Accessing Your CIRCE Data

This page describes how a user can access their data on the CIRCE environment

Mapping via Windows Network Drive

• Pros
  • Simple, native Windows Explorer interface
  • No learning curve
  • Does not require logging in. Uses your standard NetID/Forest credentials

• Cons
  • Cannot view or modify Linux file permissions

Starting VPN (off-campus users only)

IMPORTANT: When connecting from OFF-CAMPUS, you must have the USF VPN running already before attempting to connect via Windows Network Drive. See more on how to set up the VPN here: https://vpn.usf.edu

Mapping via Windows Network Drive - USF-owned machines

1. Click Start, start typing "File Explorer", and then click the "File Explorer" icon to open it
2. Right-click on "This PC" and click "Map Network Drive…”
3. Enter the settings as shown below:
   1. Select a free drive letter from the drive list
   2. Enter the following for the share you want to map to:
      1. /home: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\homes
      2. /work: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\work
      3. /work_bgfs: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\work_bgfs
      4. Check "Reconnect at sign-in" check-box
4. Click Finish

Mapping via Windows Network Drive - privately-owned machines

1. Click Start, start typing "File Explorer", and then click the "File Explorer" icon to open it
2. Right-click on "This PC" and click "Map Network Drive…”
3. Enter the settings as shown below:
   1. Select a free drive letter from the drive list
   2. Enter the following for the share you want to map to:
      1. /home: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\homes
      2. /work: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\work
      3. /work_bgfs: \\cifs.rc.usf.edu\work_bgfs
      4. Check "Reconnect at sign-in" check-box
      5. Check the "Connect using different credentials" check-box
4. Click Finish
5. In the pop-up that appears, complete the following steps:
   1. Click "More choices", then click "Use a different account"
   2. Enter "FOREST\USFNetID" in the "Username" field. For example: if your NetID is "johndoe", you will enter: FOREST\johndoe
   3. Enter your USF NetID password in the "Password" field
6. Click OK

SFTP/SCP

Several popular SCP clients are listed below. You should consult their respective documentation for usage information. You’ll need to remember the following:

• Hostname: circe.rc.usf.edu
• Port (if asked): 22
• Protocol (if asked): SFTP
• Username: Your USF NetID
• Password: Your USF NetID Password

 

Popular clients:

• WinSCP (Windows): http://winscp.net/
• Cyberduck (Mac OSX): https://cyberduck.io/?l=en
• The native file managers on Linux support SFTP/SCP by default

Pros:

• Highly Secure, Encrypted Communications
• Usable from off-campus
• Supports viewing and modifying Linux file permissions

Cons:

• Some learning curve
• Requires log in before each use

Command Line Tools

You can, of course, interact with your data from the command line via SSH. Popular SSH clients are listed below.

• PuTTY: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Pros

• Highly Secure, Encrypted Communications
• Usable from off-campus
• Supports viewing and modifying Linux file permissions
• The full power of a Linux command-line at your finger tips

Cons

• For new users, the learning curve is great
• Requires log in before each use
• Its very easy to hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.