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DaVinci Resolve
Final Cut Pro
Media ComposerSystem Admin
It’s your responsibility to oversee and manage your creative.space system, from setting up and configuring spaces to managing user accounts and ensuring the overall health and security of the system.
Welcome to the creative.space platform! As a System Admin, you are the backbone of your team's workflow. It's your job to oversee and manage your creative.space server.
Let's walk through the functionalities that are important and unique to your role:
- Create User Accounts - Set up the credentials your team will use to access the storage and creative.space applications.
- Allocate Storage - Carve your storage up into virtual partitions and control how capacity is allocated across them.
- Schedule and Delete Snapshots - Protect your data from accidental deletion, including ransomware attacks.
- Configure Networking - Quickly view activity over each connection and change IP addresses as needed to make sure users have the access they need.
- Onboard Remote Users - Set up remote access by receiving a node ID from the user’s desktop app and sending out a config file with a network ID.
Navigating the Web App
As a System Admin, you have the highest level of access to the creative.space web app, which is designed to make managing the system intuitive for non-technical users.
The web app has four pages: System, Team, Spaces, and Monitor.
System
When you first log into the web app, you will arrive at the System page. This page displays how the node's storage is allocated, how the node is connected to your network, who is connected to it, what tasks are running, and what hardware is inside the node.
This is your primary control center. From the System page, you can:
Use the System page to:
You can also use the system section to:
Available Actions
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Team
The Team page lists all of the user accounts that can access content on the node.
When you first log in, this page will contain two accounts:
- Your admin account
- A support account, which our support staff will use in case you need them to access the node.
Use the team page to:
You can also use the team page to:
- Let other people manage the node
- Organize information about each of your team members
- Deactivate user accounts
Available Actions
Spaces
The Spaces page is a file browser that shows you all of your content. When you first log in, the spaces page will be empty. As you upload content to the node, it will appear here.
Use the spaces page to:
You can also use the spaces page to:
- View and organize your content
- Review your content's metadata
- Search for content
- Make templates for your content
Tabs on the Spaces Page
Beyond the file browser, there are additional tabs on the spaces page designed for various media management tasks:
- Spaces - Browse the spaces hosted on your creative.space node.
- Ingest - Connect, browse, and copy from read-only external storage locations using USB, SMB, and FTP
- Templates - Create folder structures with custom variables and permissions for your team to apply using a form.
- Snapshots - Browse your snapshots and restore deleted and modified assets from them.
- Libraries - Browse the contents of your spaces based on custom metadata tags.
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Available Actions
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Monitor
The Monitor page offers real-time performance metrics, helping you preemptively tackle potential issues.
This dashboard features gauges and graphs that display system resources over the past 10 minutes. Every second the node collects over 2,000 metrics, that can be presented as hundreds of charts, and is currently monitored by approximately 150 potential alarms. Some of these charts are displayed on this page.
Use the monitor section to:
- Monitor performance
Add Your Team Members
creative.space lets you share content with everyone you work with. All you need to do is add them to your team. Your team consists of user accounts, which are assigned a role and can be put into groups.
As a System Admin, you are the only one who can create spaces, but you have the option of deferring access control to a Team Leader.
Create User Accounts
Your user account is your passport to the node. It determines what content can access, and what kinds of changes you can make to the node. Your role is System Admin. You can access everything on the node, from the content stored in it, to the management interface. Most notably, you have the power to grant others access to the node, by creating user accounts for them.
As the system administrator, you will be the one responsible for creating all of the user accounts.
Create a separate account for everyone you work with. Do not share a single user account among different team members.
To create a user account:
- Go to the Team page of the web app as a ‘Team Leader’ or ‘System Admin’.
- Click ‘+’ and then ‘Create User’.
- (Optional) Click the ‘Person’ icon.
- Select one of the included avatars or upload a profile picture for the new user.
- Use the ‘Username’ text field to enter a username for the new user.
- Use the ‘Password’ text box to set a password for the new user.
- 1 uppercase letter
- 1 lowercase letter
- 1 symbol (e.g. `!` `.` `@` `#` `$` `%` `^` `&` `*` `(` `)` `-` `_` `+`)
- 1 number
- Use the ‘User Role’ dropdown to select the role you woud like the user to have.
