Features

Either CIFS (used primarily by Windows and most Macs) or NFSv4 storage (used primarily by Linux and some Macs) is available.

The standard offering is based on the ITS MiStorage service and should meet the needs of most researchers. There is also an alternate offering based on the ARC-TS Turbo Research Storage service that is tuned for users with a high speed network in their lab (10Gbps+) or are heavy Great Lakes users with large datasets. To request this alternate offering, when requesting a research storage volume, under "If you have a specific storage configuration request please note that here," choose "Optimized for Great Lakes." Please choose this option only if you are sure that Turbo meets your needs, or you plan to routinely copy or compute on large datasets from Great Lakes, or you have a 10Gbps network in your lab, or you have previously consulted with LSA Technology Services.

Both options have snapshots enabled which allows you to retrieve accidentally deleted files for up to 56 days (8 weeks).

Users can leverage either all of one type of storage, or some of each if needed. This storage offering is designed to complement Google at U-M and Dropox at U-M. Where those two solutions are meant for lower-volumes of data, this offering is meant for big data that those services simply cannot accommodate. To request storage, simply complete the form available here.

Who can use this service?

The service is available to any LSA faculty, LSA lecturers, LSA GSIs, or LSA GSRAs.

Where can the service be used?

The service is available both on and off campus.  Standard access to CIFS space requires the use of the campus VPN.  Off-campus access to NFS space requires access to the system the NFS space is mounted on.  This may or may not require the use of the VPN.

Before using this service

Q: Who should I contact for help determining what type of storage I need or if I have a problem accessing my storage?
A: Please contact the LSA Technology Services Desk.

Q: How do I see if I have my storage?
A: You can look at the SharePoint list to see the status of your storage request. (That list is sorted by department, so if you have a joint appointment please check all relevant departments.) That list also says what type of storage (CIFS or NFS) was requested.

Q: Can I access my storage off campus?
A for CIFS: You can access your storage space off-campus if you first connect to the VPN. Instructions for installing and accessing the VPN can be found here. Then you should be able to access the share via the link sent to your email address upon provisioning.
A for NFS: Access to the storage space is the same as access to the computer that you have mounted your storage on. If you can access your computer that has mounted NFS via the VPN or the ITS login service, you can access your files.

Q: Can I access my storage over the web, via sftp, or on my mobile device?
A: Presently, read-only web access is available for both CIFS via https://dfs.lsa.umich.edu/research/ and NFS by request to LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu. SFTP is available for CIFS space through sftp.m.storage.umich.edu, but is unavailable for NFS. Mobile access is presently not supported beyond these mechanisms. However, if you are interested in further access access mechanism please let us know at LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu.

Q: How do I connect to my storage?
A for CIFS: If you are a Windows or Mac user, the detailed instructions can be found in either the email that you received with the path to your storage or by using the path you were provided and following the steps in this document.
A for NFS: Your local desktop support team should contact you with the initial setup and ensure that you can connect to your storage.
If you do not know the path to your storage, please contact the LSA Technology Services Desk.

Q: How does this space work with my existing AFS/IFS/MFile Space?
A: This storage is on a different system and has no connection to AFS.

Requesting Service

Request new or expand existing service by going to this SharePoint form.