When Do Sites Machines Delete Saved Data?

Summary

A breakdown of how long users can expect their data to persist on Sites machines

Body

Environment

Sites Windows, Sites Mac, Virtual Sites

Issue

How long does my data persist if I save it locally on a Sites machine, including Virtual Sites?

Resolution

We recommend that anyone using physical Sites locations or Virtual Sites use Kumo to configure a U-M cloud storage service (Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive) for long-term file storage.

All Sites machines are optimized to run in a group environment. This means that while we set the following rules in place, the machines may make deviations, such as purging data 24 hours early, to optimize their performance. The following guidelines are expected but not guaranteed. Profile and data persistence is similar across Sites machines with slight variations as follows.

Windows

  • Physical Machines
    • Users are automatically logged out after 20 minutes of inactivity
    • A user's profile is deleted after 72 hours of inactivity
      • If a user logs in to the same computer within 72 hours of their previous session they can expect their data to remain on the local drive
    • Med School machines (located in THSL) have a 120 min logout
  • Virtual Sites Machines
    • Profile deletion after 72 hours of inactivity
      • If a user logs in to Virtual Sites within 72 hours of their previous session they can expect their data to remain on that machine's local drive
    • If you are simultaneously logged into more than one Virtual Sites session (e.g., GPU session and non-GPU session), files saved to a local drive will not persist across sessions
    • a user's session is disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity and logged off 5 minutes after that
    • After a Virtual Sites session is terminated, session data is deleted within 15 minutes
      • Session data includes any unsaved data and open applications at the time of termination

Mac

  • Users are automatically logged out after 20 minutes of inactivity
  • A users profile is deleted after 72 hours of inactivity
    • If a user logs in to the same machine within 72 hours they can expect their data to still be there

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

Details

Details

Article ID: 10176
Created
Mon 5/15/23 2:55 PM
Modified
Fri 6/2/23 4:25 PM

Related Services / Offerings

Related Services / Offerings (2)

This service is available to those using their own device or a U-M computer, and offers no-hassle, secure, and free access to U-M provided software, desktop computing, and printing, all supported by knowledgeable support staff.
This form is to request assistance with Printing at Campus Computing locations (also known as Sites) across campus via MPrint. Sites locations offer black and white, color, tabloid, or poster printers. Everyone is welcome to print at Campus Computing locations, though printing allocations vary. Most Campus Computing Sites provide black and white laser printing, and several provide color or large format printing. Use this request for support of these printers.