IT Solutions

From collection and processing to archiving and reuse, research data usually exists in different versions, copies, phases and stages and is kept temporarily or permanently in different environments or media.

Browse the menu to the left of this page to check out the several IT solutions the UG offers for working with your data in different stages of research. Check the available IT solutions for sensitive data if you are dealing with sensitive research data.

Go to IRIS for the most up-to-date information and for updates in case of a tool malfunction.

Overview of the most used IT solutions

University workplace (Windows)

University workplace (UWP - Windows)

The UWP is a Windows based desktop environment equipped with a broad collection of software, network printers, and storage via the X: and Y: drive. The system is based on Windows 10 and it can be (installed and) accessed either via the physical machines on managed workplaces of the UG or remotely through an internet browser. A variant of the UWP (on physical machines) is the "user managed workspace", under which users have administrative rights on their system (but without technical support).

Short description	On the UWP, the X: drive and Y: drive are available for data storage. Every university of Groningen employee or student has a personal network drive to store settings, data, and documents. This is the X: drive. The Y: drive is "shared storage" a University-wide network drive where research groups can request group folders to jointly store and share data.
Cost	Free for UG staff and students
Max. storage size	X: drive: standard 30GB, can be extended to 300GB upon request. Y: drive: standard 30GB, can be extended to 1TB upon request and expanded further with LowCost storage.
Sharing and collaboration	X: drive: no sharing, this is a personal drive. Y: drive: the aim of the Y: drive is to share and collaborate with colleagues within a group folder. Users receive access to a folder on the Y: drive through the owner of a specific folder. Rights attributed can be either "read" (view only) or "modify" (read and write) according to the NT File System (NTFS).
Stored at	Groningen, central backup.
Availability	Daily backups of both drives. Last 6 versions of existing files are kept for 90 days. The CIT servicedesk can restore files from the backup through a request form.
Versioning	Last 6 versions of existing files are kept for 90 days.
Get started	X: drive: immediately available for each UG employee or student when they are logged on to the UWP. Y: drive: Users receive access to a folder on the Y: drive through the owner of a specific folder.
More information	See Contact buttons below.

Login to IRIS to request X: or Y: drive changes and authorisations Login to the Virtual UWP (browser version for remote access)Contact the DCC about this solution

LowCost shared storage (University workplace)

LowCost storage

LowCost storage is part of the University Workplace (UWP).

Short description	The LowCost storage is aimed for bulk storage of data that is not intensively used, which could be the case for the Y: drive. The LowCost storage is available under the Y: drive, and can be requested through your demand manager.
Cost	Free for UG researchers
Max. storage size	1TB in addition to the regular Y: drive.
Sharing and collaboration	It is available under the Y: drive. The group owner of the LowCost group specifies group members to be added as well as who has read or write permissions.
Stored at	Groningen
Availability	Daily backups. Last 2 versions of a file are kept for 60 days. Last 6 versions of existing files are kept for 90 days. The CIT servicedesk can restore files from the backup upon a request form.
Versioning	Last 2 versions of a file are kept for 60 days.
Get started	A LowCost storage can be requested through the faculty’s demand manager.
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre.

Contact the DCC about this solution

University workplace (Linux)

Linux Workplace (LWP)

The Linux Workplace (LWP) is a desktop environment provided by the CIT. The system is Linux-based (Xubuntu) and it can be (installed and) accessed either via the physical machines on managed workplaces of the UG or remotely through an internet browser.

