IST is pleased to offer a new file storage service: the Andrew File System (AFS), a distributed networked file system developed by Carnegie Mellon University. This system integrates with the desktop environment and works on all major platforms. Universities, research institutions, and similar groups around the world use it widely for organizing and maintaining computer data.
AFS provides the following benefits to customers engaged in collaborative work:
- Access to files from anywhere
- CalNet authentication
- Encryption of data over the network
- Fine-grained permission control
Users can access their files in AFS via:
- Native AFS client: Fast seamless integration with the desktop on Windows, Mac OS X, and Unix.
- WebDAV: Desktop access without additional software.
- Filedrawers: An AJAX web application that allows access and modification through the Web.
- Websites: Any file in AFS can be easily published to the Web.
AFS is also a cost-effective alternative to departmental file servers.
IST's implementation of AFS developed as a pilot project with campus participants, including Berkeley Law, the Media Vault Project, and the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive. After a successful nine-month pilot, AFS is now available as a recharge service at a monthly rate of $0.51 per GB.
For more information about AFS, see the AFS website.
To order this service, complete the online form available at https://afs.berkeley.edu/manage/new_volume.
Questions about this service can be directed to