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Sharing within the University

This page covers common ways to share research data with colleagues inside the University, including collaborative cloud platforms, University-managed storage, and specialist research services.

Choose the right sharing option

For most internal University sharing, the main options are:

  • Microsoft Teams for active collaboration in a defined group
  • OneDrive for individual storage and ad hoc file sharing
  • Research File System (RFS) for in-progress research data accessible from University networks
  • OxCIN managed shared storage for local research projects
  • BMRC project storage if your work is based on the BMRC cluster

The best choice depends on the data type, sensitivity, required capacity, and whether the data needs to be available on shared compute platforms.

Sharing options

All University researchers with a Nexus account have a 100 GB OneDrive allocation. It can be accessed through a web browser or synchronised to a local computer.

Use OneDrive when:

  • you need straightforward file sharing with University colleagues
  • the data volume is modest
  • you want simple web and desktop access

Points to keep in mind:

  • OneDrive keeps version history, with rollback options for recent changes
  • cloud-only files may not be available offline unless you keep them on the device
  • cloud-only files are not protected by local machine backup tools
  • files are deleted 60 days after the associated SSO account expires, so important data must be moved before someone leaves the University.
  • Microsoft do not provide a backups. You only have the version history

Guidance:

Teams is useful for group-based sharing and collaboration. Each Team has a 1TB shared storage allocation and supports document recovery through Microsoft 365 versioning and recycle-bin features. Largest file upload size is 250 GB

Use Teams when:

  • several named collaborators need access to the same files
  • you want shared editing and integrated communication tools
  • the project fits naturally into a Team-based working model

Be aware that:

  • any Team member may accidentally alter or delete shared files
  • synchronised desktops can expose shared files to problems on a local machine
  • if all Team members leave the University, the Team data will eventually be deleted

For damaged or deleted files, recovery is usually handled through version history, SharePoint, or the Team recycle bin.

The University Research File System is intended for in-progress research data that needs to be reachable from across University networks.

At present, RFS should not be used for confidential personal data such as human MRI data unless the service approval position changes.

To provide greater data protection for sensitive data encrypt using gocryptfs

RFS may be accessed via SMB across the University network or through VPN from outside the University. There is also web access through the RFS File Management portal described in the RFS welcome information.

From an OxCIN OOD Remote Desktop, the built-in file manager can connect to RFS using:

  • type: Windows Share
  • server: connect.ox.ac.uk
  • user name: your_sso
  • domain name: ad.oak.ox.ac.uk
  • password: your SSO password
  • suggested bookmark name: rfs-smb

It may also be possible to access RFS from the command line using rclone on OxCIN systems that already have it installed.

Further information:

Users of the BMRC compute cluster have two storage options available: a high-performance live research file system attached to the BMRC cluster, and a read-only archive platform.

Live research storage uses a high-performance DDN GPFS platform. It supports multi-GB per second concurrent access across the cluster, but it does not provide backups. You should think of it as similar in purpose to OxCIN scratch storage, although it is more resilient to hardware failure than OxCIN scratch.

Storage is allocated on a per-project basis. The project lead or grant holder should contact the BMRC team to request creation of a project folder and the required access-control groups.

Backup options and practical guidance:

  • Raw MRI or MEG data collected on an OxCIN scanner should normally already be curated through OxCIN and XNAT, so it may not need extra protection
  • if third-party input data can be obtained again later, it may not need separate backup
  • processing scripts should be kept under version control in a central service such as GitLab
  • meaningful derived data should usually also be protected in BMRC archive, OxCIN hosted storage, or another suitable service
  • transfers out of BMRC can be done with tools such as scp, rsync, or Globus

BMRC also offers a charged archive facility. This is a lower-performance, single-copy, same-site storage area presented as read-only on the main servers. It provides protection against accidental deletion or modification, but it is not a disaster-recovery service.

Contact bmrc-help@medsci.ox.ac.uk for project storage setup, archive requests, and current pricing.

DigiSafe is a University-operated digital preservation service intended for archiving research data rather than day-to-day active collaboration.

It is designed for warm and cold data, meaning data that is only accessed occasionally or is being retained for compliance, preservation, or long-term record-keeping reasons.

Use DigiSafe when:

  • you need longer-term archival storage
  • the data does not need to stay in an active high-performance workspace
  • you want multiple off-site copies managed as part of a preservation service

Points to keep in mind:

  • DigiSafe is a charged service
  • storage is managed at Department or Centre level rather than as an ad hoc personal space
  • it is better suited to archiving and retention than active project working files

Further information:

  • DigiSafe guidance
  • contact computing-help@oxcin.ox.ac.uk if you want to discuss using DigiSafe for OxCIN research data

Internal sharing does not always need a central University cloud service. Depending on the project, OxCIN-managed storage may be a better fit when you need shared project storage, local backup regimes, or closer integration with OxCIN compute workflows.

Related pages:

See also