AFS FAQs

How much personal AFS space do I have?
What size files can I upload to my AFS space?
How can I access AFS?
What is my personal AFS root structure?
What is an AFS Instructor Volume?
What is my AFS Instructor Volume root structure?
How do my students access my AFS Instructor Volume?
How do I resolve an “access denied” error when attempting to access my personal AFS space?
How do I name files properly for use in AFS?
How can I recover files deleted from my personal AFS space?  

How much personal AFS (Andrew File System) space do I have?

  • ASURITE users have 200 MB of space by default. In Fall 2008, this limit will increase to 4GB
  • To check your AFS (also referred to as Open AFS) quota usage, go to ASU Interactive, click AFS Quota Check under the Computing Services section

What size files can I upload to my AFS space?

  • The AFS web Client has an upload limit of 100 MB
  • The Windows and Macintosh AFS Client as well as SSH software does not have an upload limit

How can I access AFS?

AFS can be accessed from a web browser at http://asu.edu/afsmanager (Secure FTP or Secure Shell Client):

  • Enter your ASURITE UserID and Password

AFS can be accessed through SSH software. SFTP connection settings are:

  • Host name: general.asu.edu
  • Port number: 22 (default)
  • User name: Your ASURITE ID
  • Password: Your ASURITE password

AFS can be accessed through My Apps. Enter "AFS" in the search field:

What is my personal AFS root structure?

  • All AFS users have the same basic root structure: \afs\asu.edu\users\
  • After this root structure the first 3 letters of your ASURITE UserID must be entered with a backslash between each letter
  • If your ASURITE UserID is johnd the directory would look like: \afs\asu.edu\users\j\o\h\
  • Then you must enter your full ASURITE UserID.
  • If your ASURITE UserID is johnd the directory would look like: \afs\asu.edu\users\j\o\h\ johnd

What is an AFS Instructor Volume?

An Instructor Volume (IV) is network disk space, provided by University Technology Office, where:

  • An instructor can store assignments and programs for students to access
  • Students can attach their network session to an Instructor Volume and copy or read the data files or run programs
  • NOTE: Instructor Volumes are not backed up by the University Technology Office (UTO). Remember to back up your Instructor Volume regularly!

What is my AFS Instructor Volume root structure?

  • All Instructor Volumes have the same basic root structure: \afs\asu.edu\class\
  • After this root structure the first 3 letters of your Class Name must be entered with a backslash between each letter.
  • If your Class Name is AOC102 the directory would look like: \afs\asu.edu\class\a\o\c\
  • Then you must enter your full Class Name.
  • If your Class Name is AOC102 the directory would look like: \afs\asu.edu\class\a\o\c\ aoc102

How do my students access my AFS Instructor Volume?

Students have read only access to Instructor Volumes. Students can access the Instructor Volume
multiple ways:

  • Instructors Volume wiki page under the heading “Accessing an Instructor Volume from a PC in the Classrooms or Computing Sites”
  • Following the directions listed above using SSH
  • NOTE: If you have questions or need write access to a Network Instructor Volume for your students, send an email note to Classroom Support Services.

How do I resolve an “access denied” error when attempting to access my personal AFS space?

Please double check the AFS path you are mounting to and that your quota is not full. Completely close and restart the program that you are using to access AFS to ensure that the program is not causing the problem. The AFS Client will allow you to mount a drive to a non-existent path but will give you an Access Denied error message when attempting to use it. If you are using an AFS Client, try restarting your computer as well. If the AFS path is correct, you can try running a script that will fix your AFS permissions for your
Personal Web Space.

How do I name files properly for use in AFS?

  • Unix file names are case sensitive. Using lowercase letters is preferred
  • Characters you should not use in filenames:
  • | : ; , ! ? * @ # $ ( ) < > / \ " ' ` ~ { } [ ] = + & ^ <space> <tab>
  • Character to make names easier to read: _ (underscore) or - (hyphen)

How can I recover files deleted from my personal AFS space? 

A nightly backup of your personal AFS is located in it's "Backup" folder. The folders and files within the "Backup" folder cannot be deleted or moved, and do not count against your quota usage.To recover files deleted that day, copy the files from your "Backup" folder to your personal folder.

To recover files deleted more than one day ago, use AFS Restore at https://afsrestore.asu.edu/.

If you accidentally deleted your Personal Web Space's WWW folder from your AFS space, contact the HelpDesk and they can recreate your WWW folder. Then use AFS Restore to reclaim the rest of your files.

Related Topic

Instructor Volumes at http://help.asu.edu/node/211

Updated: 8/8/08 Topic: