How to Connect to Research Data Platform SMB Network Shares
The Research Data Platform SMB service can only be accessed from the UCSC campus network or from the campus VPN. If you are not on campus you must use the VPN in order to connect.
Please refer to the instructions below for connecting from the most common client operating systems.
macOS users can connect to their list of shares by first opening Finder and selecting Go > Connect to server… or pressing the CMD+K key combination.
Enter the following address in the Server Address field to view a list of shares:
smb://samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu
If you know the name of your share you can also use its direct address (share names are case-sensitive):
smb://samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu/sharename
Click the + icon to save it as a favorite. Double click the saved address to connect. When prompted to authenticate use your CruzID Gold password and enter your username in this format:
cruzid@au.ucsc.edu
You may wish to save your credentials by checking the box.
Upon successfully connecting the directory should be visible in Finder. Once you’ve connected you can drag it to your Finder Favorites area for easier access.
Windows users can connect to their list of shares by first right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Run, or pressing WinKey+R to open the Run prompt.
Enter the following address in the Open field and click OK to view a list of shares:
\\samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu
If you know the name of your share you can also use its direct address (share names are case-sensitive):
\\samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu\sharename
The address field of an open File Explorer window can also be used to enter the server address.
When prompted to authenticate use your CruzID Gold password and enter your username in this format:
cruzid@au.ucsc.edu
You may wish to save your credentials by checking the box.
Upon successfully connecting the directory should open in the Windows File Explorer. Once you’ve connected you can pin it in Explorer or create a shortcut for easier access.
Linux users will have slightly different methods for connecting depending on their specific Linux distribution and desktop manager, but in general the address can be entered into a file browsing application in the URL format:
smb://samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu
If you know the name of your share you can also use its direct address (share names are case-sensitive):
smb://samba.pbsci.ucsc.edu/sharename
When prompted to authenticate use your CruzID Gold password and enter your username in this format:
cruzid@au.ucsc.edu
Linux users can also use the command-line smbclient tool. Usage details are beyond the scope of this documentation but many examples can be readily found via web search.