AFS FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - TB2503

Overview

AFS, the central MSU network file storage system, is an acronym for "Andrew File System". The Andrew File System was developed at Carnegie Mellon University starting in 1984. The idea was to provide a campus-wide file system for home directories which would run effectively using a limited bandwidth campus backbone network. AFS has been in use at Michigan State University since 1992.

How much AFS space do I get, and how can I get more AFS space?

The allocation of AFS space depends upon your affiliation with MSU. As of August 24, 2009, each current MSU student, faculty, and staff member will receive 1 gigabyte of AFS space. Registered Student Organizations, departmental units and Visiting Scholars will also be provided 1 gigabyte of AFS space.

Additional AFS space for affiliated users and departments can only be purchased through a departmental account. MSU departments can purchase additional AFS space with an MSU departmental account number (automatically billed each month) by filling out the ATS MSU NetID Services Request Form (Adobe Acrobat or Apple Preview required). If you are a faculty or staff member and need additional space for official university business, you should request that your department pay for the space with departmental funds. Additional AFS cannot otherwise be purchased for personal accounts (including student accounts).

Additional course AFS space can be added at no charge by request.

For more info, refer to AFS: The MSU Network File Storage System (click "Additional Space"), Course AFS FAQ (click "How much AFS space is allocated to a course?"), or the afs.msu.edu Help page.

How do I access my personal AFS space?

Logging into the AFS webpage allows you to check your quota and configure permissions to your AFS space. This website, however, can't be used to access files within your AFS space. We provide and recommend netfiles.msu.edu for file upload, download, and other file management.

Other ways of access include mounting AFS space on your desktop (on-campus), while users off-campus might prefer using an FTP client to connect to their AFS space. Refer to the article "Accessing your AFS Space" for more information.

How do I access AFS space for the course I'm teaching?

Instructors who wish to use course AFS space must have permission to access the AFS classlist for that course; that permission is granted by the department chair. After obtaining permission, instructors can access their course AFS space in several ways. Refer to the Course AFS FAQ for more information.

I placed files in the web folder; why can't I see my web page?

The most common reason for this is a misplaced index.htm file. Often users intend to place the file in the web directory, but instead, save it to the main directory.

Another common error is to mis-name the file for the default page.

For more information on creating and posting webpages, see the following articles:

• Webpage Creation Basics
• Managing Personal Pages

Can I use CGI/perl/php/web counters/Frontpage extensions for my web page?

AFS does not support server-side scripting (which those technologies usually requires). Limited client-side scripting may be used, though we cannot provide direct support for this.

Can I edit a document directly from my AFS space?

Documents can be edited directly from AFS storage using a number of methods. Some of the most common methods are are mounting AFS as a network drive on your computer system or from a mounted drive in a campus Computer Classroom.

When editing a large document (i.e. a large Photoshop file) from a Campus Computer Lab, some customers have reported more reliable performance if they copy the file to the local hard drive while making edits and then copying it back to AFS when finished.

Can I recover a file I just deleted?

Yes, if you act soon enough. An automatic backup occurs each night, preserving the contents of your AFS space as of the previous day.

You can recover yesterday's version of a file from the "AFSnapshot" directory.

Can I control who can access a page or directory?

AFS has facilities that allow users to customize access to allow greater or less access to a particular directory. See the article Managing Personal Pages

How much of my AFS space am I using now?

To check your current AFS quota, log into http://afs.msu.edu/ and click the Quota link on the top-right portion of the screen. You should see something similar to this:

You have used 8,769K of 102,400K (9%) of your AFS space.

The AFS quota tells what percentage of your space is available of your total amount of allocated AFS space. A large percentage indicates your space may be too full, and needs to have documents deleted from it before more can be added.

My quota says I'm using '0k of 0k (0%)'; what do I do now?

Some of our users report their quota shows 0k of 0k (0%) when they log into AFS. To remedy this, simply go to https://netid.msu.edu/activate.html and re-activate your MSU NetID. If you still have difficulties after re-activating your account, contact the ATS Help Desk for further assistance.

Other popular information sources at MSU

• Admissions FAQ (Admissions can also be reached via email at admis@msu.edu)
• Office of the Registrar FAQ (The Registrar's office can also be reached via email at reg@msu.edu)
• Academic Computing and Network Services Help Desk FAQ
• Other frequently asked questions at MSU (Print Services, MSUnet Wireless, etc)