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More about File Storage

Features

The features and benefits of the File Storage service include:

  • Security: File Storage provides authenticated access to named file shares. Access is controlled by Stanford Windows Infrastructure and Workgroup Manager.
  • Access: File Storage is accessible from multiple client operating system platforms, including Windows (Windows 7 and above, Server 2008), and Mac OS X  10.7 and above.
  • Data Integrity: File Storage supports the typical set of file operations: open, close, read, write, and seek. The service also supports file and record lock and unlocking, allowing multiple clients to access and update the same file while preventing conflicts by providing file sharing and file locking.
  • Physical Security: File Storage data is stored on Storage Controllers located in the secure enterprise data center facility with UPS (uninterruptible power supplies) and generator backup.
  • Reliability: The data is stored on redundant hardware, with RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) protection for data-integrity and performance. The service has 24 hours a day, 7 days a week monitoring and support.
  • Recoverability: Snapshots are taken of the data several times a day.  A snapshot is a disk-to-disk backup of changes only; it is not a tape backup. Snapshots can be used for self-service file recovery, and by default snapshots are turned on. Snapshots are billed at the same rate as the file storage itself (see rates information, below). The size of  snapshots depends on the frequency of changes to your data

Scheduled maintenance

  • The window for scheduled maintenance is on Sunday between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.
  • Scheduled maintenance, required for reconfiguration of the storage arrays, is performed two or three times a year.
  • Hardware is refreshed regularly on a rotational basis at the end of the warranty cycle or about once every three years.
  • Change Management requests are submitted for any scheduled maintenance.

Ordering information

Your Department Contact can order File Storage via OrderIT. The information required to process the order includes:

  1. Name: Department, Project, Workgroup, or Individual name.
  2. Quantity: Amount of storage required. Typical requirements should be multiples of 10 GB.
  3. Access: Who should have access to the data?
    1. Department / Project / Workgroup – Name of Workgroup.
    2. Individual access: include name & SUNetID
  4. Billing Information: PTA Number.
Last modified October 14, 2014