School of the Biological Sciences Guide to IT and Computing

Options for file storage

• You probably have access to file storage space via your group or department: consult your group or departmental IT staff.
• There are also now many commercial solutions like DropBox
• If you are working on a Windows PC or Mac a convenient way to share filespace is to use Samba as described below. If you have a group account you can use this as a communal storage space.
• Linux/UNIX users can also use NFS to share space.
• See also the pages about file transfer, backup and remote access

Using Samba

• You can share your home directory (folder) with your PC or Macintosh using Samba ie the SMB protocol.
• In this example we use a server called mole.bio.cam.ac.uk but you should get the name or address from your IT support provider.
• Windows XP: Right click on "My Network Places" or "My Computer" and choose "Map Network Drive". In the dialogue box put
  \\mole.bio.cam.ac.uk\crsid
  where crsid is your crsid e.g. abc123. Click finish. Then in the dialogue boxes that appear put your crsid and new Samba password. After a short delay your home directory should appear as a new networked disk icon which you can then click on to open. See the picture below.
• An alternative in Windows is is to right click on the desktop, and then select New > Shortcut. You then enter
  \\mole.bio.cam.ac.uk\crsid in the box.
  This makes a new icon on your desktop. After you have created the icon on the desktop, you can right click on it and 'Map Network Drive' if you wish. This method has the advantage of having an icon on the desktop and an icon in My Computer, so that wherever you are, you can get to your files quickly.
• Windows Vista: By default the security policy will not allow access to the Samba we have so you have to change this. Via the Start Menu and Run run "secpol.msc". In "Local Policies" choose "Security Options". Find "Network Security: LAN MAnager authentication level". Change the policy to "LM and NTLM - use NTLMV2 session security if negotiated".
• Windows 7:By default the security policy will not allow access to the Samba we have so you have to change this. Via the Start Menu and Run run "secpol.msc". In "Local Policies" choose "Security Options". Find "Network security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP based (including secure RPC) clients" and "Network security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP based (including secure RPC) servers" untick in both cases "Require 128-bit encryption".
  In addition 2 registry dword keys have to be edited: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Para meters]
  "DomainCompatibilityMode" set to 1
  "DNSNameResolutionRequired" set to 0
• MacOSX: In the Go menu choose "Connect to server". In the address box you then type
  smb://mole.bio.cam.ac.uk/crsid
  where crsid is your crsid e.g. abc123. The finder will ask you for your username and password. You enter your crsid and Samba password. Then your directory will be mounted as a shared volume on your Mac.