Installing CRSP Desktop for Mac
1. Introduction
The CRSP Desktop is a licensed and branded version of the generic Mountain Duck product. It allows you to map one or more CRSP drives or file paths to a folder name on your PC. This is easiest way to integrate CRSP storage into your desktop or laptop. While other software that uses the underlying SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) can be used to access CRSP, this is the client software that UCI supports.
If you encounter issues with the installation, contact CRSP support via e-mail hpc-support@uci.edu.
2. System Requirements
| Platform | Supported Operating System | Minimum Hardware Requirements |
|---|---|---|
macOS |
Monterey / Mojave / Catalina / Big Sur |
Intel or ARM (Apple Silicon) Processor / Minimum 8 GB of RAM / Minimum 1 GB of disk space |
3. Download CRSP Desktop
| You must be directly connected to the UCI network or remotely connected though the UCI VPN to download the installer |
| UCI pays a per-seat license for CRSP Desktop. Please do not share your downloaded copy of CRSP Desktop Installer with anyone. Instead have them download their copy through the method described here. |
Follow the instructions exactly as described below:
-
If you have a different (previous or newer) version of the CRSP Desktop (or Mountain Duck), please uninstall it.
-
Using your choice of the web browser logon to the CRSP File Browser where you need to login with your UCNetID and passwd:
Figure 1. Login with your UCNetIDand follow with DUO authentication.
-
After a successful authentication in the CRSP File Browser window under My Files tab click on the software, and after it opens click on the CRSP-Desktop folder.
-
Select CRSP-Desktop-Mac.zip and then click Download to download the file. Note, the menu with Download will appear only after you select the file:
Figure 2. Select CRSP-Desktop-mac.zip and then click 'download'
You may see a window asking to allow the download, click Allow:
4. Install CRSP Desktop
-
Depending on your Mac configuration, the file is downloaded in your Downloads folder or on your Desktop:
Figure 4. CRSP Desktop appFind the downloaded file, double-click on it to launch the installation. You will see a confirmation window, click Open:
Figure 5. Confirm opening of CRSP Desktop appThis installation includes the licensed version of CRSP Desktop.
Congratulations! CRSP Desktop is now installed in your system!
5. Configure your CRSP Lab as a Folder
Once the CRSP Desktop application is opened, there will be a small icon in the top toolbar:
First time the application is opened, it will automatically open a template window where you can configure your connection. The template bookmark is labeled panteater. You will edit this bookmark with your specific information.
5.1. Mapping Your CRSP Lab Share
The most common share to access is a lab share, owned by a UCI principal investigator. If you are a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher, you will need to know the UCNetID of your advisor.
Needed information to connect to CRSP:
-
Your UCNetID
-
The UCNetID of the CRSP lab owner (usually your PI, or your UCNetID if it is your CRSP Lab)
In this example configuration, we are going to use the following specific information for user "npw" to access the "ppapadop" lab:
-
UCNetID - npw
-
UCNetID of lab owner - ppapadop
You will edit four (4) fields in the default bookmark: Nickname, Username, Password and Path
| only the last part of the Path that represents your UCNetID (underlined) should be edited. The /mmfs1/crsp/lab must remain. |
| The URL is created from the information you type in, you don’t directly change it. This is using the SFTP protocol to access CRSP and is an end-to-end encrypted connection. |
After editing the bookmark with the specific information, your screen should look similar to the one below (but with your specific information in place):
Click Connect to save the updated bookmark and to connect to the share
5.2. Connecting Your CRSP Lab Share
After editing, if you click on the CRSP Desktop Notification Icon, you should see your edited bookmark. For our example, it looks like the following:
At this point, your lab share is connected and you can use it just like a folder or network drive:
6. Adding Additional Shares
You are not limited to just a single, mapped, space. To create a new share, click Open Connection to create a new template and edit it following the directions above. In this figure there are already 3 connections configured:
7. Quick Links
Please see guides below that provide more information and explain how to get an account, use CRSP and get help:
