CloudStor migration

* This guide is being updated and new information will be added as the migration progresses.

AARNet has announced that it will be decommissioning its CloudStor services on Friday 15 December 2023. Please note that Filesender will not be affected. 

For help with downloading or migrating your data from CloudStor, register for the next AARNET monthly decommission clinic.

ACU IT and eResearch are working to implement a secure SharePoint system as our collaborative research data storage solution. This system will be used by researchers and Higher Degree by Research students working on research projects that require collaboration between internal and external users.

Timeline and Key Activities

• Your CloudStor account must be switched to Read Only (meaning no data can be changed) before you commence any migration of data.
• Users with less than 30 GB of data and no external shares, can commence migrating data now to  your ACU OneDrive
• Migration of the group drives will commence in October. 
• After December 15 you will not be able to access CloudStor.

If your data is located in a group drive, your data will be migrated to a SharePoint system currently in development. EResearch and IT will be in contact with group drive owners to confirm access.

If you have a personal CloudStor drive with over 30GB, we will be able to provide assistance with your migration. IT and eResearch will also be in contact with you to ascertain the best platform for your data to be stored.

If you have a personal CloudStor drive and you have data shared from external users in research projects, please contact e.research@acu.edu.au to seek assistance and advice in copying your data.

If you have less than 30GB in your CloudStor you are able to download the data directly to your ACU OneDrive. There are two recommended ways to download:

1. Request All My Data

The new Request All My Data button:  will allow you to create and download a copy of your CloudStor data. 

Please note

• You account must be set to read-only mode to request your data
• You can only request a copy of your data once
• You must have at least one file in your CloudStor account
• You can have no more than 500,000 files in a single folder.

The data that can be requested are files that have been uploaded or created in CloudStor- these are the files and folders shown in the Files tab in the web browser

What is not included in your Request all my data link will be

• files that have been deleted,
• previous versions of files
• files in a group drive to which you have access
• files that are shared with you (these will be under a Shared folder, or have a shared icon)
• Zoom recordings.

How to use the Request all my data tool.

2. CloudStor Desktop App

The CloudStor Desktop app allows you to sync your CloudStor folders to your ACU OneDrive. These will also include a copy of any folders that have been shared with you. 

Follow the CloudStor Data Migration instructions below to use the Desktop App to export your data.

For your research data and non-research-data work files

OneDrive can be used for storing data and making files available to ACU staff and students. OneDrive is a good option for HDR students and supervisors to share their work and projects.

ACU staff and students have 1TB allocated for their OneDrive. Additional storage can be requested through a Service Central Request. More information on OneDrive is available through Service Central for staff and the Student Portal.

For your research data to be worked in collaboration with external collaborators

SharePoint will be configured to allow sharing of data and files between trusted collaborators. Requests for a SharePoint site will need to be made through Service Central.

For your personal files on CloudStor (not work or study-related)

Your personal files can be stored on systems such as

• Google Drive
• Dropbox
• Personal Microsoft OneDrive

These providers will have subscription pricing to access larger storage volumes. There are also specialist paid services for photos and videos.

More information on data storage is available at the Research Data Management Toolkit.

I'm not sure I have used CloudStor before – how do I check?

Go to https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au and login in with your ACU credentials. If you see the screen with files, then you have an account.

I'm not sure how much data I have in CloudStor – how do I check?

Go to https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au and login in with your ACU credentials. When you get to the CloudStor screen your files will be there

I want to use the Request All my Data tool – how do I set my data to Read Only?

Please contact e.research@acu.edu.au to have your account set to Read Only.

My Zoom recordings are not in my Request all my data link, nor are the files which have been shared with me – what can I do?

Your Zoom recordings and data which have been shared with you cannot be packaged with the Request all my data link. Please use the CloudStor Desktop App to export your shared data and Zoom recordings.

My password to Request All my Data does not work- what do I do?

Your password to the file containing your Request all my data needs to be typed in, rather than a straight copy and paste.

I need access to data from someone who has left ACU – what do I do?

Please contact e.research@acu.edu.au with the details of the person who has left and the nature of the data. eResearch will be taking note of the requests, which will be assessed once the migration process has been completed.

I am a staff member at ACU but I have student data from when I studied here- how can I access this data?

Please contact e.research@acu.edu.au with your details, so they can take note.

I have exported all my data from CloudStor to my ACU OneDrive – what do I do now?

Use the Delete my account function in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, this will deactivate your account and preserve any data you have exported. You do need to delete your data, this will be done when CloudStor is decommissioned on December 15.

Contact the eResearch Working Group for further assistance on migrating your data.

Contact the Library Research Services Team for further advice on Research Data Management.

Check out the Research Data Management Toolkit for more information on data storage and best practice in managing your research data.

Register for an upcoming AARNET monthly decommission clinic for CloudStor users.