File Storage
All users are provided with their own personal space for files on one or more of the College servers, accessible via the College network. Storing files on servers means that they can be accessed from any computer in the College and via the internet. Users should not store files on the hard drives of IT Services machines in the RISB.
Each registered user is allocated personal disk space on the servers, accessible only to that individual user, for their work. The servers are also used as a central store for IT Services software and information.
- Backing up
- Web access
- PC network drives
- Macintosh network volumes
- Temporary file storage
- Additional space
Backing up
It is essential that all users make copies of their files for backup purposes, so that work is not lost if a file is accidentally deleted. The computers in the RISB have a variety of facilities for backing up files stored in personal file space on the network:
- All PC systems in the RISB have CD writers and a floppy disk drive. In addition, portable Zip drives can be borrowed from the Help Desk.
- Most Macintosh systems in the RISB have CD writers, and some of the older machines have Zip drives. In addition, external Zip and floppy disk drives can be borrowed from the Help Desk.
- All PCs and Macintosh systems can accept USB pen drives.
An adapter for connecting other types of external memory (CompactFlash, Memory Stick etc.) can be borrowed from the IT Services Help Desk, or you can use your own adapter.
Please take care when connecting external storage devices to IT Services equipment, to ensure that connectors are not damaged.
Because of the impossibility of salvaging damaged or deleted files from pen drives and other types of external memory card, these should not be used as backup facilities, but solely as a means of transferring files to another computer.
IT Services Guide A2.4 Making Backups gives more information. The Help Desk sells blank floppy disks, Zip disks and CD-R disks.
Web access to College network drives
While the network areas described below are easily accessible from computers directly connected to the College network, they are less easy to access from outside College. In order to simplify access, IT Services provide a "Webshare" facility which allows these areas to be accessed using a Web browser.
The URL for this facility is https://secure.gold.ac.uk/webshare/. Note the https - if you omit this you will not be able to access these areas except from a computer in College.
You will be required to enter your username and password, and your access to this area is still subject to College Regulations - you must not allow anyone other than yourself to access the files.
PC network drives
All users
Users of networked PCs will find that they appear to have access to a number of disk drives in addition to the local floppy and hard disk drives. These will be found in My Computer under the heading Network Drives. These are network drives, and the table below shows those present on systems in the RISB and on staff computers, with the drive letter and drive name shown by My Computer.
| Drive Letter | Drive Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N: | homes | personal disk storage space on aries |
| H: | public | a publicly accessible shared drive for short-term file sharing by any user |
| I: | inform | a central drive for information & software resources |
| J: | j-drive | publicly accessible departmental areas - there is a folder for each department |
Student users can save their files only to drives N: and H:. The J: drive is designed for staff to make files available to students, and staff are normally able to save files to any folders on J: created by their department. Full details of these drives will be found in IT Services Guide A3.2 File Storage on PC Systems in the RISB.
Staff
There are three network drives which are available only to staff users:
| Drive | Description | Main Function |
|---|---|---|
| K: | Departmental areas accessible to all College staff - there is a folder for each department | Making files accessible to the College staff as a whole |
| L: | Private departmental file areas - each departmental folder is only available to staff of that department | Internal file-sharing within departments |
| Q: | Private areas for ad hoc staff groups - each folder is accessible only to staff who are members of the appropriate group | File-sharing in projects where there is a need to restrict access to specific members of staff |
Staff should note that the existence of the K: drive means that there is no need for files to be sent as attachments to gcinfo for wide distribution in the College - a mail message giving the file name and location on K: is all that is required.
Note that the J: drive will need to be used where making files accessible to students, who are unable to access these drives.
Macintosh network volumes
Users of networked Macintosh computers have access to the same range of PC network drives:
- OS-X: Connect to Server and enter the server name smb://aries.gold.ac.uk
- OS-9: Use the Chooser - click AppleShare and enter Server IP Address aries.
The H: drive and the user's Home-Directory area are mounted at login on Macintosh systems in the RISB. In addition, there are a number of Macintosh-only network volumes available.
Macintosh OS-X
The following are available on OS-X machines, which includes all those in the RISB:
| Volume | Description |
|---|---|
| HOMES | personal disk storage space on aries |
| PUBLIC | public 'scratch' disk for temporary storage (H: drive on PCs |
| macosx.gold.ac.uk | a central drive for software - Guest access only |
| Departmental volumes | requires username and password, unless Guest access is available |
The HOMES or Home-Directory (OS-X) is identical to the N: drive on College PC systems, and can therefore be used to transfer personal files between Mac and PC systems. Student users can save files only to HOMES, PUBLIC (the PC H: drive) and, with appropriate user permissions, to a departmental drive.
Macintosh OS-9
Staff with Macintosh systems running OS-9 have the following available:
| Volume | Description |
|---|---|
| Mac_Files | personal disk storage space on aries |
| Guest Scratch Disk | a central shared drive for short-term file sharing |
| ASIP Scratch Disk | a Mac-based shared drive for short-term-use |
| maclib | a central drive for software - Guest access only |
| Departmental volumes | requires username and password, unless Guest access is available |
The Mac_Files area is a folder on the N: drive on College PC systems, and it can therefore be used to transfer personal files between Mac and PC systems.
Other departmental and staff volumes are available if the user has appropriate access permissions.
Temporary file storage (PC and Mac)
The H: Drive
In addition to the personal disk space mentioned above, there are also temporary file storage areas on the network for PC and Mac users: this is the H: drive (called PUBLIC on OS-X Macintosh systems), or on OS-9 Macintosh systems the Guest Scratch Disk. These public areas are primarily intended for making files available to other users, and for short term storage when working with large files. They are not intended for long-term use, and are not backed up. User files in these areas will be deleted overnight by IT Services without warning on a regular basis (currently weekly on Sundays), and deleted files cannot be recovered. Any user who needs additional disk space for long-term storage should contact the IT Services Help Desk.
You must not attempt to delete files of other users on these drives.
Hard Disks
IT Services Macs also have an area set on aside on their hard disks for emergency use when the network is unavailable, so that the machines can be used in stand-alone mode: this is the Users/Shared folder on OS-X systems. If you use these areas, you should copy any files to removable media at the end of your work session, and delete them to ensure that they will not be accessible to subsequent users of the computer. The files in these areas are not backed up and are regularly cleared without warning.
Additional Disk Space
The Space Folder
On application to the Help Desk, all users can be allocated additional space for files which will not count against their quota.
This will appear as a folder called space on the Homes drive (N: on the PC) and is therefore accessible to those using PCs or Macintosh systems running OS-X (see above).
An important limitation of this facility is that files in this area are not included in the system backups, which means that any files in this area which are deleted cannot be restored. This area should therefore not be used for backing up important files.
It is intended primarily as temporary workspace for those who have a need to work with large files or large amounts of data. However, unlike the temporary storage facilities described above (6.7), files in the space folder can only be seen by the individual user and are not subject to deletion by IT Services.
Increased Disk Quota
If you run out of space for files and the Space Folder does not meet your needs because it is not backed up, you may apply to the IT Services Help Desk for an increased disk quota.
Before doing so, however, you should delete all unwanted files or copy them to a floppy disk, zip disk or CD to check that you really do need the additional space.
For staff and research students, increased disk quotas will normally be allocated on request within reasonable limits. Increased quotas will only exceptionally be granted to undergraduates, and only where (a) it is essential to coursework, and (b) the application is supported by a written statement from their department to this effect.
Increased quotas should be available within one week, but the additional disk space depends on the current demands of the system, and availability cannot be guaranteed.
Advice on this issue will be found in Computer Service Guide A2.7 Managing Your Disk Quota .