Quota Questions
Temporary Storage in Linux
By default, each user is granted 8GB of storage in their home directory, but
we don’t recommend using that storage for temporary files.
/tmp: RAM backed storage
Each CADE machine has 32GB of VERY fast storage at /tmp intended for temporary files. This storage is local to each machine and is lost if the machine is powered off.
/var/tmp: SSD backed storage
If 32GB is not enough, you can use /var/tmp, which has ~200GB of SSD-backed storage. This storage is local to each machine and is retained across reboots.
/scratch: NFS backed storage
If you need more than 200GB, you can use /scratch/tmp, which is 10TB, but the speed will be significantly slower. This storage is accessible on all machines.
What is my disk quota?
8 GB
Your quota refers to how much storage one has on our servers. This includes anything saved while working in the CADE Lab (Linux), the MGK Mac Lab (macOS) or any of the Windows labs. The quota applies to anything within /home (ie, /home/username, as well as course directories, websites, SVN, etc.). Most machines have a ‘scratch disk’, or free space, that does NOT apply towards your quota.
On the CADE Linux machines, there are numerous additional storage locations. Take a look at our FAQ: CADE Temporary Storage
What is my print quota in the labs?
The current printing quota for each user is 400 pages per semester in CADE, MGK Mac, CS Undergrad and Engman/Teach Labs. Quotas are reset at the start of each semester (actually, 01/05, 05/11 and 08/19). There is no charge for printing, however, when your 400 pages have been used up we will NOT add extra pages. You do, however, have the ability to borrow up to 100 pages from the next semester via overdraft. If you choose to continue printing once your quota hits 0 pages remaining, you will start the next semester with 400 pages minus the overdraft amount. There is no print quota roll-over (we’re not T-Mobile), so the max per semester is 400 pages.
You can check your quota in the following ways:
– In CADE (Linux), a notification is displayed after logging in graphically displaying your page count. Or you can run the command lpquota in the terminal window.
– In Engman (Windows) got to Start > All Programs > Check My print Quota
– In the MGK Mac Lab (macOS), open /Applications/PCClient.app
– From anywhere, open a web browser to https://winlic-b.eng.utah.edu:9192/user and login with your Windows lab credentials.
Can I get pages added to my print quota?
Not very likely. Your student fees help cover the cost of printing, including, but not limited to paper, toner, the printers themselves and the wear & tear on the rollers. In this day and age, you should consider why you need to print more than that and find alternative ways of handling your documents, beside paper.
For general info on your print quota, see this FAQ.
What’s the command to check my disk quota?
Running ‘quota’ in a Terminal/command window in CADE will show you your usage and limit.
If you’d like to see whats taking up all that room, run ‘du -kx ~ | sort -n’.
Is there color printing available?
As of Spring 2019, the Engman Lab now has a color laser printer. Depending on the actual usage and cost of supplies for this printer this service may not be permanent. Printing to the color printer is around 5 to 10 times as expensive as printing to the black & white printers. As such, each color page sent to the color printer will reduce your print quota for the semester by 10 pages, and each black & white page will reduce your quota by 5 pages.
In order to prevent unintended or accidental color printing, access to this printer is granted using a security group. If you wish to use the color printer please contact the Help Desk in the CADE or Engman Labs and request access to the group. Once granted access please take care that you send print jobs to the correct printer to avoid accidentally printing in color when it is not intended.
How can I fix/get below my quota?
If you receive an e-mail telling you that you are over your quota or are having problems running software and get out-of-disk-space errors, you will need to delete some files from your home directory. To do this you will need to log into a machine in the CADE Lab via a virtual terminal. To do this hold down ctrl+alt and hit f4 at the login screen. You will then be dropped into a virtual terminal where you can log in with your regular name and password.
You can try and log in using the normal graphical, however this will be a very slow process.
Once you have logged in run the following command:
du -ka | sort -n
This will list all of the files you have within your home by size (in ascending order). You can deleted any files or directories that you no longer need:
rm filename to remove files
rm -rf directoryname to remove for directories – be aware- all files and subdirectories also removed.
Once you have deleted all the files you no longer need run the quota command:
quota
If you are still over you will need to delete more files. If this is not possible, please come to the Help Desk and we can discuss your situation.
If after deleting your files you find that the results of the sort command and the quota command are different (ie: the sort command says that you are under quota within your home but quota still says it is over) then it is possible that you have files elsewhere under /home.
This can happen if you have been part of any groups or teams that requires you to place files outside of your own home directory but within /home. If this happens please come to the Help Desk and we will be happy to run a search for you to locate the offending files.
May I get an increase to my disk quota?
Quota’s are set equally for all users based on what space we have available on our servers and what seems generally appropriate. However, we will review increase requests on a case by case basis. Please come to the CADE Staff Offices (WEB L224) and we will be happy to discuss your needs. Alternatively, send an e-mail to opers@eng.utah.edu describing your needs. We will assume you’ve tried removing what you can, as explained here.
Keep in mind that all Linux machines in CADE have a nfs mounted 5TB scratch space. Use to your liking. Please understand we DON’T BACK UP /scratch/tmp. Please make yourself a directory within /scratch/tmp