FOLDER VERSUS DIRECTORY: These two terms can be used interchangeably. Directory is the older, more technical term for a folder. In this document, we will use the more user-friendly term folder.

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Retrieval Methods

If you mistakenly delete or change a file stored in IFS, we provide two ways for you to recover it from your backed-up files:

• Access the most recent backup of your home or group folder by yourself anytime at no cost.
• Request a restore from any of the preceding 14 days or for a weekly backup from the past six weeks.
  TIME AND COST: We will restore your entire Home or group folder as soon as possible although the recovery may take up to one business day. We typically provide this service at no cost; however, we reserve the right to implement a charge for requests that will exceed the time and resources expended for a standard restore. We will advise you of any cost prior to performing the restore. For students, the fee will appear in their student account. Faculty and staff members should provide a departmental account or shortcode.

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Accessing Your Most Recent Backup

MFile for both Windows and Macintosh Users

NEED HELP USING MFILE? Please refer to Using MFile To Acces Your IFS Home Directory Over the Web with MFile (S4311).
1. Log in to MFile at http://mfile.umich.edu/.
2. At the bottom of Folder Properties, click Show Hidden Files.
   
3. Click the .oldfiles folder that will appear in your list of files and folders. You may need to scroll down to see it.
   HINT: Once you've opened the .oldfiles folder, click Hide Hidden Files in the Folder Properties box to make the contents of your list easier to view. Doing so does not harm anything, and you do not have to reactivate it.
   
4. Locate the file you want and copy it back to your computer.

From a Windows Computer

1. Use secure file transfer software to connect to your Home or group folder). Members of the U-M community can download SSH Secure Shell software at no charge from the Blue Disc web site.

NEED HELP USING SSH SECURE SHELL? Please refer to Using SSH Secure Shell to Transfer Files with sftp [Windows] (S4299)
2. Under the SSH View menu, select Show Hidden Files.
   
3. In the Remote Name list on the right, double-click .oldfiles. You may need to scroll down the list.
   
   

   HINT: Once you've opened the .oldfiles folder, under the View menu again, uncheck Show Hidden Files in the Folder Properties box to make the contents of your list easier to view. Doing so does not harm anything, and you do not have to reactivate it.

4. Locate the file you want and copy it back to your computer.

From a Macintosh Computer

1. Use secure file transfer software to connect to your Home or group folder. ITS provides Fugu and Fetch for this purpose. You can download either from the Blue Disc web site. Both programs have built-in help under the Help menu.
2. Under Fugu's SFTP menu, select Show Hidden Files. Fetch automatically shows hidden files.
   The following screen shots are from Fugu.
   
3. The .oldfiles folder will appear in your list of directories/folders and files. Look inside it for the most recent backup of your files.
   

HINT: In Fugu, once you've opened the .oldfiles folder, under the SFTP menu, select again Show Hidden Files to make the contents of your list easier to view. Doing so does not harm anything, and you do not have to reactivate it.

4. Locate the file you want and copy it back to your computer.

Using ITS Login Service

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING: We only recommend this method for those who are familiar with the command line interface of terminal programs.

HINT: At the end of each step, you must press Enter or Return.

1. Using an ssh terminal program, enter
   ssh login.itd.umich.edu
2. When prompted for your password, enter your UMICH Kerberos password.
3. View your directories by entering
   cd ~<your uniqname or group name>

   where <your uniqname or group name> is your uniqname or name of the group you wish to view. Do not include the <> characters.
   For example: cd ~bjensen

4. To view the file and folder list, enter
   ls -a
5. To access the files and directories from your most recent backup, enter
   cd .oldfiles
6. To copy a file from the .oldfiles folder to your Home or group folder, enter
   cp <file> ../<new location>

   For example: cp mypaper.doc ../Public/html

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Request a Restore

What You Can Expect

• We will restore your entire Home or group folder as it existed on the approximate date you specify.
• The restored folder will:
  • not overwrite your existing folder. Your data is safe.
  • appear in your Home or group folder as RESTORE.yyyymmdd where yyyymmdd is the original date of the restored folder.
  • will not take up any of your IFS space.
  • ONE WEEK TIME LIMIT: After we inform you that we have provided your restored folder, you will have one week to access it. After one week, we will delete it from your Home or group folder. If you need more than a week, copy the files into your home folder, hard drive or other file storage medium.

• Your full name
• Your uniqname
• Location in IFS of the original file (the pathname)
• Approximate date you last saw the file(s) you want restored

TIME AND COST: We will restore your entire Home or group folder as soon as possible although the recovery may take up to one business day. We typically provide this service at no cost; however, we reserve the right to implement a charge for requests that will exceed the time and resources expended for a standard restore. We will advise you of any cost prior to performing the restore. For students, the fee will appear in their student account. Faculty and staff members should provide a departmental account or shortcode.

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Additional Resources

Using MFile To Access Your IFS Home Directory Over the Web (S4311)

Using SSH Secure Shell to Transfer Files with sftp [Windows] (S4299)

IFS Overview (R1070)

ITS's Online Help Desk provides a variety of computing help resources.

For further help with IFS, send e-mail or phone (734) 764-HELP [764-4357].

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