SRW Contracts
Researchers may now access Add Health restricted-use data on the University of North Carolina’s Secure Research Workspace (SRW). The SRW offers users the option to conduct their research in a remote computing environment using a wide variety of software.
UNC Secure Research Workspace (SRW)
The UNC Secure Research Workspace (SRW) is hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) ITS Research Computing division. It provides a digital collaborative environment for teams of researchers to work with regulated data. The platform supports many projects working with a variety of data sensitivity levels and computational needs and adheres to a NIST 800-53 System Security Plan. The SRW is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) where users remotely connect and work in the remote environment using the Omnissa Horizon client. Both the remote UNC SRW infrastructure and the Horizon client will be provided to Add Health researchers free of charge.
Statistical software packages SAS, Stata, R, Python, MPlus, and MatLab are also provided at no cost. Please note that we cannot install any software that is not on this list. However, users can request installation of publicly available Python libraries, R packages, and Stata library packages. Before requesting a new library or package, please log in to the SRW and confirm that it is not installed. To request an installation, send an email to addhealth_srw_it@cpc.unc.edu.
SRW virtual desktops currently run Windows 11. Users use their Windows or Mac computer to connect into the virtual desktop at the UNC SRW using the freely available Horizon client.
There is no fee associated with accessing the SRW. Storage space quota is not currently enforced, although this is subject to change in the future to a reasonable level if overall space becomes constrained. We currently support 175 concurrent SRW user login sessions, each with 4 CPU cores and 16 GB of RAM memory. We will periodically assess needs and add additional computing resources as appropriate. Please note that extended login sessions are supported provided the user reconnects within 4 days of last disconnect.
For more information on the SRW, please visit https://its.unc.edu/project/secure-research-space-srw/.
UNC Affiliate Status
Data Users on an SRW Contract will become Affiliates of UNC. The Affiliate application will be automated within the contract application process. Data Users will be asked to provide some additional personal information, required for the Affiliate application process, as part of their tasks within the Contracts Management System.
SRW Data Users will receive a UNC Person ID (PID) and be asked to create a login ID, known as an Onyen, which will be used to log in to the SRW.
As part of their Affiliate status, all Data Users on an SRW contract will be required to comply with UNC policy, including completing mandatory Security Awareness Training every year. Failure to comply will result in the removal of access to the SRW.