File Size Limitations

You may transfer large files securely using MiShare. We regularly transfer files with sizes in the tens of Gigabytes. There are some conditions where you may find limitations to the sizes of files that can be uploaded or downloaded to/from the system:

1. If you use a web browser and do not use the Upload/Download Wizard, you will typically have limits of about 2 GB that can be either uploaded to or downloaded from the system. This is a limitation of the web browser that MiShare cannot avoid
2. If you use sFTP to upload or download a file, we have not seen any limitation to file sizes.
3. If you use a Java-based browser (ie, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, ...) and you use the Java Upload/Download wizard and you select to have the wizard compress the files you send into a single .zip file, we have seen that there is a limitation of about 4 GB. The limitation is in the code that is being used to zip the file. The vendor is working on fixing this limitation, but we have no timeline as to when we may see the fix. The vendor has told us that the ActiveX based wizard used by Internet Explorer does not have this limitation. Workarounds are:
• Use a stand-alone application such as Winzip, 7-Zip or WinRAR to compress the files to a single .zip file and then use the Upload/Download wizard to send the file.
• Upload the files in groups of files that are less than 4 GB each and allow the wizard to compress the files as multiple .zip files.
• Or do not select to have the wizard compress the file into a single .zip file.
4. If you are using a 64-bit browser, such as "Internet Explorer (64 bit)", we currently don't have an available upload/download wizard. In most cases you will also have installed the 32-bit Internet Explorer, you may have to use that along with the upload/download wizard if you need to transfer files larger than 2 GB.

What is the Upload/Download Wizard?

• The ability to transfer large files. Without the wizard, file size is limited to something a little larger than 1 GB. Using the wizard we are able to transfer files in the tens of Gigabytes.
• The ability to drag and drop files or multiple files or folders into the wizard window
• The ability to zip sets of files into a single file to make it easier for the recipient to download
• Error checking. Using the wizard, you will see the notation "Integrity Checked" on the logs of file uploads and downloads.
• The ability to pause an upload and continue it if your connection is broken. Note that partial uploads are purged from the system late each evening, but you can resume the upload any time before that cleanup is performed.

We highly recommend that people use the wizard.

Wizard isn't available for 64-bit browser

Problems installing the Wizard

Under some conditions, you may see errors when you try to install the wizard. It may display a box and say "The wizard has not downloaded" and ask if you want to continue waiting or cancel, for example. They typically is a problem with Java running on your workstation. First, try restarting. If that doesn't fix the problem, then exit all java enabled applications and clear the java cache. Follow these steps to clear the java cache:

1. Exit all browsers or other java applications
2. Go to Windows Control Panel and launch the Java Control Panel
3. In the Java Control Panel > General Tab > Temporary Internet Files section select "Settings..."
4. In the Temporary Files Settings dialog select the Delete Files... button
5. In the Delete Temporary Files dialog select to Delete Applications and Applets as well as Trace and Log Files and click OK
6. Click OK and OK again to exit the Java Control Panel
7. Launch your browser and try to connect to MiShare again selecting to install the Java Wizard
8. if this is unsuccessful try upgrading your Java to the current version (you can download the current version from http://java.com) or uninstall and reinstall java to the current version.

Firefox has problems downloading the Upload/Download Wizard

If you are using Firefox, you may see a pause and then a window telling you that the wizard was not downloaded and asking if you wish to wait. This may require you to clear your Java cache as above. But there may be another cause. Due to some security vulnerabilities in Java itself, Firefox disabled some versions of the Java Add-on for Firefox by default. You can check the version of the Java by choosing Add-ons from the Tools Menu. The version of the Java Add-on will be displayed. If you have versions below 1.6.0_31 or between 1.7.0 and 1.7.0_2, then Firefox has disabled the Add-on for security reasons. If the add-on is disabled, it will prevent the upload/download wizard from downloading and/or running. We recommend that you upgrade your Add-on to the current version. Click on the "More Information" link in the Add-on manager window to be taken to the Firefox details of this problem. If you must continue to use the older version of the add-on, you must click the "enable" button to enable java to run and then restart Firefox. In that event, be aware that you are enabling something that has security implications. .