- Use the ‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’ text boxes to enter the user's first and last name.
- Use the ‘Email’ text box to enter the user's email address. If the user has a role of ‘System Admin’ or ‘System Monitor’, then the node will send notifications to this email address.
- Use the ‘Phone Number’ text box to enter the user's phone number. If the user has a role of ‘System Admin’ or ‘System Monitor’, then the node will send SMS notifications to this phone number.
- Use the ‘Notification Type’ dropdown to select where you would like the node to send notifications.
- Click ‘Add User’.
No two users can have the same username. Once a username has been used, it can never be re-used. You cannot change a user's username once you have set it.
Even if you deactivate a user, you cannot re-assign its username to any other user, ever.
Choose a secure password for your user
A secure password should contain at least:
When the user logs in, they can change the password you gave them to whatever they like. However, you have the ability change it again just in case they forget it.
Assign a Role
Make sure to give users the proper role to control what they can see and do:
- System Admin: Oversee and manage the entire creative.space system. This includes setting up and configuring Spaces, managing user accounts and permissions, and ensuring the overall health and security of the system.
- System Monitor: Monitor system performance and health. They do not actively manage or configure the system, but instead keep track of system operations and report potential issues.
- Team Leader: Manage access and workflow within specific Spaces. They control who can access certain Spaces and files, and ensure that team members have the necessary permissions to execute their tasks.
- Team Member: Engage in creative production and collaboration within assigned Spaces. They use the platform for daily operational tasks such as file management, content creation, and collaboration.
- Client: Browse, search, and find media assets through the Libraries interface. They have no access to any other web app interfaces, except to change their own password.
- User: Limited to mounting shares via SMB through an OS. They have no access to the desktop app. The web app can only be accessed to change their own password.
Create Groups
If you have a large team, you can organize each team member into one or more groups. A group is a set of user accounts. A user account can be included in as many or as few groups as you want. Groups make it easy to grant all the user accounts included within them access to the same space.
To create a group:
- Go to Team page of the web app as a ‘System Admin’ or ‘Team Leader’.
- Click on ’+’ and then ‘Create Group’.
- Use the ‘Group Name’ text box to enter a group name. Then click ‘Create Group’.
Create groups that match your organization's structure. For example, if your organization has a group of editors, a group of animators, a group of VFX artists, and a group of production managers, make one group for each of these roles.
You can put a user in more than one group. For example, if your organization has someone who edits and animates, you can add their user account to both the editor and animator groups.
If you delete a group, you will not delete any of the users within that group. However, you will revoke all of the access that the group conferred upon the included users.
Access Control
Best practice is to grant access to Spaces, folders, and files using Groups. This makes changing who can access what as easy as changing which groups a user is a member of, instead of having to change every individual permission the user has.
Adding Users to Groups: The dropdown knows who is already in the group and eliminates them from the list.
Grant a Group Access to a Space: Assign read and write access to a Space and its contents.
Team Leaders only see the Spaces they have access. Once they do, they can manage permissions. This can be a critical hand-off of responsibility, where the Team Leader takes over day-to-day management of the storage.
Remove a User from a Group: To revoke a user's access, you can remove them from groups.
Deactivate a User: Alternatively, deactivating their account freezes their permissions and revokes access to the entire system.
Reactivate a User: If and when they need access again, you can simply reactivate their account and everything will be back to how it was before.
Reboot or Shutdown the System
Navigation: If you need to power cycle your system, the options can be found at the bottom of the system page.
Create Spaces
A space is a portion of the node's storage. It is a versatile way to organize, protect and restrict access to your content.
By default, spaces stretch to fit the content you place within them. However, you can limit how large a space can grow, and you can also limit how small a space can shrink.
Each space can have its own set of access restrictions. By default, no one can access a space except for the person who created it. However, you can always grant users and groups permission to access a space.
- Go to the System page of the web app.
- Click ‘Add a Space’ in the ‘Pool’ you want to create the space in.
- Use the text box to enter a name for your space. Keep in mind that names cannot start with a number, and cannot contain spaces or punctuation.
- Click ‘Create Share and Set Permissions’.
