---
title: "TIR Shared File System"
description: "TIR Shared File System (SFS) is shared, read-write storage that many TIR Instances and training jobs in a project can mount at once."
content_type: "overview"
product: "tir-sfs"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-sfs/"
---

# TIR Shared File System

A TIR Shared File System (SFS) is storage that several TIR Instances can mount at the same time,
each with full read and write access. The workers of a training job can mount it too. Use it for a
shared workspace that distributed work reads and writes together, instead of copying files between
instances by hand.

## Where to find it

In TIR, open your project. In the side menu, under **Storage**, select **Shared File System**.

## What you can do

### Create and connect

- [Create an SFS](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/create-an-sfs/) with a name and a size.
- [Mount an SFS on an instance](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/mount-an-sfs-on-an-instance/) to read and write
  its data from the instance.
- [Mount an SFS on a training job](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/mount-an-sfs-on-a-training-job/) so every
  worker in the job shares it.

### Lifecycle

- [Increase the size of an SFS](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/increase-the-size-of-an-sfs/) as your data grows.
- [Delete an SFS](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/delete-an-sfs/) when you are done with it.

### Monitor

- [Monitor an SFS](/tir/tir-sfs/how-to/monitor-an-sfs/): which instances have it mounted, and how
  much of its space is used.

## SFS, PFS, and datasets

TIR also offers datasets and [Parallel File System (PFS)](/tir/tir-pfs/), shared storage you
mount the same way as an SFS. Each suits a different kind of work:

| Storage  | Choose it when                                                                                       |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| SFS      | Several instances, or every worker of a training job, need to read and write the same files together |
| PFS      | Many workers need to read and write the same files in parallel at once                               |
| Datasets | You mainly read data, often in sequence, rather than write to it from many places at once            |

For how SFS and PFS compare in size, region, and bandwidth, see
[What is the difference between a PFS and an SFS?](/tir/tir-pfs/faq/#what-is-the-difference-between-a-pfs-and-an-sfs).

## Where to start

Start with [Get started with TIR Shared File System](/tir/tir-sfs/get-started/), which creates an
SFS and mounts it on an instance. For help with a message,
[Troubleshooting TIR Shared File System](/tir/tir-sfs/troubleshooting/tir-sfs/) has the fixes, and
the [TIR Shared File System FAQ](/tir/tir-sfs/faq/) has short answers.