Storage import

Storage import lets a Oneprovider expose the existing content of a storage in a space. If instruments save to a lab NAS, a file server or an S3 bucket, those files appear in Onedata, and new files are picked up automatically. Nothing changes at the instrument, and data are not duplicated.

RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

• A Oneprovider that can access the storage directly, for example over a POSIX mount of the NAS, NFS or S3. For a lab NAS, this means a Oneprovider operated by your institution near that storage. See Running your own provider.
• The storage must be configured in Onepanel as an imported storage. This is decided when the storage is added and cannot be changed later.
• An imported storage supports one space.

How to set it upCopy Anchor Link

1. In Onepanel of the provider, add the storage, for example POSIX with the NAS mount point, and enable the Imported storage option.
2. Have the space owner generate a space support token in Onezone and send it to the provider administrator.
3. In Onepanel, support the space with the imported storage using that token, and choose the import mode:
   • Manual: one initial scan; further scans are started by hand.
   • Continuous (auto): the storage is rescanned periodically.
4. Configure the continuous scan to suit instrument data: the scan interval, and whether to detect modifications and deletions.
5. Watch the import statistics in Onepanel until the initial scan finishes.

Recommendations for instrument dataCopy Anchor Link

• Scan interval: choose it by how quickly users need new data, typically 5 to 30 minutes. Very short intervals on large trees load the storage.
• Detect deletions: enable it only if operators delete data on the NAS intentionally. Otherwise keep it off, so accidental deletions on the NAS do not vanish from the space view right away.
• Write access: decide whether users may write into the imported space through Onedata. Changes made through Onedata are written to the NAS.
• Permissions: map storage ownership to Onedata users consistently, or let files appear as owned by the space. Agree on this with the provider administrator.

Full reference: Onedata documentation: storage import.