- Click ‘OK’.
(Alternative) Go to the Spaces page. Click the “+” button to select a Pool and then name your Space.
Sharing a Space
When you create a space, the share card will appear automatically, but you can bring it up by selecting View Share later.
Select a Share Type: Choose between SMB and Time Machine.
Set Permissions: Define access for users and groups (note: user rights take precedence over group rights).
Configure Settings: Adjust recursive permissions, space visibility (Browsable), and write permissions (Writable).
Managing Capacity with Quotas and Reservations
Navigation: Click the gear icon next to the 'Available' capacity of a Space.
Quotas: Set limits to control the growth of a space.
Reservations: Allocate and protect storage capacity from being used by other spaces.
Connect to a Space (without Desktop App)
Each space can be shared over your network. This means that you can access it from any workstation on your network. While the desktop app makes connecting to spaces much easier, as a manager it is helpful to know how to access the storage without it.
How you connect to a space varies depending on your workstation's operating system:
MacOS
The easy way:
The standard way:
- Click on Spaces. Next, find the space you want to share, and then click on the ’…’. icon.
- Click on ‘Copy Path’. The link to access the space will be copied to your computer's clipboard.
- Open Finder.
- Click on ‘Go’.
- Click on ‘Connect to Server’.
- Paste the link you copied in step 2 into ‘Server Address’. Then, click ‘Connect’.
- The first time you connect to the node, MacOS will ask you to confirm that you want to connect. Click ‘Connect’ again.
- Enter the username you use to log into the node in the ‘Name’ text box and the password you use to log into the node in the ‘ Password’ text box. Then, click ‘Connect’. Your space will show up as a network share in the Finder.
If you are unable to connect to a space after following these steps, make sure that your user account, or a group that you are part of has been added to the space.
Keep in mind that even if your workstation is on the same network as the node, you will only be allowed to access the contents of a space if you have been added to it.
Windows
- Click on Spaces. Next, find the space you want to share, and then click on the ‘…’.
- Click on ‘Copy Path’. The link to access the space will be copied to your computer's clipboard.
- Click on the ‘Folder’ icon.
- Paste the link you copied in Step 2 into the ‘Quick Access’ text box and then click the ‘right arrow’ icon.
- Enter the username you use to log into the node in ‘Username’ text box and the password you use to log into the node in the ‘Password’ text box. Then click ‘OK’. Your space will show up as a network share.
If you are unable to connect to a space after following these steps, make sure that your user account, or a group that you are part of has been added to the space.
Keep in mind that even if your workstation is on the same network as the node, you will only be allowed to access the contents of a space if you have been added to it.
Linux
- Click on Spaces. Next, find the space you want to share, and then click on the ‘…’ icon.
- Click on ‘Copy Path’. The link to access the space will be copied to your computer's clipboard.
- Go to ‘Places’, then select ‘Browse Network’.
- Select the network destination you want to connect to. In this case, it's CREATIVESPACE.
- Select the space you want to connect to. In this case, it's
my-content. - Select ’Registered User’. Then enter the username you use to log into the node in ‘Username’, enter
WORKGROUPin ’Domain’ and the password you use to log into the node in ’Password’. Finally, click ’Connect’.
Your workstation's network browser needs to use multicast domain name system (mDNS) to find the node on the network. If your workstation's firewall blocks mDNS, the node will not show up in the network browser. Fortunately, it's easy to unblock mDNS:
Step 1
Go to ’Applications’, then ’Sundry’, and select ’Firewall’.
Step 2
Enter the password you use to log into your workstation into the ‘Password’ text box, and click ’Authenticate’.
Step 3
Check ‘mdns’ in ’Zones’ > ’public’ section of Firewall Configuration. Then close the window.
If you are unable to connect to a space after following these steps, make sure that your user account, or a group that you are part of has been added to the space.
Keep in mind that even if your workstation is on the same network as the node, you will only be allowed to access the contents of a space if you have been added to it.
Snapshot Management
Create and schedule snapshots to secure your data.
Creating a Snapshot: Creating snapshots is easy and they do not consume any capacity until files are modified or deleted.
Expiring Snapshots: Set an expiration date to automatically delete the snapshot instead of having to do it manually.
