Active Data Storage

• $100 per TB per year, billed through iLab.

• Each lab gets its own directory, accessible via the Luria cluster head node and through instruments and personal endpoints over SMB.

• Storage is generally not accessible via the public internet, so use of the MIT VPN is required for off-campus connections.

• To request access, send an email to [e-mail] and indicate your lab affiliation.

Usage Instructions

Accessing data via the Luria cluster

On Luria, you can access your lab data at /net/bmc-labX/data/lab/<share> or /net/bmc-pub14/data <share>, where <share> is your lab name (your PI's last name in lower case, e.g. sharp or jacks) . For example,

cd /net/bmc-lab2/data/lab/sharp

or

cd /net/bmc-lab5/data/kellis

Note: the above location is only an example. You should change the PATH to your own lab share.

Accessing data over SMB (MacOS)

• Click on Finder to get a new Finder window.

• Click on the Go menu on the top of the screen.

• Choose Connect to Server under the Go menu.

• Enter the the address of the share, for example: smb://bmc-lab6.mit.edu/share

You should replace "bmc-lab6" with the actual storage server name (e.g. bmc-pub14 or bmc-lab5), and replace <share> with the lab or core name that you are looking to access (e.g., jacks, histology)

• Click Connect

• Enter your MIT Kerberos username (not email) and Kerberos password. These fields are case sensitive.

  • If you put in your MIT Kerberos username and password in correctly but are still not able to log in, try appending win\ to your username and trying again. For example, change mykerberos to win\mykerberos.

• Now your network drive should be connected. Browse the drive to access your files and folders.

Accessing data over SMB (Windows 10, 11)

• Open the Windows File Explorer.

• Click "Map network drive" on the toolbar to open a dialog box.

• Choose a drive letter not being used for the network folder in the Drive drop-down list.

• In the Folder box, enter the network share path name, e.g. \\bmc-lab3.mit.edu\<share>.

  • Make sure you use backwards slashes like in the above example, not forward slashes.

Example window for mapping a network drive

You should replace "bmc-lab3 with the actual storage server name (e.g. bmc-pub14 or bmc-lab5), and replace <share> with your lab name (your PI's last name in lower case, e.g. sharp or jacks)

• Check the "Connect using different credentials" box. Click Finish.

• In the Enter Network Password dialog, enter WIN\ followed by your MIT Kerberos username (not email) and Kerberos password.

• Click OK to connect.

Example window for entering network drive credentials

Permissions

• Default permission of new folders and files: owner read/write, lab members read only and no access for others.

• Luria users: use the command chmod to change permissions. For example, use chmod -R g+w to add group write access for a folder

chmod -R g+w /net/bmc-lab2/data/lab/labX/userY/projectZ

If you are collaborating with your lab members on a folder that needs to be group writable, it is recommended that you set umasi-stsk 002 in your ~/.bashrc file so that new files/directories will be created with group writeable permission. Append the following line in your ~/.bashrc file

umask 002

Windows users: Right click your folder or file and then select properties. Go to the security tab to change permissions.

Mac users: To change permissions, access the data via the cifs protocol instead of smb, i.e., cifs://bmc-lab2.mit.edu/<share> instead of smb://bmc-lab2.mit.edu/<share>. Right click your folder or file and then select Get Info. Go to the Sharing & Permissions section to change custom access for group members.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Unable to Authenticate

• Double-check your MIT Kerberos username and password. Remember, it's your username, not your email address.

• Confirm that 1-4 hours have passed after you've been added to the appropriate Moira list that controls access to the storage target.

• Confirm whether adding the domain prefix (WIN) makes a difference:

  • For Windows: Use WIN\your_kerberos_username

  • For MacOS: Use just your Kerberos username

• Verify that you're connected to the MIT VPN if you're off-campus.

• If you've recently changed your password, make sure you're using the new one.

Incorrect Path

If you're getting "path not found" or similar errors:

1. Verify the exact server name and share path. Common mistakes include:

   • Using forward slashes (/) instead of backslashes (\) on Windows

   • Mistyping the server name (e.g., "bmc-lab3" instead of "bmc-lab2")

   • Using the wrong share name (remember, it's usually your PI's last name in lowercase)

2. Check that you're using the correct protocol:

   • Windows: \\server_name\share_name

   • MacOS: smb://server_name/share_name

3. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access the path. You may need to contact your lab administrator or [e-mail] for access.

Slow or Intermittent Connection

• Check your network connection. Run a speed test to ensure you have adequate bandwidth.

• If you're off-campus, verify that your connection and VPN connection are stable.

• Try connecting at a different time. High network traffic during peak hours (10AM to 4PM) can affect performance.

• After checking the above, try completely disconnecting your active connections. This means fully disconnecting any mounted network locations, and closing any files or terminal sessions that are accessing said storage target.

• If you are still experiencing issues, we recommend trying the open-source SMB client browser Cyberduck, with these instructions. If using the Cyberduck client resolves your issue(s), then the issue lies with your client sessions, not the server.

Other Issues

If you continue to experience problems after trying these solutions, please contact [e-mail] for further assistance. Be sure to include:

• The exact error message you're seeing.

• The steps you've already taken to troubleshoot.

• Your operating system and version.

• The server and share name you're trying to access.

• If you are aware of other users in your lab or group that are experiencing the same issue, and if so, for how long.