KI 1861 Migration of home directory to OneDrive
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Important! Read-only access to personal Windows storage will be discontinued in July 2023.
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Personal storage related to Unix, also known as Unix home directory or "W", is not affected.
The migration will take place in the period from mid-March to the end of May 2023.
Important! Exceptions are being applied to the content copy. Please make yourself familiar with them, see KI 1873 for more information.
# TL;DR
- The content of your home directory will be copied to OneDrive, according to the email announcement sent March 14. To select differently or opt-out, use this form.
- Important! Exceptions are being applied to the content copy. Please make yourself familiar with them, see KI 1873 for more information.
- Resolve possible synchronization errors within Offline Files asap; see KI 1863 for more information.
- Some software will need your attention regarding OneDrive. See KI 1881 for more information.
- Out of town for an extended period? Get in touch.
- The current home directory (O:) will not be mapped anymore on UiB systems after the switch.
#
Personal storage, home directory, O drive?
The move will affect your Windows home directory. This home directory has been the default file location on UiB's managed Windows PCs and is mapped as (O:).The storage is also known as "O" or O drive.
It should not be confused with the Unix home directory, which is default on Linux clients; and which is mapped as "Arkiv (W:)" on managed Windows PCs.
What does the move entail for me?
During the move the content of your home directory will be copied to OneDrive, your home directory will be set to read-only, and the setup of your managed Windows PC will updated.
At a later date, all Windows home directories will be discontinued.
The content of your home directory is copied to OneDrive
If you are already using OneDrive, the home directory content will be copied to a subfolder called "O-DISK-youruserid". If you haven't used OneDrive before, it'll be copied right over. In the general email sent about the migration, it says whether your files are copied to a subfolder or not. If you want to change the way the content is copied, or opt-out of copying content, this can be changed through this form.
NB The home directory move will be completed even if you opt-out of content copying.
Home directory is set to read-only
Changed configuration on UiB managed Windows PC
Therefore, you must restart your PC on the UiB network when your home directory is switched to OneDrive. See KI 1879 for more information.
The configuration of Mac and Linux clients will not be changed.
Discontinuation of Windows home directories
Backup will be available as of usual retention periods.
What do I need to do in advance?
If you are using a managed Windows laptop PC, we recommend that you resolve possible synchronization errors within Offline Files. See KI 1863 for more information.Make yourself familiar with OneDrive - UiBhjelp (logon required), and double check that the OneDrive client is running on your PC. That way you will be off to a smooth start after the switch.
If you are using EndNote, OneNote, git etc. - stay tuned for more important information!
Apart from this, you do not need to do anything until you receive an e-mail stating that the home directory has been changed which happens in the evening with an announcement sent earlier in the day.
If you want to change the way files are copied or opt-out of content copying, this can be changed through this form.
Software and OneDrive - incompatibility
See KI 1881 for more information.OneNote notebooks
OneNote files (.onetoc2 and subfolders) in your home directory containing notebooks will be converted to cloud OneNote content during migration. You can find your notebooks under My Notebooks on onenote.com after the migration. More information from Microsoft here (external link).
About the migration process
The migration itself takes place in the evening, but you will be notified earlier the same day.- You'll receive an email in the morning the same day your content is copied and the switch is made to OneDrive
- During the day, you may notice content being copied to OneDrive
- When the switch to OneDrive is made, normally between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., you'll receive another email, because your Windows home directory has then become read-only.
- If you are using a UiB managed Windows PC, the machine's setup will be updated during the next restart on the UiB network. This should be done at your earliest convenience.
- Copying of your files is completed the next day at the earliest. You will receive a new email when the copying is done.
Schedule
- General information sent to affected users [approx. March 2023]
- In the email, it says whether the home directory is copied to a subfolder or not
- The Form for changing the copy location and the possibility of opting out is available [approx. March 2023]
- Migration [March/April 2023 ]
- Those who opted out of copying get read-only home directory (loses write access) [approx. May 2023]
- Read access to home directories is removed for all [TBD]
Background for the migration
The current storage service for Windows home directories is out of date and needs to be replaced.OneDrive is a better storage site with other options for access and sharing/interaction, among other things. With OneDrive, you can store your data in one location, share it with others, and retrieve it from any time. It will also work better in situations where you work from the internet.
What is OneDrive?
OneDrive is Microsoft's personal cloud storage solution, and is a part of Microsoft 365. It is available for all users at the UiB. You can find more information about the usage of OneDrive at UiB here: OneDrive - UiBhjelp (logon required).