Using refinitiv.data Library on a Remote Cluster

Hello LSEG Development Community,

I am seeking assistance and clarification on using the refinitiv.data library in a headless server environment. My goal is to establish a session and retrieve historical data from the Refinitiv Data Platform using the refinitiv.data Python library. However, despite various troubleshooting efforts, I am unable to open a functioning session on the Idun HPC cluster.

Problem Overview:

Environment:
I’m working on a remote cluster (Idun) that does not have a graphical interface or local Refinitiv Workspace installation.
Current Attempt:
- I installed refinitiv.data version 1.6.2 in a virtual environment.
- I attempted to open a session using rd.open_session(app_key=APP_KEY).
- The session either remains closed or returns errors related to http://localhost:9000/api/handshake not being reachable.
Errors Encountered:
- "No proxy address identified. Check if Desktop is running."
- RemoteProtocolError("illegal status line: bytearray(...)")
- Unable to retrieve data despite the session reporting “opened successfully.”

What I’ve Tried:

Specifying Environment:
Attempted to set environment=rd.Environment.PRODUCTION but received an AttributeError, as the Environment attribute does not appear in version 1.6.2.
Direct Connectivity Tests:
Confirmed that the cluster can connect to api.refinitiv.com via curl and that the refinitiv.data package is properly installed.
Package Reinstallation and Version Checks:
Reinstalled refinitiv.data, confirmed the latest version, and restarted Jupyter kernels. The Environment attribute is still not available, and the default session does not function.

Key Question:

Is it possible to reliably open a cloud-based session with refinitiv.data 1.6.2 in a headless server environment (Idun), without a local Refinitiv Workspace instance?
If so, what is the correct procedure or configuration to ensure the session can open and provide data access?
If the Environment attribute is not available, how can I ensure the library defaults to a valid cloud-based environment and bypasses local desktop dependencies?

Thank you in advance for your guidance. I appreciate any clarification or confirmation on the correct approach.

Best regards,
Karsten Haugland
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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Accepted answers

Jirapongse

Yes, LSEG Data Platform can provide historical pricing, real-time market data, and fundamental. For more information, please refer to the Refinitiv Data Platform APIs page.

As far as I know, some fundamental data may not be available via the LSEG Data Platform due to the limited access. Please contact your LSEG account team or Sales team directly for more information.

All comments

jason.ramchandani01

@karsten_haugland Thanks for your question. So it is not possible to run in a cloud environment with the Workspace Desktop product - this is due to licensing issues - it is not designed for this use case. We have other API products (such as LSEG Data Platform aka Refinitiv Data Platform) which runs server-side with no dependency on local API proxy - but the Workspace Desktop product requires this. The application making the API call and the Workspace Desktop need to be running on the same machine. Apologies - probably not the answer you wanted but its for very good reasons. I hope this can help.

karsten_haugland

Thank you, Jason! Does the LSEG Data Platform provide the same level of data coverage as Refinitiv Workspace, including historical pricing, real-time market data, and fundamental data? Are there any key differences in available datasets?

Jirapongse

Yes, LSEG Data Platform can provide historical pricing, real-time market data, and fundamental. For more information, please refer to the Refinitiv Data Platform APIs page.

As far as I know, some fundamental data may not be available via the LSEG Data Platform due to the limited access. Please contact your LSEG account team or Sales team directly for more information.

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