Schedule Rolling Snapshots: We suggest creating recurring snapshots every hour that expire daily. This will provide a secure backup for file restoration purposes.
View and Manage Tasks: You can view and delete snapshot schedules from the system page.
Deleting Snapshots
From the Snapshots page: To delete a Snapshot, select the available options for the Snapshot you want to delete and choose the "Delete Snapshot" action.
From the System page: On the System page, click the gear icon next to the Snapshot usage for the Space. This will display a list of Snapshots that you can multi-select to delete in batches.
Onboarding Remote Users
Our Onboarding guide covers the process of assisting new users in connecting remotely, which is one of your main responsibilities as a System Admin.
Set Up Remote Access
Under routine post-production workflows, remote access to shared storage was challenging. However the pandemic pushed the industry to require twenty-four-hour access and collaboration from any location. VPN, WAN, and Internet access to shared projects and files present technical challenges that can be difficult to overcome, especially for small production teams. creative.space has integrated ZeroTier’s VPN and SD-WAN technology on its easy, reliable, and secure storage platform to empower the creative process. Collaborative storage is the main hub connecting remote locations.
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Download our creative.space Zerotier Integration whitepaper for even more information on remote workflows with creative.space and Zerotier.
Now, effortlessly control team and device access to your creative.space storage from anywhere and anytime. Create secure networks between on-premise, cloud, desktop, and mobile devices. Easily provision and de-provision remote access authorization for users, freelancers, and clients. We simplify your network stack by unifying VPNs, VLANs, and SD-WANs into one solution. The creative.space storage seamlessly interacts with ZeroTier’s zero-trust networking software to provide scalable security, peer-to-peer (P2P) connections, and 256-bit end-to-end encryption.
What does this mean for your workflow?
The bottom line is that you can quickly provide secure SMB (Network Share) and FTP remote access to folders and files on your shared storage.
As an example, the SMB connection smb://192.168.1.33/dailies, works the same as if you were onsite. Just be aware that you may need to adapt your projects to account for bandwidth speed and latency. We can assist you in implementing a proxy-based workflow.
FTP is excellent for transferring multiple directories and files to and from your creative.space storage. Another advantage of FTP is the ability to continue transferring files even if the connection is lost. In case you accidentally lose your connection or have to reboot your computer, you don’t have to worry about starting from the beginning again. You can pick up right from where you left off.
Here are some benefits of using FTP for transferring files to and from your creative.space storage:
- FTP allows you to transfer multiple directories and files.
- You can resume transferring files even after accidentally losing your connection.
With FTP, you can enjoy a seamless and uninterrupted file transfer experience, ensuring that your data is transferred efficiently and securely.
A virtual private network (VPN) is a way to connect your workstation to your node, even when they aren't on the same network. From a technical standpoint, a VPN modifies the connection between your workstation and the node so that it looks like both are on the same network. It also makes it impossible for workstations that are not on the VPN to connect to the node.
To use a VPN, you need to install special software on your workstation. This software takes care of modifying and securing the connection between your workstation and your node.
Securely authorize users and devices, and configure networks all within the creative.space web app. This integration saves multiple manual steps and needed IT security knowledge if only using the ZeroTier administration website.
There are two levels of authorization for users to access the creative.space storage:
- ZeroTier for encrypted network access
- A creative.space account on your server to control user rights and folder/file permissions.
Think of it as a locked gate and front door. You must have the right keys to both before you can get inside. ZeroTier offers a free Basic account for up to 50 network members and 1 admin. Their Professional account increases the numbers to 500 network members and 10 admins for $49 per month. You can always start with their free account and then upgrade as your requirements change.
Open your Gateway's Firewall
Before you can set up ZeroTier, you will need to make sure this port is open on your gateway:
Port Number | TCP/UDP | Inbound/Outbound | Why? |
9993 | UDP | Inbound and Outbound | Zerotier uses port 9993 to receive incoming connections. |
A port is a destination within an IP address. Every IP address has tens of thousands of unique ports. Any software that wants to send or receive data over a network needs to pick an IP address, and then occupy one or more of that address's ports.
