VPN

 

Virtual Private Network VPN is still the best way to use WDI computer resources. It offers these advantages over all other methods:

• Security
  Traffic is encrypted in transit, thus protecting sensitive documents
• Familiarity
  With VPN, you are "virtually" sitting at your desktop connection. Those who use laptops at the desk AND use them offsite will see very little difference.
• Document Sharing
  Normally, you can "open" a document on the S: drive, for example, and others are "locked out" as you make changes. This is behavior is retained when you use VPN.

Once you have "VPN'd in", your computer behaves very much as it does when connected at your desktop.  Here is the UMICH resource for setting that up. The HelpDesk is tasked with ensuring usability and security.

http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/vpn/

Setting up VPN should be accomplished and established BEFORE you need it.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol

If you do not have VPN available, then this "oldie but goodie" still offers the next best approach to accessing the S: Drive and other WDI resources. The BEST use of FTP is to "FTP in" to the desired server, such as the S: drive, and "download and upload" the files you are working with. This is fast, and relatively easy, but...

• IT IS NOT SECURE
  Traffic is NOT encrypted in transit. Bad guys may be reading your docs!
  
• UN-Familiarity
  To use FTP, you must use a piece of software called an FTP Client. There are many excellent such on the market and free, but if you have not used it, there is a little bit of a learning curve. Get it now and practice. I will provide a list below.
  
• NO Document Sharing, version control is a risk
  To modify a document with FTP, you must download it, modify it in Word, for example, save it to your hard drive, and then UPLOAD it. The risk is that other people are doing the same thing, and thus changes will be overwritten.
  

To access the S: Drive via FTP:

1. Open your FTP Client software
2. Provide the software with the necessary information. How this is done varies from software to software, however, the information is the same for all of them:
   • Server: allfiles.bus.umich.edu
   • Path: /Departments/Davidson/ (this is optional but quicker)
   • username: This is your UNIQNAME, for example xsimmons
   • password: this is your password for that UNIQNAME. DO NOT SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE, NOT EVEN YOUR TRUSTED CO-WORKERS! THEY HAVE THEIR OWN!
3. Navigate around the folders, which will be the same folder structure you see from your desk.
4. (Optional suggestion) RENAME the file you wish to modify. If the file is "WDIPROPOSAL.DOC", rename it to "WDIPROPOSAL-xsimmons.DOC"
5. Download the file to your local computer
6. Modify the document (keeping in mind that others may be waiting to modify it also) and save it to your local hard drive.
7. Upload the file to the folder where you got it from.
8. Rename it BACK to what it was before, removing your name.
9. Done. "save" the location to your FTP client for faster access next time. DO NOT SAVE THE PASSWORD if there is a chance that someone else can get to that computer.

READ-ONLY FTP - Using a browser to FTP

If you only need to READ a document, without modifying it, your browser can do that. Internet Explorer and Firefox both provide some limited capability. They do not upload, but they can download. It's simple. Point your browser to the following URL, just as if you were entering an HTTP web address:

ftp://UNIQNAME@allfiles.bus.umich.edu/Departments/Davidson/

where you replace UNIQNAME with your UniqName, no quotes or anything. Your browser will prompt you for your password. Again, be cautious.

 

You can also click here, and enter your UniqName and password when you browser prompts you:

ftp://allfiles.bus.umich.edu

Then, click on Departments, and then Davidson. (You do NOT have access to the other stuff, so don't bother trying!) What you will see is the directory structure of the S: Drive, displayed in a much more primitive format. But it still works. You can find the document, click to read, or right-click to download. You just can't UPLOAD. But it's free, easy and quick.