Short description	On the LWP, the X: drive and Y: drive are available for data storage. Every university of Groningen employee or student has a personal network drive to store settings, data, and documents. This is the X: drive.The Y: drive is "shared storage" a University-wide network drive where research groups can request group folders to jointly store and share data.
Cost	Free for UG staff and students
Max. storage size	60GB Home Drive 4TB for Project Drive (upon request)
Sharing and collaboration	Files and directories can be shared with other RUG members
Stored at	Groningen
Availability	Daily back-up to tape Last 7 versions of existing files are kept for up to 30 days Last version of deleted files for up to 60 days
Versioning	Last 7 versions of existing files are kept for up to 30 days
Get started	https://lwpwiki.webhosting.rug.nl/
More information	Mail to lwp rug.nl or see the buttons below

Virtual Research Workspace (Windows secure remote desktop)

Virtual Research workspace

The Virtual Research Workspace (VRW) is a virtualized (Windows) desktop environment to enable researchers to work with, and collaborate on, sensitive data securely.

Short description	The VRW is a virtual desktop environment where researchers can work together on sensitive data. All necessary applications are provided in the VRW. The data is secured within the VRW, there is no internet access or access to local hard drives. Only data managers may upload or download data.
Cost	Basic and Premium configurations are free for UG staff. Customization of the configuration is possible, but may lead to extra costs.
Max. storage size	1GB on the home drive and 100GB on the group. Additional storage can be added on demand. A fair use policy is in effect in regard to overuse.
Sharing and collaboration	The requester of creating a study on the VRW must be UG staff. Other workgroup members may be staff from other Dutch universities or guests. The users and their roles are managed by CIT.
Stored at	The CIT provides the infrastructure for this system, consisting of hosting the virtual research workspace environment on (virtual) hardware of the RUG.
Availability	Backup & recovery of 30 days. The VRW has an availability (up time) of 99.5%
Get started	Request a VRW through the link provided below.
More information	See Contact buttons below.

Find more information on the VRW in IRIS Request a VRW Contact the DCC about this solution

Research Data Management System (Archiving)

Research Data Management System

The RDMS, short for Research Data Management System, is an iRODS-based storage solution provided by the CIT that allows to archive data and also to add metadata. The system is a reliable solution for long-term storage of small and big data sets, and the metadata options helps to increase findability of the research data (FAIR principles). The RDMS storage can be accessed via different means (web interface, file transfer clients, command line-based access). The system can be used to store data with different levels of confidentiality. For sensitive data, it is strongly recommended to contact the Digital Competence Centre

Short description	Long-term storage (archiving)
Cost	Free for UG researchers
Max. storage size	There is no size limit on data (sets). If you plan to transfer huge amounts of data, please get in contact with the DCC prior to usage of the RDMS.
Sharing and collaboration	Sharing with UG accounts is possible in the RDMS.
Stored at	Groningen
Availability	Data is stored in two different data centres. Compressed .tar files are backed-up daily to tape and can be restored for max. 30 days after deletion.
Versioning	Not available (currently)
Get started	User manual RDMS
More information	For more information please contact the RDMS team

Contact the RDMS team for support

GitLab & Gitea (code versioning platforms)

GitLab & Gitea

GitLab & Gitea are code versioning platforms that allow collaboration, code hosting, code versioning and software development. Compared to Gitea, GitLab offers additional functions such as git repository management, code reviews, issue tracking, activity feeds and wikis.

Short description	Internally hosted (research) software management and code versioning platforms
Cost	Free for UG staff
Max. storage size	These platforms are not meant for data storage but for storing and managing code.
Sharing and collaboration	Both platforms allow collaboration between selected collaborators and public repositories. GitLab has extended features such as group repositories.
Stored at	Groningen
Availability	RUG has two instances of GitLab. If you are a member of the Bernoulli Institute you can sign-in via the Bernoulli/LWP tab. The rest of the university members can create an account and sign in via the Standard tab of the LWP. A second instance is created for the members of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute.
Versioning	Integrated in the platform
Get started	See the direct link buttons below.
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre.

Mobile (USB) Storage

Mobile USB storage devices (e.g. sticks, hard drives) to transfer or (temporarily) store data. Their use should be restricted to special cases when no secure network connection is available for data transfer. In any other case, the use of mobile USB storage is strongly discouraged.

