Accessing RPX project space via CIFS

An RPX project space is shared storage for your research group that you can open like any other network folder on your own computer. Drag files in and out, open them in desktop apps, and share them with your group, all without SSH or SFTP. This page shows how to connect from Windows, macOS, and Linux, on campus or from home over the VPN.

On this page: Before you start · Windows · macOS · Linux · Off campus · Good habits · Troubleshooting

Before you start

You'll need four things:

1. An RPX project space. Your PI requests one through the IACS support system ("Request RPX CIFS Share (RPX ONLY)"), listing the storage needed, how long it's needed, and the NetIDs of everyone who should have access. See Academic Research Storage for details.
2. The name of your project space, for example hpc_support. If you're not sure of it, open the server as shown below and you'll see the project spaces you can access. The examples use hpc_support, so swap in your own.
3. Your NetID and NetID password.
4. A connection to the Stony Brook network, either on campus or through the university VPN.

Windows

Open it once

1. Make sure you're on the campus network or connected to the VPN.
2. Open File Explorer, click in the address bar, type \\rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu and press Enter.
3. If Windows asks you to sign in, enter sunysb.edu\<NetID> and your NetID password.
4. Double-click your project space folder to open it.

Keep it as a drive letter

1. In File Explorer, select This PC. On Windows 11, click See more (…) in the toolbar and choose Map network drive. On Windows 10, it's on the Computer tab.
2. Pick any free letter, such as Z:. Avoid R: if you also use the clinical R: drive.
3. For Folder, enter \\rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu\hpc_support (with your own project name).
4. Tick Reconnect at sign-in. If your computer isn't signed in with your NetID, also tick Connect using different credentials.
5. Click Finish and sign in with sunysb.edu\<NetID> when asked.

Prefer a command? This does the same thing in Command Prompt or PowerShell:

net use Z: \\rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu\hpc_support /user:sunysb.edu\<NetID> /persistent:yes

To remove the drive, right-click it under This PC and choose Disconnect, or run net use Z: /delete.

macOS

1. Make sure you're on the campus network or connected to the VPN.
2. In Finder, choose Go → Connect to Server (or press ⌘K).
3. Enter smb://rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu/hpc_support (with your own project name). Click + to save it as a favorite for next time, then click Connect.
4. Choose Registered User, enter sunysb.edu\<NetID> and your NetID password. Tick Remember this password in my keychain if this is your own computer.
5. Your project space opens in a new Finder window and appears under Locations in the sidebar.

Connect automatically when you log in: open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, click + under "Open at Login", and choose the mounted project space. Select it and click − to stop.

To disconnect, click the eject button next to the project space in the Finder sidebar.

Linux

You'll need sudo rights on your computer, and the cifs-utils package (plus smbclient if you want to list shares). Package names can vary a little between distributions.

# Debian or Ubuntu
sudo apt install cifs-utils smbclient
# RHEL, Rocky, Alma or Fedora
sudo dnf install cifs-utils samba-client

1. Optional: list the project spaces you can reach.

   smbclient -L rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu -W sunysb.edu -U <NetID>

2. Make a folder to mount it on, then mount it. You'll be asked for your computer password (for sudo) and then your NetID password.

   mkdir -p ~/hpc_support
   sudo mount -t cifs //rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu/hpc_support ~/hpc_support \
     -o domain=sunysb.edu,username=<NetID>,uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g)

3. Your files are now in ~/hpc_support.
4. When you're done, unmount it. If it says the target is busy, close anything using the folder, or add -l.

   sudo umount ~/hpc_support

sudo nano /root/.rpx-credentials

username=<NetID>
password=<your NetID password>
domain=sunysb.edu

sudo chmod 600 /root/.rpx-credentials

//rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu/hpc_support  /home/<you>/hpc_support  cifs  credentials=/root/.rpx-credentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,_netdev,nofail  0  0

From off campus (VPN)

1. Connect to the Stony Brook University VPN.
2. Follow the steps for your computer above. When asked to sign in, use sunysb.edu\<NetID> and your NetID password.

Good habits

• Use it for everyday work, like opening, editing, and sharing documents, spreadsheets, and figures. For large datasets or many thousands of files, Globus or rsync is much faster and more reliable.
• Keep your own backup. Project space is not backed up, so keep another copy of anything you can't afford to lose.
• Save and close files before you disconnect or drop off the VPN. Unsaved changes can be lost if the connection goes away.
• Don't point sync tools at it. Apps like Box Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox shouldn't sync this folder; they can create conflicts and heavy traffic.
• Adding or removing people is done by your PI through the IACS support system. Include each person's NetID.

Troubleshooting

net use \\rpx-gtwy.seawulf.stonybrook.edu /delete

Related

• Academic Research Storage: what RPX is and how to request it
• Research Storage picker: not sure RPX is the right place for your data?
• CIFS & SSHFS access: mounting options across the clusters
• Globus file transfer and File transfer from the CLI

Still stuck? Open a ticket with IACS support and include your operating system, whether you're on campus or on the VPN, and the exact error message.