A gateway is a device that connects your computer to the internet. Most routers and some managed switches can function as gateways. Your gateway has an IP address, and therefore, it has ports.
Your node accesses the internet through your gateway. That means that any software that runs on your node needs to send its traffic through your gateway to get to the internet. Since the Zerotier VPN client software runs on your node, it needs to send its traffic through your gateway in order to get to the internet.
The Zerotier VPN software (Zerotier) uses a single port. That port has a port number of 9993. A port number is a number that is unique to a port. It differentiates that port from the other ports in the IP address.
Zerotier needs to send its traffic through port 9993 on your gateway's IP address. If your gateway has a firewall enabled, it might not allow Zerotier to send its traffic through that port. If this is the case, you will need to open port 9993 on your gateway. Opening a port is the process of configuring your gateway's firewall so that it does not block traffic on the port.
The easiest way to check if a port is open is simply to set up the Zerotier VPN, and then check if you can connect to it over the internet. If you can, you do not need to open any ports. If you cannot, you will need to open port 9993 on your gateway. You will need to consult your gateway's user manual to find out how to open a port.
We also recommend that you open the following ports. While you do not have to open them, it helps us help you if you do:
Port Number | TCP/UDP | Inbound/Outbound | Why? |
22 | TCP | Outbound | We use port 22 to apply software updates and provide remote support. |
53 | TCP and UDP | Outbound | The node's network interfaces use port 53 to connect to Domain Name Services (DNS). Without this port, you cannot configure any network interfaces to use a custom DNS. |
80 | TCP | Outbound | The node's management interface uses this port to show up in your web browser |
123 | TCP and UDP | Outbound | The node uses this port to get the time from a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server. Without this port, you cannot connect your node to an external NTP server. |
443 | TCP | Outbound | The node uses this port to send you email notifications |
12975 | TCP | Outbound | We use port 12975 to apply software updates and provide remote support. |
32976 | TCP | Outbound | We use port 32976 to apply software updates and provide remote support. |
Get a Zerotier API Access Token and Add It to Your Node
- Create a ZeroTier account and log in to your account at my.zerotier.com. Then select ‘Account’ from the top menu bar.
- Scroll down to the API Access Tokens section. Then click on ‘New Token’.
- Use ’Token Label’ to give your token a name that matches your node, and then click ’Generate’.
- Copy the API Token.
- Keep a copy of this token in a secure place, such as a password management application. ZeroTier will never show this token to you again. If you lose it, you will have to start these steps over.
- Go to the System page, then click on the ’Gear’ icon in the ZeroTier networking panel. After that, click ‘Add ZeroTier API Token’.
- Paste your ZeroTier API Token into the ‘ZeroTier API Token’ text box. Then, click ‘Save Token’.
- The “Manage ZeroTier Networks” panel will appear. It will be empty if there are no networks configured. If you have existing networks, you can manage them from this panel.
Navigate the Zerotier Configuration Panel
The ZeroTier configuration panel lets you
- Create new ZeroTier networks
- Enable and disable existing ZeroTier networks
- Join and leave ZeroTier networks
A Node for ZeroTier is a device on the network. A user’s name is automatically added to the node description field. A user can have multiple devices such as a desktop, laptop, and iPad authorized on multiple networks, each with a separate “Node ID”.
The configuration panel is divided by:
- Active Networks - Lists the networks that your node is connected to. If your node is connected to a network, it can connect to the other nodes on the network. In this case, a node can be another creative.space node, or a workstation.
- Disabled Networks - Lists the networks on your ZeroTier account that nothing can connect to. To use these networks, you must first enable them.
- Available Networks - Lists the networks on your ZeroTier account that you can connect your creative.space node to. Once you connect your node to an available network, the network will move to the active networks section.
These are based upon the current status of your creative.space storage within each network. It also displays the number of nodes authorized for each network.
Use ’Change ZeroTier API Token’ to update the token you use to connect to your ZeroTier account. This token allows the creative.space management interface to communicate with ZeroTier.
Use ‘Filter Networks’ to search among the ZeroTier networks associated with your account.
Use ’Name for Your ZeroTier Network’ and ’Assign an IP’ to create a new ZeroTier network with a name and IP address range of your choice. The network will show up in the Available Networks section as soon as you create it.
