Using DataStore for Data Management

Overview

The University’s DataStore is a central file store intended for researchers. In DDS, we will be using it as a shared place where data that is gathered by teams can be securely shared.

This is particularly crucial since some of the research data collected by DDS teams is likely to count as personal data. At the same time, team members will need to share with each other the data they have collected. Rather than using a 3rd party cloud service for sharing, you should upload files with your collected data to DataStore. Within the filespace identified below, each team will have its own subfolder, named team_1,…, team_7 as appropriate, where files can be shared amongst the team members.

Accessing DataStore

In order to access DataStore, you must be on a machine connected to the University network, or connected to the University VPN. The University’s Information Services gives detailed instructions on how to get network access to DataStore, but we’ll give you the short version here.

Once you have established a connection to the DataStore DDS folder, you should be able to upload and download files to a local computer. Please make sure that any computing device that you use for storing files is adequately protected, following the guidelines Your responsibilities at work.

Windows

  1. Select Start > Computer > Map network drive.
  2. In the Drive list, click a drive letter. You can choose any available letter.
  3. In the Folder box, type the following address for the DDS folder:
    \\csce.datastore.ed.ac.uk\csce\inf\groups\ell\DDS
  4. Authenticate by entering ED\UUN (where ‘UUN’ is your University login name) and your corresponding password.

If you are using a University supported Windows desktop machine, the main network shares you have access to should automatically be connected.

Mac OS

  1. In the Finder, select Go from the menu bar at the top of the desktop, then select Connect to Server…
  2. In the Connect to Server window, type the following address for the DDS folder:
    smb://csce.datastore.ed.ac.uk/csce/inf/groups/ell/DDS
  3. Authenticate by entering your UUN (where ‘UUN’ is your University login name) and your corresponding password.

DICE (and other Linux platforms)

  1. Open the Files graphical file manager (which is the default on the Gnome desktop).
  2. Select Connect to Server option in the lefthand menu.
  3. In the Server Address window, type the following address of the DDS folder:
    smb://csce.datastore.ed.ac.uk/csce/inf/groups/ell/DDS
  4. Authenticate by entering your UUN (where ‘UUN’ is your University login name) and your corresponding password.

If you use a different file manager, you may need to enter the server address in a different manner. For example, in Dolphin, you need to turn on the Editable Location option in the navigation bar before entering the server address.

If you are feeling masochistic, you should also be able to connect on the command line with the following commands:

smbclient \\\\csce.datastore.ed.ac.uk\\csce -W ED -U UUN
cd \inf\groups\ell

However, you then need to use smbclient commands to transfer files.