More information regarding the new features within our new data storage model.
We have now completed the bulk of data migration from H: (Home) and shared drives to our new EMC data storage system. Instead of nine separate servers for H: and shared drive storage, we now have one system – making the data much easier to manage. This seems like a good time to share the other benefits with you.
Increase to H: Drives
We have doubled the size of standard staff H: drives to 4GB.
File Back Ups and Restores
We now take backups of your files nightly, weekly and monthly, and we keep them for longer. Backups are retained for up to 18 months. The Service Desk staff can assist you with recovery of deleted files up to this age limit. A full description of the backup policy is in the Service Catalogue.
Automatic Compression
Don’t panic if you have noticed that some of your filenames on network drives are now blue. This simply means that the files have been compressed to reduce the amount of storage space they consume. This does not affect the content of the files which remains unchanged. Typically, this compression reduces a file’s footprint by 10-15%, which mounts up to a huge saving.
Maximising Speed of Access
The new system prioritises access to more recently accessed files. Currently, files over one year old are stored in a separate area. This is a management feature and has no impact on your access to or usage of files, other than it might take a fraction longer to retrieve. Once you have accessed your file, it is automatically moved back to the recently accessed area.
You will know that you haven’t accessed a file in over a year as it appears with a grey cross on the file icon. eg.
This is a useful feature you can use to revisit old files and decide whether you need them or can delete them. As we learn more about usage patterns, we may be able to reduce this figure to six months to create further efficiencies on storage.
New data structure
We have also re-organised the migrated data into a more logical structure, meaning that all data on the new system can be accessed from one starting point: \uoaglobal.
In Windows you will see:
You can navigate through the structure to folders and files you have permissions to access. This is additional to your mapped drives.
For more information on the Data Storage Project, see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/dit/rm/projects/datastorage-refresh.php