NHLBI DIR IT Wiki

 

For day-to-day operational support (i.e., installing software, troubleshooting error messages, how-to questions, etc.) you should contact the IT Service Desk. You can submit a request online or call (301) 496-4357(HELP). Your ticket will be triaged and sent to the group best suited to help you.  

 

You can also reach out to the Office of Scientific Information (OSI) at nhlbi_dir_sio@nhlbi.nih.gov. OSI is a scientific IT team dedicated to the DIR, supporting all labs with their scientific IT needs for the research. Reach out early and often. 

 

NHLBI Storage 

NHLBIs primary storage is the Isilon, which is hosted in the Building 12 Data Center on campus and houses about 13 PB of DIR data. There are 4 locations that you may have access to: 

       Home (H :) this is only accessible by you 

       Lab (L:)   these types of drives are only accessible to your lab. This is typically the primary storage for a lab. All lab members have access. 

       Private (P:)  these drives are typically used to store patient information and only a subset of the lab may need access. 

       DIRSHARE  this is a shared directory, typically used by NHLBI cores to transfer data and results to/from DIR labs. DIRSHARE should not be used for primary storage. Labs should transfer data back to their L-drives or P-drives 

Learn more at the intranet page. See below for information on the DIR's Archive Storage Policy 

 

Archive Storage Policy 

In order to better manage the DIR's data, we have a DIR Archive Storage Policy. This policy archive infrequently accessed data both on DIRSHARE and L-drives. The policy does not archive data on P-drives or H-drives. Data on DIRSHARE is archived if not accessed in 6-months. Data on L-drives is archived if not accessed in 6-years. Every L-drive has a 1-TB folder called DO_NOT_ARCHIVE; data placed in this folder is never archived, not matter the age. To retrieve archived data, you can submit an IT ticket to the ITAC storage team. Data typically is restored in about one day. 

 

Cloud Resources 

DIR researchers have access to cloud computing through NIH STRIDES. Learn more at the NHLBI Cloud Intranet Page. You can request a sandbox account to explore cloud resources. When you are ready for a permanent account, please request one as part of your lab's budget formulation. You can reach out to OSI at nhlbi_dir_sio@nhlbi.nih.gov to get started 

 

Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) 

An electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) is a system used to create, store, retrieve and share electronic research records in a manner that replaces all the functions of a paper notebook and complies with NIH records management and security requirements. NIH requires intramural research labs to maintain ELNs. Please consult the intranet page for the latest information and how to get started. 

 

 

Software Requests 

NIH allows only approved software that is to be used for NIH business purposes to be installed on NIH computers. NHLBI maintains a list of approved and denied software. If a program is not already on the approved list, approval from the NHLBI ISSO is required before installing the software. To request a new software, you can submit a Software Request 

 

Data Management and Sharing (DMS) 

The NIH published the NIH DMS Policy effective January 2023. All intramural investigators must have DMS plans submitted in NIDB for all Z-supported research and clinical protocols. NHLBI suggests the following: 

       If your data needs to have controlled access: BioData Catalyst (BDC) 

       If a domain specific repository already exists, please use it 

       Otherwise, we use our NHLBI FigShare site 

Additional Resources 

       DMS plan templates and FigShare submission instructions are available at the NHLBI DIR IT Teams Channel 

       So are BDC and FigShare Information Sessions 

       Reach out to OSI (nhlbi_dir_sio@mail.nih.gov )if you have any questions regarding BioData Catalyst, FigShare or other repositories  

 

NHLBI Chat 

NHLBI Chat is a secure general purpose chat bot available to all NHLBI staff. While this AI tool is not trained on NIH, NHLBI, or biomedical data, it allows staff to use this type of technology for sensitive workloads (excluding PII). Find more information at the NHLBI Chat Intranet Page. 

 

Other Resources 

       Approved Adobe Creative Cloud Alternative Applications 

       Remote VPN Access 

       Map Your Network Drive 

       Administrative Accounts AA 

       HHS Foreign Travel Memo 

       The NHLBI Customer Support Tool NCST 

       NHLBI Intranet 

       Special Purpose Equipment 

       Pre-Approved IT Devices 

       Standard IT Equipment Request Orde