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Connecting to a Research Data Storage Service share

This article describes how to connect to and mount Research Data Storage Service (RDSS) including FSMresfiles on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.

Identifying your server

  • Feinberg: If you are a member of Feinberg School of Medicine, the address is fsmresfiles.northwestern.edu
  • Audited: If you are not in Feinberg, but have selected auditing capability, the address is resfilesaudit.northwestern.edu
  • Non-audited: If you are not in Feinberg and have no auditing, the address is resfiles.northwestern.edu

Connecting to your share​​

The following instructions describe how to connect to your data storage share. The connection will reset if your computer goes offline or restarts. 

MacOSX

MacOS Ventura (version 13.X)

There is a known issue connecting and writing to RDSS from MacOS Ventura. Until Apple issues a patch for this issue, we do not recommend using this OS to connect to RDSS

MacOS Monterey (version 12.X) and below 

  • From the Desktop of your Mac computer, on the top Menu Bar select Go -> Connect to Server
  • Enter in the server you identifed earlier in the following format, then click Connect
    • Feinberg: smb://fsmresfiles.fsm.northwestern.edu/fsmresfiles
    • Audited: smb://resfilesaudit.northwestern.edu
    • Not audited: smb://resfiles.northwestern.edu
  • Enter your NetID and password to authenticate
  • Select the share you would like to mount, click OK. This share will be given based on your research group name given
Windows
  • Open a Windows Explorer window:
  • Type your server in the address bar in the following format and press enter
    • Feinberg: \\fsmresfiles.fsm.northwestern.edu\fsmresfiles
    • Audited: \\resfilesaudit.northwestern.edu
    • Not audited: \\resfiles.northwestern.edu
  • You will be prompted to authenticate to the server. Enter your username as "ads\<NetID>" (replacing <NetID> with your actual NetID, do not include brackets), and enter your NetID password.
  • Once connected, you will see the list of shares on the server. Select your share to copy (and write, if you have the appropriate privileges) files
Linux

Linux: Ubuntu GUI

  • In the file manager, click Other Locations in the side bar. 
  • Select Connect to Server and then input your Research Data Storage share in the following format 
    • Feinberg: smb://fsmresfiles.fsm.northwestern.edu/fsmresfiles/share_path
    • Audited: smb://resfilesaudit.northwestern.edu/share_name
    • Not audited: smb://resfiles.northwestern.edu/share_name
  • Select Connect. You will be asked to authenticate 
    • Username: "ads/NetID"
    • Password: NetID password 

Linux Command Line

  1. Identify your server
    • Feinberg: //fsmresfiles.fsm.northwestern.edu/fsmresfiles
    • Audited: //resfilesaudit.northwestern.edu
    • Not audited: //resfiles.northwestern.edu
  2. Make sure you have: 
    • The full path to your share: //servername/share-path
    • Common Internet File System (CIFS) installed. To Install:
      • with apt-get: sudo apt-get install cifs-utils
      • with yum: sudo yum install -y cifs-utils
    • Logged on to your linux machine as root
  3. Create the directory you would like to use as a mount point (For example: # mkdir -p /mnt/mountpoint) 
  4. Use the mount command as follows:

mount -t cifs //server-name/share-path /mnt/mountpoint -o username=NetID,domain=ads

            replacing NetID with your NetID. You will be prompted to enter your NetID password. 

Once the share is mounted, you can access its contents by

  • the mount point or  (/mnt/mountpoint)

  • or the full path (//server_name/share_path)

Mapping your share as a network drive

Windows

  • From any Windows Explorer window, navigate to Tools -> Map Network Drive
  • Pick a drive letter to use and enter the full path to the share. For example, if you are using drive letter T: and mounting the share called northwesternit_research from the server resfiles, you would type in the Folder: \\resfiles.northwestern.edu\northwesternit_research
  • Check "Reconnect at login" if you would like the drive to mount at login.
  • Click "Connect using a different user name". Enter your username as "ads\<NetID>" (replacing <NetID> with your actual NetID, do not include brackets), and enter your NetID password.

MacOS Ventura (version 13.X)

There is a known issue connecting and writing to RDSS from MacOS Ventura. Until Apple issues a patch for this issue, we do not recommend using this OS to connect to RDSS

MacOS Monterey (version 12.X) and below Go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups

  • Select your user account from the list on the left
  • Click the Login Items tab on the right side of the window. This will show you all of the apps, scripts, documents, and user services that are configured to launch automatically when your user account logs in
  • To add your network drive to this list, simply locate the network drive’s icon on your Desktop, and then drag and drop it into the Login Items list

 

For help connecting to or mapping RDSS as a network drive email rdss-help@northwestern.edu

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Details

Article ID: 1536
Created
Thu 5/12/22 12:39 PM
Modified
Fri 2/24/23 11:16 AM

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Research Data Storage Service (RDSS)
RDSS provides secure on-premise data storage for researchers.