Disk Quotas on Systems Managed by ITS

I. OBJECTIVE & PURPOSE:

To define guidelines for disk utilization limits for the users of computing systems managed by Information Technology Services (ITS).

II. OVERVIEW:

Individuals and/or units that have been granted access to University computer resources have a responsibility to use these resources in a responsible manner.

Disk space is a finite resource that is time-consuming and expensive to increase, and the scarcity of disk space can seriously impact all users of central computing systems. Therefore, it is prudent for all users to make efforts to conserve disk space at all times.

The use of disk quotas, which are disk space limits, is a proactive measure that allows for better management of disk space resources. By allocating a "fair" amount of space to each user, the larger population is protected from a scarcity of space due to monopolization by one or a few users.

III. GUIDELINES:

Information Technology Services (ITS) applies disk quotas to all student, faculty, and staff accounts on systems managed by Information Technology Services (ITS).

Specific disk quotas vary by system and class of user. For file and print servers, each faculty and staff member is allocated 350 MB of disk space, by default. This 350 MB of space is used if you store files on either the I:, O:, or N: drive. It does not count against your quota if you place files on the N:\TEMP directory. If a user needs additional space on a temporary basis they can store their files temporarily on N:\TEMP.

On the Osprey system, all students, faculty, and staff are allocated 100 MB of disk space, by default. OneDrive storage is allocated 5 TB of disk space, by default. See more information on Microsoft's OneDrive Business Storage.

Also, users need to be aware that the space on N:\TEMP is not backed up and files that are greater than 30 days old will be purged from N:\TEMP. If space utilization on the N:\TEMP drive reaches a critical level, files may be purged earlier than the 30 days.

If you or your department need to share files between different departments and this is a permanent need, please contact the ITS help desk or your C-Tech and they can arrange for permanent storage. If you do place files on the N:\ drive and they are not in the N:\TEMP sub-directory, they will count against your quota.

In order to accommodate both the need of users to share data with other users, as well as the need to have space available for users to temporarily copy data that shouldn't be accessible to other users, we have created 2 sub-directories in the "N:\TEMP" directory. They are:

• "Public" - Directories (and their contents) created here can be viewed by any Domain user. No files can be created/copied directly into the Public folder, only in sub-directories created within this folder.
• "Private" - Directories (and their contents) created here can be viewed only by the creating user. No files can be created/copied directly into the Private folder, only in sub-directories created within this folder.

How to determine your current disk usage:

• Be sure you are logged into the network.
• Click on "My Computer".
• Click on "View" and "Details" to get the detailed view that will tell you about your disk space utilization
• Under the column named "Name", you will see your userid, which is equivalent to your I: drive. Under the column named "Total Size", you'll see the amount of disk space that has been allotted to your userid. Under the column named "Free Space", you'll see how much disk space you still have available.
• You'll also notice that you have what appears to be the same amount of space on the "Global" or N: drive and on your departmental or O: drive. This does not mean you have 350 MB of disk space allocated. It means that you have a total of 350 MB of disk space that you can use to store your files on I:, N: and O:. You may store some of your files on I: and O:. You may store all of your files on I:, or all on O:. You may store your files on the N:\ drive. The only exception to this rule is that if you store files on the N:\TEMP sub-directory, those files will not count against your quota. However, those files on N:\TEMP are not backed up and are regularly deleted from the network.
• If you have exceeded your disk quota on either the I:, N:, or O: drives (except N:\TEMP), you will see a message

Realizing that special needs do exist, Information Technology Services (ITS) will increase quotas for specific users, on a case-by-case basis. Procedures for requesting additional quota space are outlined below. However, additional drive space will be allocated only when the use is consistent with the Network Acceptable Use Policy.

Customers are asked to periodically review disk space utilization, and delete or off-load any unnecessary files. These may be documents that are no longer useful, or documents that are duplicated in several places.

For further information, contact your College or Department C-Tech or the ITS help desk (helpdesk@unf.edu )

IV. PROCEDURE:

Students who need additional space for project work should have their instructor contact the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk, at extension HELP, to submit the request. The purpose and duration for the increase must be stated. The Help Desk will refer the request to the appropriate systems administrator for completion.

After each semester end, a systems administrator will review all student accounts and will reinstate the default quota for all students who no longer need increased quotas, based on the instructor's original request.

Faculty and Staff who need additional space should contact the appropriate College or Division Tech, or the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk. After initial discussion to establish the specific need and availability of resources, the request will be forwarded to the appropriate systems administrator for completion.

After each semester end, a systems administrator will review all faculty and staff accounts and will reinstate the default quota for all accounts who no longer need increased quotas, based on the original discussion and request.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ):

Are disk quotas really necessary?

Use of quotas is the most effective method available for managing a limited resource; for this reason, it is an industry standard practice. It helps to prevent the total exhaustion of disk resources, which would have an adverse impact on all customers.

Can't you just add more drives to meet demand?

While the University upgrades servers on a regular basis, it is not possible to perform upgrades on a constant basis. Because these servers handle hundreds of users simultaneously, different technologies are employed from that of the average desktop computer. Performing server upgrades typically requires hours or even days of downtime, to ensure the safety and integrity of user files. Because such downtime can seriously impact University operation, it is nearly impossible to schedule such upgrades on an "as-needed" basis.