Indiana University
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Using Slashtmp

The Slashtmp service allows Indiana University graduate students, faculty, and staff to share non-sensitive research data with others via a web interface. It is particularly useful for sharing files that are too large to send via email. Slashtmp supports file encryption.

Your Slashtmp files will disappear automatically 30 days after you upload them (but you may delete them sooner if you wish). Slashtmp files are not backed up; when you delete a file, there is no way to recover it. You should not use Slashtmp as the only place to keep files you cannot afford to lose.

Your Slashtmp account is allotted 2GB of storage space. The heading of your "File download section" shows how many files you have stored, followed by the total amount of used space and then the percentage of used quota.

Note: Do not use Slashtmp as a place to store data subject to HIPAA or FDA CFR 11 regulations. When uploading other information classified as critical at IU (e.g., Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or bank account numbers), you must encrypt the uploaded file by entering an encryption password. To reduce the risk of unauthorized people accessing your file, send the password and the file URL to the intended recipient in separate messages.

To report problems with Slashtmp, email ithelp@iu.edu.

On this page:

Uploading a file to share with others

To upload a file so you can share it with others:

  1. Use your IU Network ID to log into Slashtmp.

  2. In the "File upload section", under "Upload one of your files", click Browse to select the file (maximum size allowed is 2GB).

  3. Add an optional "File Description" (UITS recommends you do this).

  4. To restrict access to users with an IU Network ID, select Must authenticate to download. If you don't choose this options, anyone with the URL for the uploaded file can access it (unless the file is encrypted).

  5. To reduce the risk of unauthorized access, encrypt the file by entering a password next to "Encryption password".

    Giving your uploaded file a password provides an additional level of security for the URL that is generated. The password you enter is used to encrypt your file on the Slashtmp server disk. You (and others with whom you share it) must use the password to download the file. Someone who learns the URL for a file will need the encryption password to properly decrypt the file.

    Note: The Slashtmp server never stores your password. Your password is used only to encrypt and then to decrypt the data. If you forget your password or mistype it during upload, there is no way to recover the original data. If this happens, delete the file from Slashtmp and upload it again.

  6. When you're finished, click Upload the file!.

  7. Slashtmp notifies you when the upload is complete, and provides a URL and quick link for accessing the file. Follow the on-screen instructions to return to the main page.

  8. Email the URL to people with whom you want to share the file. If the file is encrypted, you must share the encryption password, too. Warn others if accessing the file requires IU Network ID authentication.

Your newly uploaded file will appear in the "File download section" on the main page with the URL for sharing the file, the date it was uploaded, the file type, the description, the file size, and the date the file was last accessed.

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Letting someone share a file with you

The Create upload URL! feature will not work until you have uploaded at least one file to Slashtmp. If you are unable to create an upload URL, try uploading a file to Slashtmp first.

To let someone share a file with you:

  1. On the Slashtmp main page, in the "File upload section", under "Allow a guest user to upload a file", click Create upload URL!.

  2. On the resulting page, copy the URL and email it to the person who has the file to share. That person can follow the URL to upload the file using the instructions above.

  3. When the person has uploaded the file, it will appear in your "File download section". To download the file, under "URL/Link", click the corresponding link and choose to save the file to your computer.

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Deleting files

Your Slashtmp files will disappear automatically 30 days after you upload them (but you may delete them sooner if you wish). Slashtmp files are not backed up; when you delete a file, there is no way to recover it. You should not use Slashtmp as the only place to keep files you cannot afford to lose.

To delete a file on Slashtmp:

  1. On the Slashtmp main page, find the file in the "File download section".

  2. Under "Keep/Delete", select Delete file, and then Delete checked files.

You will see a notification when the deletion is complete, and you can then follow the on-screen instructions to return to the main page.

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