr.write( szOutput + "\n" )
+
+
+    fcntl.flock( fLockFile.fileno(), fcntl.LOCK_UN )
+    sys.exit( 0 )
+
+
+
+
+
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+