My users are taking tomuch space

qwertyiop

I work for a windows shop, my users all run windows XP and have their desktops and my documents folders redirected to a file server. Lately we have started to run low on space and I have to send out a email to my users asking them to review what they have on those drives and either delete or move whatever is no longer needed.

How would you guys put this in a email?

dynamik

Set a disk quota and explain the reasoning.

L0gicB0mb508

qwertyiop wrote: »

I work for a windows shop, my users all run windows XP and have their desktops and my documents folders redirected to a file server. Lately we have started to run low on space and I have to send out a email to my users asking them to review what they have on those drives and either delete or move whatever is no longer needed.

How would you guys put this in a email?

I like to take the subtle approach and threaten them with death.


I'd just tell them to delete anything unnecessary for work. Then I would probably just tell them we are running out of space and it has to be cleaned up.

qwertyiop

dynamik wrote: »

Set a disk quota and explain the reasoning.

I already have disk quota set up. Ive seen the disk space go from 70GB free to about 29GB free in about 2 weeks.

veritas_libertas

qwertyiop wrote: »

I already have disk quota set up. Ive seen the disk space go from 70GB free to about 29GB free in about 2 weeks.

Yikes! Somebody likes their photos, and MP3s.

L0gicB0mb508

qwertyiop wrote: »

I already have disk quota set up. Ive seen the disk space go from 70GB free to about 29GB free in about 2 weeks.

Set hard quotas and maybe make the quota a bit smaller.

edit: Then tell them to delete anything not work related.

GAngel

Do a search on pictures,movies and music. Talk to those users abusing it and i'll bet you get quite a bit of space. Then implement quotas.

veritas_libertas

GAngel wrote: »

Do a search on pictures,movies and music. Talk to those users abusing it and i'll bet you get quite a bit of space. Then implement quotas.

I have lately been running into this problem with our users. It's a known fact that if you give users space, they will fill it. Doesn't matter if it's 100MB, or 100GB.

carboncopy

L0gicB0mb508 wrote: »

I like to take the subtle approach and threaten them with death.

Great minds think alike :P

wd40

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Yikes! Somebody likes their photos, and MP3s.

We had caught a guy which saved around 40 GB of movies on his desktop, we could have forwarded the issue to HR but it was partly our mistake because we forgot to disable USB ports on his machine
...
any way, If you have full access to the server you can use SequoiaView

Download Page

from a normal PC and scan the server Data Drive "For example \\myserver\d$"

But be warned, it will take a very long time to complete

and use the color option, and it will show you all large files, movies, photos, music etc in a single look.

Forsaken_GA

Simon's Pages

Start reading.

You'll get a few ideas.

neathneathneath

L0gicB0mb508 wrote: »

I like to take the subtle approach and threaten them with death.


I'd just tell them to delete anything unnecessary for work. Then I would probably just tell them we are running out of space and it has to be cleaned up.

not quite sure about the "death" bit but would cut down on the megabytes

Not meaning to hijack the thread - maybe of use to users:

We have similar problems on a windows server 2003 domain.
We have identified the heavy users who have mp3 files etc.
We have setup quotas but in the options it states that quotas will only apply to "new users on this volume." What happens with existing users?

Any ideas how to get around this so that existing users have the quotas applied?

unsupported

Go after the business aspect, start charging their departments for drive usage.

GT-Rob

Just fake a disaster and pretend you lost the file servers and backups, then just delete it all.


Free space: 100%

RobertKaucher

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Simon's Pages

Start reading.

You'll get a few ideas.

...

Another user rings.
"I need more space" he says
"Well, why not move to Texas?" I ask
"No, on my account, stupid."
Stupid? Uh-Oh..
"I'm terribly sorry" I say, in a polite manner equal to that of Jimmy Stewart in a Weekend Family Matine Feature "I didn't quite catch that. What was it that you said?"
I smell the fear coming down the line at me, but it's too late, he's a goner and he knows it.
"Um, I said what I wanted was more space on my account, *please*" "Sure, hang on"

I hear him gasp his relief even though he'd covered the mouthpeice.
"There, you've got *plenty* of space now!"
"How much have I got?" he simps
Now this *REALLY* *PISSES* *ME* *OFF*! Not only do they want me to give them extra space, they want to check it, then correct me if I don't give them enough! They should be happy with what I give them *and that's it*!
Back into Jimmy Stewart mode.
"Well, let's see, you have 4 Meg available" "Wow! Eight Meg in total, thanks!" he says, pleased with his bargaining power

"No" I interrupt, savouring this like a fine red at room temperature, with steak, extra rare, to follow; "4 Meg in total.."
"Huh? I'd used 4 Meg already, How could I have 4 Meg Available?" I say nothing. It'll come to him.

networker050184

GT-Rob wrote: »

Just fake a disaster and pretend you lost the file servers and backups, then just delete it all.


Free space: 100%

I think that is your only option.

apena7

Sounds like you might have to overhaul the entire process in order to see some meaningful results.

Instead of automatically replicating from the Desktop and My Documents folder, you can create a "work" folder on the root of their C drive and have that replicated to the file server. That way, if it's important, they will save it to that folder and keep their other crap off of your file server.

wd40

apena7 wrote: »

Sounds like you might have to overhaul the entire process in order to see some meaningful results.

Instead of automatically replicating from the Desktop and My Documents folder, you can create a "work" folder on the root of their C drive and have that replicated to the file server. That way, if it's important, they will save it to that folder and keep their other crap off of your file server.

He can Create a personal folder on the server and Map it to each users profile.

The problem is *some* people will not use it until there HDD crash and they lose all there data.

It will be there mistake but because you are the IT guy they will want you to fix it.

apena7

wd40 wrote: »

He can Create a personal folder on the server and Map it to each users profile.

The problem is *some* people will not use it until there HDD crash and they lose all there data.

It will be there mistake but because you are the IT guy they will want you to fix it.

That's true. However the expectation should be set that when a hard drive crashes (whether it their mistake or otherwise), there may be little or nothing that could be done. I'm a little old school and reply "Mira! That's so you learn! " haha.

jojopramos

Anyway, thats just it... Disk Quota... the best way to control/limit the free space on your server...

pennystrader

If we could just get rid of the users these problems would go away...

"No. No, of course not. We find it's always better to fire people on a Friday. Studies have statistically shown that there's less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week." Office Space

tha_dub

Go buy a 1tb usb drive and slap it on one of the servers. Tell people they cans tore their music and crap that doesn't need raid and daily backup there. Get an okay from the bosses then threaten them if you find mp3's and vids etc on their main shares.

seuss_ssues

dynamik wrote: »

Set a disk quota and explain the reasoning.

Disk quotas, a well written IT policy, and management that will enforce it.

Then you have no problem.

Forsaken_GA

I personally find that symlinking users home directories to /dev/null leaves plenty of space on the server for my piratebay downloads.

tha_dub

Oh on another related note does anybody remember outlook 97 and PST files? ;)

They hit 2 gb and corrupt no if and or but.... The last place I worked quite a few years ago wouldn't pay to upgrade. I would run a check once a week and email anybody with over 1.5 gigs (that's a lotta email) to delete some or lose it. Of course after repeated weekly emails they had done nothing. Microsoft had a repair tool but you were lucky to recover half of the mail randomly at best.....

I suppose we could have recovered it off the tape drive but the thought just didn't cross my mind.....

Hyper-Me

Tell the users you are giving them 2 days in which to remove any files they arent supposed to be storing, and after that you will be going through the directories one by one and reporting any offenders to their supervisor.

Then, instill hard quotas with file filters using FSRM.