Through the creative.space web app, you can only create “Private” networks. If you wish to create a “Public” network not requiring node authorization, it must be done on the ZeroTier administration website. If a network is configured for “Public”, the panel will display it with a red border and warning message.
At the bottom of the ZeroTier panel is a section to add a ZeroTier Network ID that is not on your ZeroTier account. It will automatically add the network, but you will need to add the storage Node ID and approve it manually on the ZeroTier administration website.
Add the ZeroTier Network ID and click the “Add” button.
Here are all of the available actions in the web and desktop apps related to ZeroTier:
Install the Desktop Applications on Your Workstation
Select the option that best describes your needs to get started:
I am a local user...
Welcome to the creative.space system! Let’s get you set up for desktop access:
- Install the Desktop Application: Your administrator will provide you with the installer for the creative.space desktop application. Download and install it on your Windows or Mac computer.
- Opening the Application: Once installed, launch the creative.space desktop app.
- Adding a Node: In the upper right-hand corner of the app, click the plus button and select ‘Add Node’. Drag and drop the configuration file provided by your administrator into the app.
- Enter Credentials: The configuration file will auto-fill the necessary details. Enter the Username and Password given by your administrator and click ‘Add a node’.
- Accessing Spaces and Folders: After logging in, you’ll see the Nodes and Spaces you have access to. Click on a Space to browse its contents.
- Opening in Finder/Explorer: To open a Space or Folder in Finder or Explorer, click the 3 dots next to it and select your preferred option.
- Uploading and Downloading: You can upload folders and files by dragging them into the Desktop App, or download them faster than from the mounted volume.
- Network Connections: The app automatically selects the fastest connection, allowing seamless movement between local and remote locations.
- Using the Web App: Click the globe icon next to a node to launch the web app for additional functions like changing your password or browsing media assets.
Congratulations! You’re now ready to use the creative.space system.
I am a remote user…
Connect remotely using ZeroTier:
- Download ZeroTier and Desktop App: Go to the ZeroTier website, download and install the ZeroTier application. Also, install the creative.space desktop application on your computer.
- Opening the Desktop App: Launch the creative.space app and follow the prompts, providing administrator credentials when required.
- Copying Node ID: In the app's 'Settings' menu, under 'ZeroTier', click on 'Node ID' to copy it.
- Send Node ID to Admin: Email your Node ID to your administrator, and include your computer type for proper device naming.
- Receive and Use Configuration File: Once authorized by your admin, you will receive a Network Invitation email with a configuration file. Download this file.
- Add Node in App: In the desktop app, click the plus button, select 'Add Node', and drag the configuration file into the app.
- Enter Credentials and Access Spaces: Enter the Username and Password provided by your admin, then click 'Add a node'. Access the Spaces and Folders as you would in a local setup.
You're all set up for using ZeroTier with creative.space!
I need to onboard a local user…
To onboard local users as a System Admin, follow these simple steps:
For Administrators Onboarding Local Users
- Log into Admin Account: Start by logging into your admin account on the creative.space web application.
- Manage Local Networks: Navigate to the ‘Networks’ section in the System page to manage and configure local networks.
- Prepare Configuration File: Select the network interface for your user and use the email icon to send a pre-written email with a configuration file, or download and send it directly.
- Monitor Network Activity: Track your network’s activity and connected users through the ‘Connected Users’ panel.
By following these steps, you can efficiently onboard local users, ensuring a seamless experience for system administrators.
I need to onboard a remote user…
To onboard remote users as a System Admin, follow these simple steps:
- Sign Up for ZeroTier: Go to the ZeroTier website, sign up, and create an account.
- Generate API Access Token: Log in to ZeroTier, go to ‘Account’, and create a new API Access Token in the tokens section.
- Add ZeroTier Token in creative.space: Log into the creative.space web app, navigate to System page, and add the ZeroTier API Token.
- Create and Manage ZeroTier Networks: In the ‘Manage ZeroTier Networks’ panel, create new networks or manage existing ones, ensuring secure connections to the server.
- Onboard Users: Send remote users the necessary instructions and configuration files to connect to the creative.space system.
