Disk Space on Panix - Quotas and Charges

Most accounts have a disk space quota of 200 MB for the files you keep on Panix (incoming and saved mail, plus files in your shell and Web directories). You can buy additional disk space as needed; details are included below.

NOTE: You may be listed as the owner of files that aren't in your own home directory or web space. If you help maintain a web page owned by someone else, you may own some of the files there, and they will count towards your allotment. If you wish to transfer these files to the ownership of another Panix user, mail a request to staff@panix.com and we'll help you take care of it.

This page is a guide to your disk use: how much you get free of charge, how much you can expect to pay for additional space, and your billing options. For more information, please see the Panix Disk Usage FAQ.

Disk Charges for Single-User Accounts:

Disk Space Allocation:

• The standard disk allocation for a single-user account is 200 MB. It is quotaed (that is, the limit is imposed by the system. Exceeding the limit results in data loss.)

  The quota system is unified. That means that your quota applies to all of your files, whether on the mail server, the user hosts or the web server. (If you are not yet using the new mail system, your usage on the mail server will always be 0.)

  Mail in the new mail system is stored on a different file system from that used for shell and web data (and mail in the old system). The quota system now treats both systems as if they were one, resulting in a single quota for mail, home directory, and web space.

  Here is a sample output of the command 'quota'; a detailed explanation is available.

  
  Disk quotas for user  (uid ):
  
                   Space used (Megabytes)           Number of Files               
  
  Area             Usage   Quota   Limit  Expires   Usage   Quota   Limit  Expires
  --------------  ------  ------  ------  -------  ------  ------  ------  -------
  Shell/Web/Mail  5.5     200.0   210.0            50      40960   45056         
  
  

  
  If you wish to see a verbose output, use 'quota -v'.
  
  Usage is the amount currently used. Quota is the amount of space you have purchased. Limit is the hard quota, 10 MB more than the amount of space purchased. Expires is the date on which the "Limit" is dropped to the level of Quota.

  (All standard shell accounts come with one 200 MB disk block; additional 200 MB blocks are available for $10/month (discounted to $100/year, prepaid) each.)

  The "Files" quota is purely technical, and refers to the number of files you have on the server.
  If you hit this quota, you risk being unable to retrieve your new email, or upload new files to Panix.
  We can (and will!) change this for you at no charge, upon request. Just send email to accounting@panix.com letting us know.

• Any time your disk usage rises from below your quota to above it you will get a warning message. If you're logged in at the time you'll get a "hey", otherwise, you'll get email. In any case you will also get email 10 minutes after the change and every 2 days thereafter-- unless in the meantime your usage has dropped below quota.

  As soon as your usage goes below quota the clock is reset. You'll get another alert the next time you go over quota, and the cycle will repeat.

  Limits are recalculated every minute. You may observe a brief discrepancy between the limit and the usage totals until the recalculation has been done.

  As long as you are below quota, and for a while after you go above, you will continue to have a 10 MB margin of extra space. If your usage stays above quota for 7 days, however, the margin is eliminated, and the official quota takes effect. (You can tell how much time you have left by looking at the "Expires" column of your quota output.)

  If you exceed your quota and you don't reply to the warning message within 1 week, your service will be disrupted until we hear from you. Call us and we'll let you into your account so you can increase your quota and/or delete some files.

  Unless your usage tends to hover right around your quota, this is all you need to know. But if you tend to be right on the edge, or if you like knowing about these things, you might want to accounting@panix.com.

  Disk Block Prices:

  • $10/month
  • $30/quarter
  • $100/year

  
  
  • Please note: Like all Panix fees, prepaid disk allocation charges are non-refundable, but credit from unused disk space can be applied to other services.

Tracking Your Disk Usage:

quota

For files that are not in your home or web space, you can use the command

diskuse -l

File Ownership and More Information:

Charges will be applied based on file ownership. Unless you have made specific arrangements with us for use of a group ID, you can be sure that you own the files in your home directories and on your web pages. If you have a group ID, you'll receive additional information about how these charges apply to your group.

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