Research Project Storage

Overview

The Research Project Storage file system provides users with a collaborative space for data storage and sharing. Public, internal use, and sensitive research data can be stored in Research Project storage, and UVA Information Security provides details about data sensitivity classifications. Members in the same group have access to a shared directory created by the team lead or PI. Group membership can be defined and managed through Grouper (requires VPN connection). /project storage is mounted on the HPC cluster and runs on a new scale-out NAS file system.

If you are not a researcher, UVA ITS offers Value storage for long-term storage of large scale data. More information about ITS’s various storage options can be found on their website.

Request Research Project Storage

Research Project storage can be purchased for 70$/TB/YR through our Storage Request Form. When filling out the form, the PI can specify the size and name of the Research Project storage directory and the name of an existing or new Grouper group that can access this space. We recommend choosing a Grouper group name specific to your group or collaboration for the Research Project storage directory. This will reduce confusion in the future if you manage multiple Grouper groups and directories on other storage systems.

Once the request has been submitted, the PI will receive a notification that the /project space has been provisioned within 24 hours. Once the space becomes available, the PI can grant access to lab members by adding them to the Grouper group. Users in the Grouper group will see the directory (/project/Shared_space_name) after logging into UVA HPC.

For existing allocations, please enter your Grouper/MyGroup name in lowercase and with no spaces.
If you do not have an existing Grouper/MyGroup name for an allocation, the project PI must request one through this link.
Please note the following instructions before clicking on the link: To expedite the account creation, we recommend that you specify “This group will be used for Rivanna/Afton access” in the description section of the webform. You must add yourself as a member of the group. Otherwise, we will not be able to process this request.

Drive Mapping with Research Project Storage

Research Project storage can be drive mapped on a personal computer to enable drag-and-drop file manipulation and transfer between your PC and your value storage share. Detailed instructions for mapping network drives on Windows and Mac machines can be found on the UVa Research Computing How-To pages.

File Manipulation and Navigation with Research Project Storage

Research Project storage is based on a Linux file system similar to storage spaces on the cluster, including /home and /scratch. Users can invoke generic Linux commands to manage files and directories (mv, cp, mkdir), manage permissions (chmod, chown) and navigate the file system (cd, ls, pwd). If you or your collaborators are unfamiliar with some of these commands, we encourage you to take time to review some of the material below: