The simplest way to upload or access data in the Datashare is through the web browser. The service can only be reached via a secured website (https): https://datashare.tu-dresden.de
For login, the ZIH login is used as username and the ZIH main password as password.
To be able to use Datashare, the terms and conditions of usage must be accepted at the first login. To do so, the check the box and click on “Confirm”.
The file view is the central element of the Datashare interface. It displays all existing folders and files. By selecting a folder, the user switches to the selected folder. Above the folder list, the current file path can be seen, which facilitates orientation and enables navigation within the folder structure.
To the right of the file path there is a plus sign, which allows users to create new objects in the current folder by performing the following actions:
Upload file
Create new folder
Create new text document
Each item in the list can be shared with others.
New objects can be created in different ways. Clicking on the "+" symbol mentioned in the last section opens a drop-down menu that can be used to upload files, create folders or generate text files.
By clicking on "Upload file", the desired file can be selected via an explorer pop-up window. Furthermore, files can be selected from the desktop or file management program via drag and drop and dragged into the cloudstore window. However, this only works with files and not with folders. Folders should be created in Datashare beforehand and afterwards the files should be copied into this folder.
A more convenient option is to use the desktop app. This allows folders including subfolders to be transferred directly to the ZIH cloudstore.
In the lower left corner you can see how much of the total available space has already been used.
Another important functionality of Datashare is sharing files or folders with other people. You can share files/folders with individual TUD members or external users, but also with a group and protect them by password.
To share files, the mouse pointer must be moved to the line of the file on the web page. By clicking on the "Share" icon to the right of the file/folder name, a menu appears in which the sharing options can be set up step by step.
Sharing with TUD members:
In the first available field, you can enter the first and/or last name or the e-mail address of a TUD member with whom you want to share the file.
The person will then see the share in the browser under the "Shared" folder or under the "Shared with you" or "Shared by you" menu item in the "Shares" tab if it was created by him/her.
Setting access rights: It can be selected whether the person may edit the file himself, create a new version, delete it and in turn share it with other people. With the lowest option (trash) the sharing can be removed completely. In this way, any number of people can be given access to a file or folder.
Sharing with non-TUD members: If the target person is not a member of TU-Dresden, sharing can be done via a link ("Share link"). The link can be sent to the respective person by a mail program.
Password protection: Allows you to set an access passphrase for the file or folder in question.
Expiration date: In some cases it makes sense to set a time limit for the shared files/folders - for this purpose you can set an expiration date.
Cloudstore allows uploading files up to 30 GByte. The time limit for uploading a file is 10 hours.
However, limits are also set by the browser or operating system. For example, you cannot manage files larger than 2 GB with 32bit operating systems. The same limitation also applies when using Internet Explorer in versions 6 to 8. Versions 9 and 10 only allow uploads of max. 4 GByte files.
A special case is the upload of files by external persons (not members of the TU Dresden). Since external persons do not have a ZIH login, the exchange/upload takes place via a folder of a TUD user. This TUD user is thus also legally responsible for the external person's data (see also Cloudstore Terms of Use).
To create an upload share, a new folder should be created. When selecting "Share" --> "Share link" for this folder (see Sharing files or folders), another option "Allow uploading and editing" appears.
This function should not be used without password protection and the password should not be communicated in the same way as the link (e.g. mail for the link, phone for the password). If the other user clicks on the link, he will first be asked for the password:
After that, the content of the shared cloudstore folder will appears with the possibility to download files already present in this area or upload files.
Datashare is not intended for simultaneous editing of files - for that you should rather use the ZIH Sharepoint service.
Two clients (e.g. laptop and PC or two different users in a shared directory) synchronize files via Datashare. Then the user(s) simultaneously modify the same file on their local system. The first client then synchronizes its modified file with the Datashare server. When the second client now also wants to synchronize, he notices that the file on the server is no longer the original file that he had synchronized before the change. Therefore, he creates a so-called conflict file on the server: 'filename_conflict-date' Only the second client sees this file. The users are responsible for resolving the conflict (e.g. inserting the changes of the second into the first version of the file).
Deleting files is done via the "..." icon (ellipsis) on the right side of the file list. The deleted files are first moved internally to a recycle bin, which can be accessed via the "Deleted files" option (bottom left). This opens a menu where deleted files and folders can be recovered.
Files are kept in the trash for a maximum of 30 days and up to a maximum of half the user's quota, and are permanently deleted when one of the limits is exceeded.
Using WebDAV (a standard for making files available on the Internet), you can also mount your Datashare folder directly on your computer. You can find the WebDAV address in the Datashare Web in the file view in the left menu at the very bottom (if you click on the gear icon).
Using Windows 8 or 10
In Windows Explorer, select "Connect network drive" and enter the WebDAV address. Your Datashare folder will be visible after you enter your user name and password.
Using Windows 7
Windows 7 unfortunately has a problem with WebDAV. Therefore please use another WebDAV program.
One possibility is Cyberduck. Download it from https://cyberduck.io/?l=en and install it. After starting click on "New connection", enter the WebDAV address at Server as well as username and password. Then you can drag and drop files between Datashare and your computer.
Using Linux
KDE: in Dolphin, enter the address "webdavs: WebDAV address" (without https at the beginning). Now you will be asked for your ZIH username and password and you are ready to go.
Gnome: select "Connect to server" in Nautilus, enter "davs: WebDAV address". Now you will be asked for your ZIH username and password and you are ready to go.
Using MacOS
In the Finder, click on “Connect to Server”. Enter the WebDAV address at "Server Address". Now you will be asked for your ZIH username and password and you are ready to go.
Note: If you are asked for your password during creation, please log out and log in again.
1. Call up the security settings.
1. To do this, click on your avatar in the top right-hand corner and then on "Settings".
2. Select the "Security" tab in the sidebar.
2. In the "App name" input field, enter a name of your choice, such as the name of the application.
3. Confirm the creation by selecting the "Create new app password" button.
4. The login data, consisting of the ZIH login and app password, will now be displayed. You can paste it to the clipboard using the copy button. Please note that the password is only displayed once.
5. Once you have copied it, confirm the process using the "Done" button.