Accessing Your Data

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

Starting VPN (off-campus users only)

IMPORTANT: When connecting from OFF-CAMPUS, you must have the USF VPN running already before connecting to the S: drive and the W: drive. See more on how to set up the VPN here: http://vpn.usf.edu

S: Drive and W: Drive

The S: drive and the W: drive are your home and work directories, respectively.
If you campus workstation does not currently have the S: or W: drives mapped, it is a simple process (and you can map to whichever drive letters you prefer):

Windows 7/8/10

1. Click Start and Right-Click on “Computer” and select “Map Network Drive…”<
2. Enter \\ustorefiles.usf.edu\homes
3. Select S: from the drive list
4. Click Next
5. Click Start and Right-Click on “Computer” and select “Map Network Drive…”
6. Enter \\ustorefiles.usf.edu\work
7. Select W: from the drive list
8. Click Next.

• 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

For more information on connecting to UStoreFiles, see this how-to: http://usfsupport.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3417

It includes information on doing so from your computer off-campus as well.

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
• 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
• FileZilla (All OSes): https://filezilla-project.org/

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/
• MobaXterm: http://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/

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 huge
• Requires log in before each use
• Its very easy to hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.