In view of the following issues, storing of data or applications on the C:\ drive of Aquinas equipment without the approval of ITS, is outside the scope of Aquinas operations.

Licensing/copyright issues:
To assure that Aquinas is in compliance with licensing/copyright codes, any applications stored on the C:\ drive need to be approved by ITS.

Backup issues:
The Network Drives -- i.e., your personal drive (F:\), your department drive (G:\), or the common drive (H:\), are backed up nightly by ITS.  ITS DOES NOT backup your C:\drive. When ITS needs to reformat your C:\ drive or if your hard drive should become defective, your C:\ data would be lost.

Security issues:
Your private password makes your network connection secure.  Without your password, others cannot access your F:\ drive, only department members can access their G:\ drive, and only those who are staff and faculty can access the H:\ drive.  ANYONE could access the C:\ drive of a machine, therefore the data stored there is NOT secure.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at extension 2050 if your have any questions regarding this or to request approval for the C:\ storage of any applications.

If instructors have data files prepared which they would like their students to use, it may be stored on the network. Students will be able to access the data (copy, type, and print) throughout the semester.

Unless previously notified, Information Technology & Services will purge all data files at the end of each semester.

Contact the Technology Help Desk at extension 2050 or at email techhelp@aquinas.edu for initial setup and instructions on usage.

Effective May 1, 2002

Purpose:
The Employee H: drive is a network storage location designed to allow file sharing to all Aquinas staff and faculty.  It serves the Aquinas Community in two capacities:

1. Short-term storage of collaborative files - files that need to be edited by multiple departments.
2. Long-term storage of vital College documents - files that need to be viewed by all staff and faculty such as forms, policies, and other critical College data.

This policy will provide a means for maintaining the data stored on the H: drive, in order to ensure that data remains current and that network resources are being utilized efficiently.

Policy:
Long-term H: drive folders will be assigned by ITS to any departments/individuals requesting one. All H-Drive folders will have an identified owner(s) who will be responsible for maintaining files within the folder.  Maintenance tasks include editing, adding, and deleting files from the folder.  Files in these folders will be available to all staff and faculty for viewing only (not editing), unless otherwise requested by the owner(s).

Short-term monthly H: drive folders will be created by ITS in which individuals may place files for collaboration with other departments.  Files in these folders will be able to be edited by all staff and faculty.  There will be three monthly folders available at all times - the previous month, the current month, and the following month.  On the first business day of each month, ITS will close the previous month's folder so that no one may add new files to it.  Staff and faculty will then be able to add files to the current month's and following month's folders.  Monthly folders, along with their contents, will be deleted from the H drive after they have been stored for two calendar months.  Below is an example of this policy:

On June 1 of any given year, the data in the April folder will be purged from the H: drive.  The files in the May folder will be viewable, but may not be edited.  Network users will be able to add or edit files within the June and July folders.

Therefore, any file placed into a month's folder will be stored for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months.  

ITS will develop effective measurables for all network drive storage (F:, G:, & H: drives).  Regular reviews will identify whether changes are having the intended impact of reducing unnecessary data storage on the network.

New employee orientation, by both ITS trainers and the employee's supervisor, should include a thorough review of network storage policies of the F:, G:, and H: drives.

Regular clean-up of network drives (F:, G:, & H: drives) will be required at regular intervals for all Aquinas staff and faculty.

This clean-up policy is a work in progress and may be adjusted as we implement the program.

Checking your F:\ or G:\ drive space

1. Click Start, Programs, Novell Utilities.
2. Select either Check Your F-Drive Space or Check Your G-Drive Space.
3. Click the X in the upper right corner to close this screen.

Full F: Drive

Each user on the Aquinas network has a specific amount of disk space allotted to him/her for network file storage.  The personal drive is called the F:\ drive (see Network Drives for more information).  This drive is not strictly for personal data storage.  It is also used by the network to store configuration and program files that allow users to utilize network resources.  For students, most of these files are located in folders that end with ".aq."  They also include Windows NT 5.0 Workstation profile folder and any files and subfolders found within there.  For staff and faculty, most of these files are located in the user settings folder.

When programs are run on the network by users, temporary files are often created in these folders to assist in program functions.  They are later removed when they are no longer needed.   If someone's F:\ drive becomes too full of personal data and has reached its maximum limit, programs will not be able to function properly because there is no longer space for these temporary files to be created.  

When this occurs, a user will receive multiple messages stating that files cannot be written to certain directories because the F:\ drive is "Out of disk space."  Below are some steps you can take to prevent and resolve this problem.

Instructions

PREVENTION
(Following these steps will help to reduce the amount of data stored on your F drive and reduce the chance of your F drive filling up.)