You're all set to onboard remote users using ZeroTier with creative.space!
Create Folder Structure Templates
With creative.space, you can save a folder structure with files as a template that can be applied by filling out a form to populate custom variables and apply permissions. These can include project files for the applications you use, such as Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, that contain your in-app organization structure.
- Go to the Spaces page of the web app as a ‘Team Leader’ or ‘System Admin’.
- Go to the Templates tab and click on ‘New Template’.
- Give the template a name and (optionally) a description, then click ‘Create Template’.
- Click the ‘Apple’ icon and then click ‘Copy Link’.
- Paste the link into the address bar of your browser and press ‘Enter’ to skip to Step 8 OR continue with Steps 6 and 7.
- On your Mac, open Finder. Then, click on ‘Go’, and after that, click on ‘Connect to Server’.
- Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the ‘ Server Address’ text box. The, click ‘Connect’.
- Enter the username you use to log into the node in the ‘Name’ text box and the password you use to log into the node in the ‘Password’ text box. Then, click ‘Connect’. An empty space will show up as a Volume in the Finder.
- Create exactly one folder inside the empty space. Make sure that the folder has an opening bracket
[at the beginning of its name, and make sure that it has a closing bracket]at the end of its name. These brackets indicate that the folder name can be changed each time the template is applied. - Enter the folder you just created. Then, create as many folders and files as you would like within it. Every time you use the template, those folders and files will be replicated.
- Go back to the creative.space web app and then click ‘Finalize Template’.
- Use the ‘Type’ and ‘Default Value’ to choose what will replace each of the bracketed words each time the
- Use the ’Persons’ icon on the right side of each folder and file in the template to set the permissions for that folder.
- When done, click on ‘Save Template’.
Do NOT create two or more folders in the empty space. This will break your template.
Do NOT forget to start the name of your folder with [ and end it with ]. Doing so will break your template.
Do not include the following characters in your folder name: \ / : * ? " |. Doing so will break your template.
If you surround one or more words in a folder or file name with an opening bracket [ and a closing bracket ], then you will be able to edit them when you create the template.
Do not include the following characters in your folder name: \ / : * ? " |. Doing so will break your template.
Choose increment to replace a word with a number that increases every time the template is applied.
Choose date to replace a word with the current date.
Choose text and/or number to replace a word with any number you choose.
Use the Recursive toggle to avoid applying permissions to every folder and file individually.
Start from the top down since permissions will apply permissions to all children, overwriting existing settings.
Move down the tree and only change permissions when there are specific operational reasons to do so.
Whenever possible, use groups to grant access instead of users.
- Go to the Spaces page of the web app as a ‘Team Leader’ or ‘System Admin’.
- Go to the Templates tab and click on ‘New Template’.
- Use ’Name of Template’ to enter a name and description for your template. Then click ‘Create Template’.
- Click the ‘Windows’ icon and then click ‘Copy Link’.
- On your PC, open File Explorer. Then paste the link you copied in Step 4 into the ‘Quick Access’ box and then click the ‘right arrow’ icon.
- Enter the username you use to log into the node in the ‘Username’ text box and the password you use to log into the node in the ‘Password’ text box. Then click ’OK’. An empty space will show up as a network share.
- Create exactly one folder inside the empty space. Make sure that the folder has an opening bracket
[at the beginning of its name, and make sure that it has a closing bracket]at the end of its name. These brackets indicate that the folder name can be changed each time the template is applied. - Enter the folder you just created. Then, create as many folders and files as you would like within it. Every time you use the template, those folders and files will be created.
- Go back to the creative.space management interface, and then click ‘Finalize Template’.
- Use the ‘Type’ and ‘Default Value’ to choose what will replace each of the bracketed words each time the
- Use the ’Persons’ icon on the right side of each folder in the template to set the permissions for that folder.
Do NOT create two or more folders in the empty space. This will break your template.
Do NOT forget to start the name of your folder with [ and end it with ]. Doing so will break your template.
Do not include the following characters in your folder name: \ / : * ? " |. Doing so will break your template.
If you surround one or more words in a folder or file name with an opening bracket [ and a closing bracket ], then you will be able to edit them when you create the template.
