Storage Services
What kind of storage do I need for my research data?
Deciding on which data storage system and which data format to use will depend primarily on your project’s requirements and the resources that you have available. We generally advise you not to rely on local devices, external storage media or commercial cloud services (cf. Information on storage and backup strategies). Faculty and graduate students at the University of Bonn have access to a range of data storage services provided by University IT. As a rule, we recommend that you use the cloud storage service Sciebo. But if Sciebo does not meet your requirements (possibly because you need to store extremely large volumes of data, or because of data access arrangements), you may need to use the high-performance network storage system FDI Research Data Infrastructure. This is supplemented by the availability of virtual machines and an option for transferring very large files. Research staff at the Faculty of Medicine also have access to the storage services at the University Hospital Bonn.
The cloud storage service Sciebo
Sciebo is a free cloud storage service that is operated on behalf of a consortium of universities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Sciebo is a file sync and share service that allows data to be synchronized smoothly between devices and, when necessary, enables people to share files and folders and to work collaboratively on documents. The functionality is thus comparable to that from commercially available services, but has the advantage that your data is protected from commercial interests and is stored on media within NRW under a secure legal framework and with secure access protocols. You can be use a Sciebo project box for research data that offers up to 2 TB of storage. Please do not use the your personal storage for research data, because data loss is possible when your Uni-ID expires. Access authorization rights can be managed simply using Sciebo’s Groups functionality. You can invite external partners to join your project via the Guest function. Specific files or folders can also be shared by sending the recipient a direct link. You'll find more information on the HRZ documentation pages.
The Research Data Infrastructure FDI
If Sciebo is not able to meet your storage needs, University IT offers access to its Research Data Infrastructure FDI – a high-performance data storage system that can be accessed via a number of different interfaces. For example, the FDI storage system can be integrated into your operating system (Windows, Mac or Linux) as a network drive. It can also be connected to your own servers, to virtual machines (see below) or to the electronic lab book RSpace. University of Bonn employees typically have a personal storage capacity of up to 100 GB. In addition, research projects and other organizational units or institutions at the university have access to the group storage option, which offers up to 50 TB of shared storage space. Group storage is made available to time-limited research projects free of charge. Organizational units or institutions at the university can apply for time-unlimited group storage space if they contribute toward costs. More detailed information on how to apply and on technical integration is available on Confluence.
Virtual machines via uniVM
If you are interested in setting up your own server, you can make use of the uniVM service provided by University IT. Windows and Linux servers (CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian) are available. The server performance parameters can be adjusted as required. The monthly charges for the uniVM service depend on the configuration selected. €1.20/CPU, €0.48/GB RAM, €0.04/GB SSD and, if applicable, a €2.52 license fee for Windows. For example, a Linux server with 4 processors, 16 GB of RAM and 100 GB of storage would cost about €200 per year.
File transfer using Gigamove
If you need to share large volumes of data with other users, you do not need to make use of commercially available services. Members of the University of Bonn can use the free web-based file sharing service Gigamove 2.0 from RWTH Aachen University. This service allows you to share files of up to 100 GB and includes a virus scan option and, if required, password protection.
For smaller files, you can make use of the direct link function provided in Sciebo (see above).
Storage options at the University Hospital Bonn
Members of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Hospital Bonn can also make use of the storage services available at the Bonn Technology Campus. If you need to store very large quantities of data, the University Hospital Bonn has its own storage cluster. There is also a cloud storage service called BTC Cloud, which offers up to 128 GB of storage per user account. Registration for these services, which are part of the BTC Core Facilities, is via the university’s intranet. Questions can be addressed to Dr. Emar Endl.
Advisory services
Are you unsure which storage system is the right one for your project? Do you have storage requirements that are not covered by the options currently offered? Or do you have any other questions about the services described here? Please send any questions or issues you may have to [Email protection active, please enable JavaScript.]