Login Failure

There are two common reasons why login to MiShare might fail: incorrect username and incorrect password. If you know the correct username, and try three times in a short period with an incorrect password, the system will lock your account for 15 minutes. This is to prevent brute force attempts to break into your account by trying to guess your password. If you continue to try to login while the account is locked, your IP address will be prevented from logging into the system with any account for a period of time.

Michigan Medicine Personnel with a valid Level-2 account

1. Wait 15 minutes if you have locked your account using the wrong password.
2. Be sure to use your uniqname and your Level-2 password
3. In the login window, use just your uniqname, not uniqname@med.umich.edu
4. Note that if you received a notice that someone at Michigan Medicine has sent a package to your uniqname@umich.edu, then you would have to login with the login name uniqname@umich.edu and the password you were sent. That account, effectively, is an external user account (see the information below for External Users).
5. For password issues and to reset your password, see the Identity Management help page (click on link)
6. Call the HITS Service Desk at 734-936-8000 if you need further assistance.

 

UM Personnel with a Campus Kerberos account

1. UM Kerberos account logins can't be used at this time to login to this system.
2. You can login to MiShare if you have been sent a package by a Michigan Medicine person. In that case, you would login to the system using the username and password that you were sent at the time the package was sent to you. Your username would be of the form uniqname@umich.edu. See the section below for external users.
3. You can send packages to any Michigan Medicine person using MiShare. From the MiShare main page at http://mishare.med.umich.edu, click on the link under the second blue banner that reads "Send files to Michigan Medicine personnel" and use the recipient's uniqname to send them a package.
4. Call the HITS Service Desk at 734-936-8000 if you need further assistance.

 

External Users - non-Michigan Medicine Personnel who have been sent a package

1. If you have locked the account guessing the wrong password, wait at least 15 minutes before attempting again.
2. If your account is locked, you will have to wait at least 15 minutes before you can successfully request a password change link be sent.
3. You have been sent an email with the information about how to login to the system. Remember that upon your first login you will be requested to change your password. Your username will be the email address that the package was sent to. Remember to use the new password that you set. (MiShare sent you a link, it did not send you a password.)
4. An external account will be automatically deleted if remains idle for 9 months, OR you do not update the password for more than 365 days.
   • If your account was deleted due to any of the reasons listed above, you will not be able to log into MiShare or request a password reset.
   • You can use the "Register and Send Files" link to register your email address and create a new account. If you were expecting a package from a Michigan Medicine staff member, ask them to re-send the package.
5. You can send packages to any Michigan Medicine person using MiShare. From the MiShare main page at http://mishare.med.umich.edu, click on the link under the second blue banner that reads "Send files to UMHS personnel" and use the recipient's uniqname to send them a package.
6. Call the HITS Service Desk at 734-936-8000 if you need further assistance.

Resetting your password

• If you have forgotten your password or your password has expired, you may request a password change from the "Request a password change" link at the bottom of the MiShare Home page, or click here.
• If your account is locked, you will have to wait at least 15 minutes before you can successfully request a password change link be sent.
• If the system rejects your attempt to change your password, it may have been deleted (see above).

"Illegal Items or Potentially Malicious HTML tags have been stripped" messages

If after hitting the "Send" button to send a package, you see either of the two messages below....simply hit the "Send" button once more as these messages simply indicate a warning that items were stripped from the "Note" portion of the package. This happen when you copy/paste from another source (ie browser, MS Word) into the "Note" text box. To avoid this message, first paste into Notepad, then copy/paste from Notepad into the "Note" section of the package you are sending. Again these messages are for informational purposes only, so simply hitting the "Send" button once more will send the package on its way.

Is MiShare FIPS-140 compliant?