Do not include the following characters in your folder name: \ / : * ? " |. Doing so will break your template.
Choose increment to replace a word with a number that increases every time the template is applied.
Choose date to replace a word with the current date.
Choose text and/or number to replace a word with any number you choose.
Use the Recursive toggle to avoid applying permissions to every folder and file individually.
Start from the top down since permissions will apply permissions to all children, overwriting existing settings.
Move down the tree and only change permissions when there are specific operational reasons to do so.
Whenever possible, use groups to grant access instead of users.
Variables
When you create a new project folder structure, there are inevitably some folders and files that need unique names and other that will always be consistent across projects.
Variables allow you to define the information that needs to be customized each time the template is applied.
How does this work? Anything you put in square brackets, i.e. [], becomes a variable.
There are three types of Variables: - Text and/or Number: A user-defied text field that can be filled out with whatever alphanumeric characters you want. - Auto-Increment: Provide a starting number, which can include trailing 0s, such as 001 or 010, and each time the template is applied it will increment. - Date: A calendar will appear in the form to select Year, Month, and Day, which will be populated as YYYYMMDD so that it sorts alphabetically in chronological order.
Access Control
Folder structure templates make managing access easy by allowing permissions to be configured once and then applied automatically when a new project is created. Think of them as your organizational blueprint. How you apply permissions to control access is the key to keeping your projects orderly and manageable.
One of the things that makes creative.space unique is the built-in authentication system, which is deeply integrated with ZFS, i.e. the filesystem.
Permissions are actually written to the spaces, folders, and files on the drives. This means that permissions need to be applied individually at every level.
To access assets on the desktop or in the web, users must have access to the entire path, not just the file itself. For this reason, it is very important to set up your folders to regulate this access.
When you change permissions, they only apply to the item you’ve selected and will only be applied to new folders and files that get created within them. For example, applying write access to a Space and read-only to the root folders within means that the user can create new folders and files at the root. Inversely, read-only access at the root and then write access to root folders will guarantee that the root of the Space never gets cluttered.
The ‘Recursive’ toggle will trigger the same permissions to be applied all the way down the folder tree. This will overwrite existing permissions, so always apply custom permissions from the highest level and then work your way down, when using recursion. :::
Do you have at least one team member who just doesn’t get with the program? No longer.
Eliminate clutter by carefully controlling write permissions for each directory in your Template to stop files and folders from being created where they shouldn’t be.
For example, making the Space and root level folders read-only, but granting write access to where assets, projects, and documents should be stored.
Here are a few important things to understand:
- Recursive Permissions: Whenever you apply permissions, they will only effect the currently selected level, unless you turn on the ‘Recursive’ toggle. This will overwrite the permissions of all children with the current user and group rights.
- Groups vs. Users: Granting read and write access at the group level allows you to quickly grant or revoke a user’s access with a single action, instead of having to update each item individually.
- Who Owns Created Folders/Files: The person who creates the template will always be the owner of the folders and files that are a part of it regardless of who applies it.
What Can I Do?
This guide provides an overview of the crucial role you play as a System Administrator on the creative.space platform. For a deeper understanding of web app functionalities, continue with the Team Leader guide as your next step.
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On this page
- System Admin
- Navigating the Web App
- System
- Available Actions
- Team
- Available Actions
- Spaces
- Tabs on the Spaces Page
- Available Actions
- Monitor
- Add Your Team Members
- Create User Accounts
- Assign a Role
- Create Groups
- Access Control
- Reboot or Shutdown the System
- Create Spaces
- Sharing a Space
- Managing Capacity with Quotas and Reservations
- Connect to a Space (without Desktop App)
- MacOS
- Windows
- Linux
- Snapshot Management
- Deleting Snapshots
- Onboarding Remote Users
- Set Up Remote Access
- Open your Gateway's Firewall
- Get a Zerotier API Access Token and Add It to Your Node
- Navigate the Zerotier Configuration Panel
- Install the Desktop Applications on Your Workstation
- I am a local user...
- I am a remote user…
- I need to onboard a local user…
- I need to onboard a remote user…
- Create Folder Structure Templates
- Variables
- Access Control
- What Can I Do?