Research Data Storage Options
There are currently two main options for storing research data at Princeton:
- Data that is not intended or ready to be publicly available.
- Data that is intended to be published as a publicly available resource.
Storage options for data that is not intended or ready to be publicly available:
| Option | Access | Notes |
| Central File Server (H: Drive) - University personal storage space. | Mapped network drive. Automatically maps for Windows users logging in to Princeton domain. See FAQ to access from OS X, Linux, SSH, FTP. | |
| Central File Server (M: Drive) - Departmental file sharing | Mapped network drive. Email department administrator or SCAD/DCS for access. | Size and availability vary by department. Email department administrator or SCAD/DCS. |
| Princeton Google Drive | NetID restricted. Can share with other Google Drive users. | New undergraduate students are automatically assigned Google Apps accounts. Faculty, graduate students, and staff must request an account. All PPPL employees are assigned PPPL Google Apps accounts. |
| Sharepoint Microsoft's web based collaborative tool. | NetID restricted. Non-Princeton users may be granted access via a guest account. | Request a Sharepoint site by emailing sharepoint@princeton.edu. |
| Media Central OIT's web based repository for storing, managing, and delivering audio and video content. | Restricted to approved users. Content can be made available online on multiple platforms such as iPad, Blackboard, Youtube, and websites. | Request a Media Central account by emailing mediacentral@princeton.edu. |
| TIGRESS HPC storage Storage is provided as part of Princeton's centralized Research Computing department. | Restricted to approved users. Prospective users must submit a proposal for approval. | Restricted to approved users. Prospective users must submit a proposal for approval. /tigress is a storage system for output or data that requires more processing on another system or cluster. It’s not intended to be used as a scratch disk or as a home filesystem. |
| External Hard Drives | Consider using encryption to limit access to hard drives. Confidential or restricted data should not be stored on portable media. | Available at OIT Store, 113 Frist Campus Center |
| Portable Media (USB Drives, DVDs, etc.) | Consider using encryption to limit access to portable media. Confidential or restricted data should not be stored on portable media. | Available at OIT Store, 113 Frist Campus Center |
| Commercial Cloud Storage (Dropbox, etc.) | Varies | Princeton's guidelines on Managing electronic information discourage the use of un-endorsed cloud storage options for confidential or restricted data. |
If you need to make your data available to research collaborators, you can find more information about your options here.
Options for data that is intended to be published as a publicly available resource:
Princeton hosts a research data repository: Princeton Data Commons
Depending on your field and the type of data you’re making available, other repositories may also be good options. You can find more information about making your data available here.