Data Lab at Tufts

Innovate. Analyze. Visualize.

GIS Network Drives

Overview of GIS Network Drives

The Data Lab maintains three GIS network drives, the H, M, and S, which contain data and information related to GIS. Users are automatically connected to these drives on Data Lab machines and in the Engineering Lab VDI.

On personal devices and non-Data-Lab computers, users will need to manually connect to these drives. 

  • The H drive is a user’s personal network drive with 10 GB of storage for students enrolled in a GIS course.
    • H drive path for Windows: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisusers$\yourTuftsUsername
    • H drive path for MacOS: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisusers$/yourTuftsUsername
  • The M drive contains large & frequently used GIS datasets organized by geographic location and source. This data is read-only.
    • M drive path for Windows: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
    • M drive path for MacOS: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
  • The S drive contains information regarding classes, projects, and Data Lab Administration.
    • S drive path for Windows: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisprojects$
    • S drive path for MacOS: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisprojects$

Windows PCs: Mapping Network Drive Instructions

Personal Computer – Windows PC

  1. If you are not on campus or the Tufts WiFi, you need to log into the Tufts VPN to access network drives.
  2. Open Windows File Explorer and click This PC on the left.
    • On a Windows 11 PC, right click on This PC and click Map network drive…
    • On a Windows 10 PC, click Computer then Map network drive from the ribbon above.
  3. Select the desired drive letter (H, M, or S) from the Drive drop-down.
  4. Type the path for the desired network drive in the Folder field.
    • M drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
    • S drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisprojects$
    • H drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisusers$\yourUTLN\ (remember to replace yourTuftsUsername with your Tufts username, i,e Jsmith01)
  5. Check both Reconnect at Sign-In and Connect Using Different Credentials.
  6. In the sign in window, enter your Tufts username as shown below. Then enter your tufts password and check Remember my credentials.
    • TUFTS\yourTuftsUsername
    • Note: Ensure the domain is listed as TUFTS and click OK.
  7. Click Finish. Your drive will open when completed.

Note: If it fails, make sure that in the sign in window, you’ve entered “TUFTS\” before your username! Additionally, make sure you do not have any spaces before or after the path!

Tufts Computer Labs – Windows PC

  1. Ensure the computer is connected to the Tufts network and that you are logged in with your Tufts account.
  2. Open Windows File Explorer and right click on This PC on the left.
  3. Click Map network drive…
  4. Select the desired drive letter (H, M, or S) from the Drive drop-down.
  5. Copy and paste the path for the desired network drive in the Folder field. Click Finish.
    • M drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
    • S drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisprojects$
    • H drive: \\rstore.it.tufts.edu\gisusers$\yourTuftsUsername
      • Replace yourTuftsUsername with your Tufts username. (ex: jSmith01)

Note: If it fails, make sure you do not have any spaces before or after the path!

MacOS Computer: Mapping Network Drive Instructions

Personal Computer – MacOS

  1. If you are not on campus or the Tufts WiFi, you need to log into the Tufts VPN to access network drives.
  2. Open Finder and then select Go > Connect to Server from the drop-down menu.
  3. Type the path for the desired network drive in the Server Address field and then click Connect.
    • M drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
    • S drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisprojects$
    • H drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisusers$/yourTuftsUsername
      • Replace yourTuftsUsername with your information. (ex: jsmith01)
  4. In the sign in window, enter your Tufts username as shown below. Then enter your tufts password and check Remember my credentials.
    • TUFTS\yourTuftsUsername
    • Note: Ensure the domain is listed as TUFTS and click OK.
  5. Log in with your Tufts username and password when prompted.

Tufts Computer Lab – MacOS

  1. Ensure the computer is connected to the Tufts network and that you are logged in with your Tufts account.
  2. Open Finder and then select Go > Connect to Server from the drop-down menu.
  3. Type the path for the desired network drive in the Server Address field and then click Connect.
    • M drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/tts_rsch_gis_dataset02$
    • S drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisprojects$
    • H drive: smb://rstore.it.tufts.edu/gisusers$/yourTuftsUsername
      • Replace yourTuftsUsername with your information. (ex: jsmith01)

Requesting Research Storage (R Drive)

For more extensive storage needs, Research Technology provides network storage for research (R Drive). Faculty, researchers, and graduate students working with faculty may request networked research storage starting at 50 GB up to several terabytes (TB), based on their identified research-specific computational and data acquisition needs.

To request research storage or for more information, please visit the Access Tufts page on Research Storage.