Short description	USB storage on an external device
Cost	Depends on the device
Max. storage size	Depends on the device
Sharing and collaboration	Can be used to share data, but not to work collaboratively
Stored at	Not applicable
Availability	Depends on the device
Versioning	No
Get started	-
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre

Contact the DCC about this solution

SURFdrive

SURFdrive is a personal Cloud storage facility for all staff members of Dutch universities.

Short description	Cloud storage provided by SURF, stored in the Netherlands and accessible from many platforms (Windows, Linux MacOS, Android). Files and folders can be shared with staff from Dutch universities
Cost	Free for UG researchers
Max. storage size	1TB per user. It is not possible to extend this quotum
Sharing and collaboration	It is possible to share files and folders with UG staff or other Dutch university staff. And it is possible to create special access for specific files for guests
Stored at	The Netherlands
Availability	Backup & recovery of 30 days, availability of 99.5%
Versioning	Deleted files can be retrieved within 30 days of deletion
Get started	SURFdrive for users
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre

Contact the DCC about this solution

Unishare

Unishare is an open source based file storage and sharing system hosted on UG premises and provided by CIT. It can be accessd via the UWP or via the web or by a NextCloud client. Users are free to share files and folders with their colleagues and co-workers.

Short description	File storage and sharing system hosted on UG premises and provided by CIT
Cost	Free for UG researchers
Max. storage size	250GB Home Drive
Sharing and collaboration	The user can share files and directories with UG colleagues and non-UG co-workers
Stored at	On two locations in Groningen
Availability	Data storage of Unishare is on the RUG cloud
Versioning	Deleted files can be retrieved within 30 days of deletion
Get started	Unishare user manual
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre

Contact the DCC about this solution

Virtual Servers & Databases

Short description	A virtual server is offered with a Windows or Linux operating system of your choice and is equipped with the necessary software. Database and data storage are also possible. Linux OS offers Ubuntu, CentOS and Debian distributions as standard options. Other distributions are possible in consultation. Currently the CIT offers to following database options: MySQL, Mariadb, Postgresql, Orcle and Microsoft Access. A proposal needs to be submitted to the CIT where the technical, hardware, security and use case details are described in detail.
Cost	These services are on demand. Costs depend on the configuration, hardware and level of maintenance. Usually a yearly fee is required.
Max. storage size	Depends on particular use case and costs
Sharing and collaboration	Depends on the configuration and minimum security requirements by the CIT.
Maintenance	You can choose to manage the server yourself or outsource its management to the CIT. The CIT also ensures that the server meets all security requirements.
More information	For more information please contact the Digital Competence Centre

Contact the DCC about this solution

Google Drive

Description	Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service which is part of the Google Workspaces. It allows data versioning, restoring, collaboration and data sharing. A RUG account owner can use both My Drive and Shared Drives services. My Drive is associated with the individual RUG account and accessible as long as the account is active. In Shared Drives, file/folder sharing and ownership are assigned to a team rather than to an individual user.
Cost	Free for users
Max. storage size	100GB for Shared Drive, currently no limit on personal My Drive.
Sharing and collaboration	Google drive allows document sharing both at team and individual levels. Shared Drives allows to assign different access levels to files and folders to different users and teams, and an ability to share a folder publicly.
Stored at	Google Cloud (Multiple data centers within the EU).
Maintenance	Data is neither stored nor backed up on the university premises. All the back-up is done by Google.
More information	Google Drive should not be used for the storage of research data. Data in a user's My Drive can become inaccessible after the user's account gets deactivated which might result in loss of important data. Therefore, Google Drive should be mostly seen as a platform for (collaborative) working, but not as the sole storage location. For more information contact the DCC.

Contact the DCC about this solution

Research Information Technology Support

Luckily there are many systems and environments (IT Solutions) that aid the researcher in the collection, analysis, management and storage of data. The DCC provides information on the solutions the UG provides and direct support where necessary.

Visit the IT Products and Services catalogue: IRIS Find out what your Demand Manager can do for you

Last modified:

25 February 2025 10.48 a.m.