• Do not attempt to install software on your F:\ drive.  Setup programs and other software-related files are often quite large.
• Do not save data that you do not need.  Do not keep old data (such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.) that are no longer needed.
• If you have a shared departmental drive (G: drive), use it to store departmental files to relieve the strain on your own personal drive. 

CLEANING UP
(These are steps you can take once your F drive has been filled.  Following these steps can help bring your disk space back under control.)

• Using Windows Explorer or My Computer, access your F drive and remove any data files (old documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.) that are no longer necessary.  For students, staff and faulty user settings, do NOT delete any folder that ends in ".aq" or any files within these folders.
• If possible, transfer documents from your F drive to your shared departmental G drive.
• If possible, transfer files that are rarely used to a CD.  This is highly recommended for graphic files such as *.jpg, *.gif, and *.bmp.

If, after you have performed all of the steps mentioned above, you still have an insufficient amount of free disk space on your F drive, you may request an increase in your allotted disk space from ITS.  This is accomplished by filling out an Increase Network Drive Space form.  Print the form, complete it, have it signed by your department supervisor/chair, and return it to ITS via inter-campus mail. 

When to Use a Diskette, CD-R, CD-RW, or USB Portable Storage Device

As you can see, which storage option you use depends on your needs.

Diskettes

Diskettes are a form of magnetic storage that are very familiar and have been commonly used. The 3½" high density diskettes have a capacity of 1.44 mb of data. As the 3½" diskettes became more widely used, the 5¼" drives became obsolete. Diskettes often become damaged and/or the data becomes corrupt.

Diskettes are relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and moderately dependable. However, as presentations, photos, and even data files become larger and larger, the diskette has become obsolete. Computer manufactures are responding to this trend by phasing out the 3½" floppy drive. Aquinas will begin its elimination of the 3½" floppy drive during the summer of 2005.

Storage media such as the CD-R, CD-RW, and USB drives are now available that have a capacity of many times the amount of a diskette.

CD-R and CD-RWs

CDs are optical storage devices that have become very popular because of their portability and storage capacity. It is important to know that neither a CD-R nor CD-RW should be left in direct sunlight. In as little as two hours all files can be completely erased.

A CD marker is the most economical option for labeling CDs. Paper labels are fine, but if not applied properly, they can unbalance or delaminate the CD, and, occasionally damage the CD Reader. Markers containing alcohol, such as permanent markers or ball-point pens, should not be used.

CDs can be stored short-term in vinyl or paper sleeves, however, for long-term storage, Jewel cases are recommended. You can tell if a CD has anything burned on it because the backside of a used CD is no longer as reflective. The CD-RWs are generally distinguishable from CD-Rs by their metallic grey color.

Although many older CD-ROM drives can't read CD-RW, for the past few years the new drives manufactured are all CD-RW.

USB Portable Storage Device

The USB device/drive is solid-state memory, with no moving parts. The USB (Universal Serial Bus) portable drive will plug into any computer with a USB port. It is compatible with Windows® Me, 2000, and XP, Linux kernel version 2.4, and all Mac® OS programs, however, the device may come with drivers for Windows 98.

The USB port can be located either in the back or on the front of your computer. The USB port is about ½" wide and about ¼" high. This is the same type of port that is used for many digital cameras. Most computers, especially the newer ones, have several USB ports on them.

Physical Size

There are both micro and mini USB drives -- the micro drives are about the size of a thumbnail and the mini drives are about 2½" long, about 1" wide, and weigh about .02 lbs. Many can be carried on a key chain and some are even included in pens or watches.

Capacity

USB drives come in several different capacities, ranging from 16MB to 2 GB (and continually getting larger). The prices differ according to capacity - currently ranging from about $18 for 32 MB to $290 for 1 GB. Several large presentations, high resolution digital photos, and/or music can be stored on one USB drive. See the above chart for a capacity comparison between USB drives and diskettes.

Speed

The USB drives come in USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 write speeds. The USB 1.1 writes at 12 megabits per second and the newer USB 2.0 writes at 480 megabits per second (40 times faster that the USB 1.1). With a USB 1.1 drive it would take about 8.5 minutes to transfer 512MB and with a USB 2.0 drive it would take about 70 seconds to transfer the same file. The USB 2.0 is backward-compatible to 1.1, so either will work on a machine with a USB port - the difference being speed.

How to use a USB Drive

It's easy! Just plug it into the USB port on your computer. The USB drive will automatically appear as an external drive in your directory listing. Files can be saved, edited, and accessed in the same way you do for a diskette.

• When you plug the USB drive in, a small icon will appear in the Task Bar in the lower right corner of your screen.
  
  
  
• When you place your mouse pointer over the icon, the screen tip will say "Unplug or Eject Hardware."
  
  
  
• It's important to remember that before you remove the USB drive, click on this icon and choose Stop USB Mass Storage Device. Then it is safe to remove it.