NetStorage is available to UCT staff, third party members and students. It enables you to securely access your centrally stored network drives (e.g. G: drives on the UCT cluster) from any off-campus location. Just use a web browser to log on to the UCT network and access your files and folders - you don’t have to install any additional software on your computer.

The benefits of using this service are:

  • secure, easy access to network files and folders,
  • wide range of functionality: files may be copied, moved, renamed, deleted, read, and written from any Internet-enabled computer,
  • no need to use email or removable storage media to move data between machines, and
  • internet standards such as HTTP, HTTPS, HTML and XML are supported.

Downloading or uploading of large files will be affected by your local speed of access to the internet.

Access NetStorage

  1. Navigate to http://netstorage.uct.ac.za and log on using your UCT username and password.
    Note: When accessing NetStorage, you may receive a warning about the website's security settings. You can ignore these warnings, as this is a secure website and does not pose a security risk.

  2. Upon successful login, you will be presented with the NetStorage main page.
    Netstorage will only show your drives on the UCT cluster. 

Access files

I want to... Action to take Notes
Open a file while online Double-click the file.  
View the file while offline Right-click the file and select Download. If the file is in a shared directory, choosing this option will not prevent others from editing the file whilst you are viewing it. Instead select Download and Lock if you intend to edit the file.
If you select more than one file, or one or more folders, they will be compressed into a .zip file prior to downloading.
Edit the file Right-click the file and select Download and Lock.
When you are finished making changes, upload the file back to the server to the same location it was downloaded from.		 If the file is in a shared directory, choosing this option prevents others from editing the file whilst you are viewing it or working on it.

This option is only available when selecting an individual file. It is not available when selecting more than one file, or when selecting one or more folders.
Email the file to myself or someone else Right-click the file and select Mail. This option is only available when selecting an individual file. It is not available when selecting more than one file, or when selecting one or more folders.

Upload files

  1. In the NetStorage main window, navigate to the folder you want to upload your file to and click File > Upload.

  2. Click Browse to find and select the file you want to upload.

    • Click the + sign to add additional files and repeat the previous step.
    • Use the checkbox to decide whether you want the uploaded files to Overwrite existing files of the same name.
  3. Click Upload to upload the file(s).
  4. The file is uploaded to the folder you selected in step 1.

Create a folder

  1. Navigate to the folder in which you want to create a new folder and click File > New Folder.

  2. Enter a name for the new folder and click OK.

  3. The new folder is created in the location specified.

Rename a file or folder

  1. Select the file or folder that you wish to rename.

  2. Click File > Rename.

  3. Enter the new name for the file or folder, including the file extension if you are restoring a file (e.g. .txt , .doc) and click OK.

Copy a file or folder

Files and folders can only be selected from one screen view at a time (i.e. what is visible in the Main area of the screen). If you select files or folders and then navigate to another folder and select files from that folder, the newly-selected files will replace your previous selection in the list of files to be copied. 

  1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) that you wish to copy and click Edit > Copy.
    • The selected file(s) or folder(s) are displayed in the Copy panel on the left hand side of the screen, below the Folders list.
  2. Navigate to the location you want to copy the file or folder and click Edit > Paste.
  3. The file or folder is copied to the new destination.

Move a file or folder

Files and folders can only be selected from one screen view at a time (i.e. what is visible in the Main area of the screen). If you select files or folders, then navigate to another folder and select files from that folder, the newly-selected files will replace your previous selection in the list of files to be moved.

  1. In the Main area, select the file(s) or folder(s) that you wish to move and click Edit > Move.
    • The selected file(s) or folder(s) is displayed in the Move panel on the left hand side of the screen, below the Folders list.
  2. Navigate to the location to which you want to move the file or folder and click Edit > Paste.
  3. The file or folder is moved to the new destination.

Delete a file or folder

  1. In the Main area, select the file(s) or folder(s) that you wish to delete click File > Delete.
  2. Click OK to confirm the deletion of the selected files.
  3. The file or folder is deleted.

View the properties of a file or folder

  1. Select the file or folder and click File > Properties.
  2. You can set the file attributes and NetWare file rights in the Properties dialog box.
  3. When you have finished viewing or editing the properties, close the Properties dialog box.

Access deleted files and folders

NOTE: 
When you delete files and folders, they are deleted from your network drive, but are still accessible via NetStorage. They can either be permanently deleted ("purged") or restored to their original location ("undelete").

Deleted files and folders are displayed in red text, with a line through them.

If there is already a file or folder of the same name in the location you are trying to restore to, you will be asked to specify a different name for the restored file or folder. Start the process again by selecting File > Undelete and specify a different name (including file extension, if you are restoring a file). 

Undelete a file

  1. Navigate to the folder that contains the deleted files and click View > Show Deleted Files.
  2. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to undelete.
  3. Click File > Undelete to restore the file(s) or folder(s) to its original location.
  4. Enter a name for the file or folder you want to undelete, including the file extension if you are restoring a file (e.g. .txt , .doc).
  5. Click OK to restore the file(s) or folder(s).

Permanently delete a file

  1. Navigate to the folder that contains the deleted files and click View > Show Deleted Files.
  2. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to purge.
  3. Click File > Purge to permanently delete the file or folder.
  4. Click OK to purge the selected files.
    The file or folder can no longer be accessed from NetStorage.

Log out

Click Logout when you have finished using NetStorage so that no one else can access your files and folders.