Research Data Storage - Mapping an SMB Network Share
Introduction
This article outlines the procedure for mapping an SMB network share to your device. Permissions to the Research Data Storage are restricted, so access to the share first requires a service request be submitted here.
Applicability
This article is intended for use by all authorized users of the Research Data Storage server.
Procedures
Important: If you are working from off-campus or not plugged into the university network, you may need to connect to the University VPN. Some areas of the University are not fully managed by IST and still require you to use the VPN to properly access. Please follow these instructions if you do not have the appropriate VPN client installed.
Connecting in Windows
Connecting in MacOS
Connecting in Linux (GUI)
Connecting via CLI / Terminal (Linux & MacOS)
Connecting in Windows
1. Open up File Explorer
2. Right click on Network and then select Map network drive...
3. Fill in the Map Network Drive
-
Choose the drive letter that you would like associated with your share (ex. R: drive)
- Ensure that you don't map a drive letter that is used regularly on your computer
- In the Folder field, type the address for RDSS - \\smb.research-filer.ualberta.ca\data
- Check the box next to Connect using different credentials
-
Optional: Check the box next to Reconnect at sign-in
- Selecting Reconnect at sign-in will attempt to reconnect the drive every time you boot the device, which may cause problems on devices that are not always plugged into the University network (i.e. laptops that are regularly taken home)
- If your device needs to use the VPN to access, it is better to de-select the reconnect option
- Select the Finish button
4. Sign in with your CCID credentials
- For Username, use your CCID in this format: AD\CCID (use your CCID here)
- For Password, use your CCID password
-
Optional: check the box next to Remember my credentials
- This will make Windows remember the username and password used to connect to the share. It is better to de-select unless you are the only user using this computer
- Select OK
Connecting in MacOS
1. Open up Finder application
2. While in your Finder application, click Go in the top menu bar and select Connect to Server...
3. Input the address for your server
-
In the Server Address field, type the address of the RDSS server with "smb://" at the front before the full address - smb://smb.research-filer.ualberta.ca/data
- Note: The slash direction in MacOS is different from Windows, and matters - ensure that your slashes for network paths are all in the "/" direction
- Click Connect
- In the window that pops up, click Connect
4. Log in with CCID
- Select Registered User
-
For Name, use your CCID in the AD format (AD\yourccid)
- Note: The slash direction matters here, and usernames use a different slash from network path - make sure you use AD\yourccid with a "\" direction slash
- For Password, use your CCID password (the same password you use to access your UofA Gmail account)
- Optional: Check "Remember this password in my keychain" if you would like the computer to remember your credentials
5. You should now be connected to the Research Data Storage drive on your mac, which will now appear as a location in the Finder sidebar
Connecting in Linux (GUI)
Each distro of Linux may have a slightly different way to connect and map your network drive via Graphical User Interface. You may need to modify these instructions slightly based on your distro or version of Linux. It has been tested and working on the following distros:
1. Open up your chosen File Explorer application
2. In the top bar where your current working directory is found, click and type out your server address with your drive name:
smb://smb.research-filer.ualberta.ca/data
Note: The slash direction in Linux is different from Windows, and matters - ensure that your slashes for network paths are all in the "/" direction
3. Add your CCID credentials in the popup menu
Select "Registered User". You will need to include the following credentials:
- Username: your CCID
- Domain: use "AD" as the domain, as shown in the below picture
- Password: your password for your CCID
4. You should now see the network location in your file explorer
Connecting via CLI / Terminal (Linux & MacOS)
Note: You may need to install the cifs tool, if it isn't included with your distro already
1. Open up your preferred CLI / Terminal software
2. Run the following commands with the following info inserted
sudo mkdir /mnt/RDSS
sudo mount -t cifs -o username=yourUsername,domain=AD //smb.research-filer.ualberta.ca/data /mnt/RDSS
3. After running the command, you may be prompted for your root password first, then for your CCID password
4. You should now have a mapped folder in your /mnt/ directory which will reflect your network drive
Note: By default, this command will not allow the mapping to persist between restarts