File Sharing

DU provides on-premises network storage as an alternative to cloud storage (OneDrive). Files and folders stored on a network drive can be accessed without downloading them to your local machine. This storage is available to DU students, faculty, and staff, and is organized into two types: shared drives and Zephyr drives.

Jump to: Shared Drives vs. Zephyr Drives | Prerequisites | Connecting to a Drive | Using Your Drive

Shared Drives vs. Zephyr Drives

DU offers two types of network storage, distinguished by who can access them:

• Shared drives — for departments, groups, or other teams. Accessible to anyone formally granted access.
• Zephyr drives — private, individual drives assigned to a single person.

You may also hear these referred to as an "R" drive or a "Z" drive — these are just alternate names based on the university's naming conventions: "R" usually refers to shared drives, and "Z" to Zephyr drives.

The drive letter (R, Z, etc.) generally doesn't matter, but only one drive can be assigned to a given letter. If you need to access multiple shared drives, you'll need to map each to a different letter (e.g., if R is taken, use S). For consistency, we recommend sticking with the standard letter conventions when you can.

Prerequisites

Drive access

• Shared drives: access must be requested by your supervisor on your behalf, including the exact path to the drive and any subfolders you need. Use the Departmental File Share request form to request a new file share, a quota increase, or to add or remove access.
• Zephyr drives: DU employees are granted access automatically. If you need a new personal file share or a quota increase, use the Personal File Share request form.

Network

You'll need to be securely connected to the DU network. On campus, that means eduroam (wireless) or ethernet (wired). Off campus, connect to the DU VPN (GlobalProtect) first.

Connecting to (Mapping) the Drive

Mac

1. Open Finder.
2. From the menu bar, click Go > Connect to Server (or use Command + K).
3. In the Server Address field, enter the path for the drive you're connecting to:
   • Shared drive: smb://shares.du.edu/[path-to-drive]
   • Zephyr drive: smb://zephyr.du.edu/home/87X_/[firstname.lastname] (replace "X" with the third digit of your DU ID)
4. Click Connect. To save the connection for later, click the plus (+) icon.

Windows

1. Open File Explorer, right-click This PC, and select Map Network Drive.
2. In the Server Address field, enter the path for the drive you're connecting to:
   • Shared drive: \\shares.du.edu\[path-to-drive]
   • Zephyr drive: \\zephyr.du.edu\home\87X_\[firstname.lastname] (replace "X" with the third digit of your DU ID)
3. Check Reconnect at sign-in if you want the drive to stay connected permanently. If you're on a DU-owned computer signed into your DU account, leave Connect using different credentials unchecked — otherwise, check it.
4. Click Finish. Your drive will now appear under This PC.

Using Your Drive

Once connected, your network drive behaves like any other folder or drive on your computer — you can drag and drop, copy, or save files into it directly from Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows). There's no separate backup process to follow; anything you move into the drive is stored on DU's network storage.

If your drive doesn't appear where you expect it, revisit the connection steps above for your operating system. If it's still missing after that, contact the IT Help Center at ext. 1-4700.

Contact

If you encounter a screen or error message not covered by this article, or if you have any questions, please contact the IT Help Center by phone at 303.871.4700 or online at support.du.edu.