HAWK DRIVE

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: What is Hawk Drive?
    A: Hawk Drive is based on file sharing and storage software called Digital Locker developed specifically for educational institutions by Xythos, a leader in collaboration software.  Xythos collaboration software is used by hundreds of colleges and universities around the world including Boston College, Harvard, Yale, the University of Wisconsin, University of Colorado and the University of Northern Colorado, to name a few.
  • Q: When will Hawk Drive be available to faculty and staff?
    A: Hawk Drive is available to all KU faculty and staff for individual use as of April 6, 2009. 
  • Q: When will Hawk Drive be available to students?
    A: Hawk Drive will be available to all KU students in Fall 2009.
  • Q: Why would I want to use Hawk Drive?
    A: Hawk Drive enables sharing of files with anyone with the ability to control access and track versions.  It is more than just shared storage space for files, it’s a great collaboration tool.
  • Q: Can Hawk Drive be accessed off campus?
    A: Yes, Hawk Drive can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.
  • Q: Can files and folders be shared with non-KU colleagues?
    A: Yes, non-KU colleagues can access any folders or files for which you provide a ticket for access.
  • Q: What are the limitations and known issues in Hawk Drive?
    A: The current roll out does not include departmental accounts.
        Pre-existing users will have to recreate their personal bookmarks.
        The trash function will only be available on folders created after April 6, 2009.
        When a user clicks the browser "back" button, it returns you to your personal home directory.
  • Q: How will Hawk Drive training be conducted?
    A: See Hawk Drive Training.
  • Q: How is Hawk Drive being supported?
    A:     Hawk Drive is supported by the IT Customer Service Center.
  • Q: What happens to my files on Hawk Drive when I’m no longer associated with KU?
    A: Faculty and Staff access to Hawk Drive will be removed on their termination day.  Files will remain in their user directory for 30 days.
  • Q: Can my files be restored if they are accidentally deleted from my Hawk Drive?
    A: The Hawk Drive server is backed up for disaster recovery purposes only.  Once a file is deleted from your Hawk Drive it will be moved into a Trash folder.  Trash will remain in the trash folder for 30 days before it is automatically deleted.  Once the file is deleted from the Trash folder it is permanently deleted.
  • Q: Can I store MP3 and movie files in my Hawk Drive space?
    A:     If you created the file, and it doesn’t exceed your 1 GB space limit on Hawk Drive, the answer is yes. Otherwise the answer is probably not. Please review KU Students Responsibilities for Internet Use and Computing at http://www.dmca.ku.edu/, especially “The Low-Down on Downloads and the DMCA” section and below. This site outlines how KU handles copyright violations complaints, and also details the possibilities for lawsuits and prosecution.
  • Q: Do I have to pay a fee to use Hawk Drive?
    A: No, Hawk Drive for individuals is an enterprise service provided by KU IT and there is no fee to use the service.
  • Q: How much space do I have on Hawk Drive?
    A: Hawk Drive for individuals provides 1 Gb of storage per person.