Network Drives (SMB)
The SMB/Network Drive file access service is supported by all major OSes and provides access to select OxCIN server hosted files as if they were locally stored on your machine. To minise risks, we only allow access to this service from within select FMRIB ethernet networks so you may need to connect to the FMRIB VPN to coneect, for example from WiFi and remote locations.
How you connect depends the operating system your computer uses - see the appropriate section below.
macOS
To connect to the service, choose Go > Connect to Server from the Finder menu (or type CMD-k when the Finder is the front-most application). This will open a dialogue box (Connect to Server) - enter the connection URL as below:
Each share location has an associated server URL, use these with the OS specific instructions below:
| Location | URL |
|---|---|
| Home folder | smb://smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/username |
| Scratch folder | smb://smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Scratch_username |
| Group share /vols/Data folder (/vols/Data) | smb://smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Data_mygroupfolder |
Examples:
- /vols/Data/mybigproject -> smb://smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Data_mybigproject
If you click on the + symbol at the bottom of the dialogue box then you will add this to the list of favourite servers. You can double-click on these favourites to connect.
You will now get an authentication window, click on Registered User, enter your user name in the Name: and your password in the Password: box. We don't recommend remembering the password, as this will not work correctly if multi-factor authentication is enabled on your account.
Although the macOS finder will add a 'smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk' section to the Locations area in the side bar, it will only display your home folder (if this share has been connected to). If you close all Finder windows on your Scratch or group share folder then see the next section.
Adding links to locations
Use Go > Go to Folder... and enter /Volumes. This will open a Finder view of all storage devices, local and remote, on your computer. Find the item corresponding to the share, e.g. username or Scratch_username and drag it to the Locations section of the Finder side-bar. You can now return to this folder (including when you are not currently logged in) by using the entry in this section.
Disconnecting
Once you have finished with the share, you can un-mount the server by closing all Finder windows on the share and clicking the eject icon next to the server name or individual share name in the Locations section of the Finder side-bar.
!> N.B. To avoid potential data loss or computer lockups, ALWAYS disconnect shares before disconnecting from VPN or ethernet.
Windows
You can access your files directly from the Windows file browser which can be opened by clicking on the Folder icon in the Windows 11 tool bar.
At the top of the File Explorer window is an address bar - click in this and enter:
| Location | Windows Path |
|---|---|
| Home folder | \\smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk\username |
| Scratch folder | \\smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk\Scratch_username |
| Group share folder (/vols/Data) | \\smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk\Data_mygroupfolder |
Examples:
- /vols/Data/mybigproject -> \\smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk\Data_mybigproject
The first time that you have accessed this share in this login session you will be prompted to login. Enter your username in the form username@IPA.FMRIB.OX.AC.UK.
Your login details will be cached for a period, so you can connect to additional shares without needing to re-enter your password. We do not recommend that you allow Windows to remember your password, as this will not work correctly if multi-factor authentication is enabled on your account.
To avoid having to re-type the URL every time, once connected to the share, visit the top-level folder in the File Explorer and then click on the '...' in the tool-bar and choose Pin to Quick access. A shortcut will now appear in the list of folders on the left of the File Browser window.
There is no mechanism to disconnect from the share, so just close all open files and File Browser windows viewing the share before leaving the FMRIB network/VPN.
Linux
The following description is based on the Gnome desktop environment for Linux - see your desktop environment instructions if you use KDE or other environment.
The SMB file servers can be mounted using the Gnome file manager - you need to enter a URL as below:
| Location | URL |
|---|---|
| Home folder | smb://username@smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/username |
| Scratch folder | smb://username@smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Scratch_username |
| Group share folder (/vols/Data) | smb://username@smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Data_mygroupfolder |
Examples:
- /vols/Data/mybigproject - smb://myusername@smb1.services.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/Data_mybigproject
To speed opening of this share in the future, bookmark this location. From the file browser window on the share that initially opened choose Places > Add Bookmark. This will add this share to the Places menu allowing you to open this share from that menu in the future.
Once you have finished you can disconnect the share by right-clicking on the share's icon in the My Computer window and choosing Unmount Volume.