Files & Sharing FAQ

What is the maximum upload size of a file?

When uploading via the web browser, the maximum size limit is 10GB per file. You can however store larger files via your SFU vault client.

How do I share a file or a folder with another SFU vault user?

This can be done through the web-browser (https://vault.sfu.ca)

Move the mouse over the file or folder you want to share, click on the “share” symbol and enter the computing ID, or the name of the person you want to share a file or a folder with.

Please note: In order to share a file with an SFU Vault user, the user must have logged-in in the past at least once to SFU Vault. Otherwise SFU Vault will not be able to find the user in its internal directory.

How can I manage the rights of a shared file or folder?

In the same share-dialog where you can enter the SFU computing ID of the person, you can also specify which rights this user should have. Furthermore, you can set a date when the sharing should stop. If no date is entered, the file or folder will be shared until you revoke it manually.

How do I share a file with someone who doesn’t have an SFU vault account?

Click on the share symbol next to the file name and choose 'Share link'. This generates a public link that can be protected with a password. Also, you can set an expiration date how long the link should be valid.

How do I share a folder with someone who doesn’t have an SFU vault account?

Similar to sharing a normal file, you can generate a public link. Every person who knows that link can upload files via the web browser and change existing files. Like with any other public link, a password and/or an expiration date can be set.

How do I see which files are already shared, and with whom?

You can see which files or folders are shared through the web client. A detailed overview is available when you click on the "Shared with others" link on the left hand side.

How do I see who shared a file or folder with me?

You can see which files or folders are shared through the web client. A detailed overview is available when you click on the "Shared with you" link on the left hand side.

What happens if a file or folder, I shared with another user, is deleted by that user?

If you allow the user with whom you've shared a file with to have "delete" permissions and this user deletes your file or folder, it will also be removed from your files in SFU vault. However, you can restore your file or folder through the webclient of SFU vault.

How do I restore a version of a file from the vault web browser?

In order to access previously saved versions of a file from the vault library, click the Share icon (<) or Details (...) --> and (i) beside the desired item to locate versions to select for restoration.

Once the menu appears on the righthand side of the web browser after selecting the Share or the Details option, choose Versions from the upper categories beside Activities and Sharing.

From the list of dated versions that follow, you may choose to restore any of the available selections. If none of the desired options are visible, check More versions... at the bottom of the menu to list more options.

Which characters can I use in file and folder names?

SFU vault does support all characters in file and folder names except for:

\
/
<
>
:
"
|
?
!
*
&
#
%
$
(
)
+

If you create a file which one of the characters above - some operating systems do allow that - SFU vault will not synchronize these files or folders.

Can I use special characters such as " ! # $ % & ' ( ) * + : \ < > / ? in directory or file name?

Use of special characters in directory and file names can cause syncing problems. As a general precaution to avoid potential problems it’s advisable to refrain from using special characters in directory and file names. This includes:

\
/
<
>
:
"
|
?
!
*
&
#
%
$
(
)
+

When these characters are bracketed with spaces, the probability of encountering file syncing problems increase.

Somebody sent me a link to a file or folder and I have a problem with it, can you help me?

No we can't. Please contact the sender and tell him the problem. If the sender cannot help you, he or she can contact us for further assistance.

How long are "Deleted Files" available?

Deleted Files will be deleted for good after 180 days. If 'Deleted Files' are using more than 50% of the available quota the oldest files will be deleted.

How can I create groups?

At the moment SFU vault does not support group creation inside of the application.

To create a new group, which SFU vault can use, you will need to create a new mailing list in https://maillist.sfu.ca and ask your LAN admin to propagate this mailing list to ADSFU (Active Directory). If you don’t have a departmental LAN admin please submit a request to its-help@sfu.ca

I get the Error "Selected files too large to generate zip file." when I try downloading a folder, why?

The limit of a folder to be download is 1GB. The reason is, that this fills up the hard disk on the web server with a temporary file and we do not have enough space to support a higher amount of data. Usually you only need this if you want to share a whole folder once with somebody who does not have SFU vault.

How do I collaborate with other institutions that run an Owncloud based service?

It’s possible to exchange links with other Owncloud users (outside of SFU vault) via Federated Cloud Sharing as long as the target Owncloud server supports it (ex. own cloud.westgrid.ca). You will need to know the other persons Owncloud account (ex. some_account@owncloud.westgrid.ca). The files will appear as external links in your SFU vault space.

Information Systems at SFU

Files & Sharing FAQ

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