Request Project Drive space

Background

TU Delft offers several options for researchers to store their data. One of the most commonly recommended options is the Project Drive (Project Data, U:) for its large storage capacity and secure backups from the University.

What this documentation will help achieve

This documentation will walk through the steps needed to request Project Drive storage from TU Delft ICT. This storage can then be accessed directly through webdata.tudelft.nl (uses WebDAV protocol), through a client like WebDrive on your local machine (click on the link and then the WebDrive heading to download and install this software for your operating system), or mounted to a TU Delft Virtual Private Server following the instructions here.

Prerequisites

  • TU Delft netID
  • An Excel file with the netIDs of TU Delft collaborators who should have read/write access to the Project Drive storage space you are requesting (optional)

Tools/Software

  • WebDrive (optional GUI to access data on Project Drive)

Steps

  1. Request Project Drive storage via the TU Delft ICT form on TopDesk
  2. Fill and send the form according to your data storage preferences and requirements
  3. Access your data storage on Project Drive

Step 1. Request Project Drive storage via the TU Delft ICT form on TopDesk

You can make a request for data storage via the TopDesk self service portal. Navigate to this form (requires netID sign in) and see below for guidance on how to fill in each of the sections.

Step 2. Fill and send the form according to your data storage preferences and requirements

The form is divided into three sections: “Caller”, “Information about Requester and Data”, and “Data for a Research Project”.

The Caller section should contain the contact information of the main administrator of this server. If you select your name, the fields below should be auto-populated with your building, phone number, email, department/program, organizational unit, and (sometimes) room.

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In the next part you choose your preferences about data preservation. The first question asks whether you are setting up new storage on the Project Drive, or want to change existing storage. The next question is about the availability - see below for more information. The usual choice here is “Standard”.

For the next question, you need to determine if your data is critical, sensitive, or standard, using these criteria:

There are two options for backup retention: standard and high. Data are backed up by ICT on a daily basis, so the retention time refers to the period for which these backups are stored. The standard option refers to 14 days of retention while in the other one the retention period is one year. In other words, if the retention time is set to 14 days (Standard) and you delete a file, you can restore it within those two weeks. If retention time is 1 year (High), you can restore it anytime within the year. For most situations, a Standard backup retention time is suitable.

In the final section, you need to provide some information about your research project. Depending on your research needs, you should specify how much space you will need on the Project Drive to hold all your data, initially and into the planned future. It is important to know that the Project Drive storage is able to expand as your data grows, but you should make your best guess when requesting the space.

At the bottom of this section you can attach an Excel file that contains the netIDs of TU Delft affiliated employees that should have read/write access to the storage you are requesting on the Project Drive. If access to the storage is required for TU Delft external researchers, this information can be added as well. Note that it is unusual that non-TU Delft personnel are added to Project Drive storage, and if you would like to do so you should provide a company-affiliated email address for each person you want to add.