PCC Student Web Server (sws.pcc.edu)

FTP instructions for STUDENTS

Prepared by Ron Bekey (rbekey@pcc.edu)

Revised 8/31/01

  1. You can only do this after you are officially registered for a class, and only with classes which have been assigned directories on the web server. Check with your instructor if you are unsure. If you have just added the class and you find out that you do not have a directory space (you will figure that out below), see your instructor and he/she can assign you a "temporary" directory until yours is available. If you do this, it is your responsibility to transfer your files to your "private" directory as soon as it is available. All temporary directories will be deleted at the end of the 3rd week of class.

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  2. Determine your user name for this class. WARNING: This name will look very similar to those used in classes which use WebCT. If you have a WebCT ID, your user ID on the Student Web Server may not be the same! You MUST go through the following process to make sure:

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    1. Go to http://sws.pcc.edu

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    2. READ the ENTIRE PAGE, then click the I AGREE link at the bottom of the page if you agree with the terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the server.

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    3. Enter your FULL FIRST NAME in the first box and your FULL LAST NAME in the second box.

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    4. Enter your birth date by choosing a month and day from the list, and typing in the FOUR DIGIT YEAR.

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    5. Click "Calculate User Name".

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    6. If you did everything correctly and your directory exists on the server, you should see a "Congratulations" message similar to the following:

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  3. If you do NOT see a "Congratulations!" message, either you did something wrong or you do not yet have a directory on the server. Try again, then ask your instructor for assistance. YOU CANNOT LOG IN WITHOUT KNOWING YOUR USER NAME.

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  4. THE FOLLOWING STEPS ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR USER NAME USING THE PROCESS ABOVE.

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    1. CLICK THE LINK below the "Congratulations!" message to go to the "student" directory of the server.

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    2. CLICK THE LINK to the student area of the server, which should be near the bottom of the screen.
    3. CLICK THE DIRECTORY FOR YOUR CLASS. You will notice that the class names are shown as a combination of the class name, your instructor's name (first initial and last name), and the section number (CRN number). THERE ARE MANY SECTIONS OF SOME CLASSES--BE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE CORRECT CLASS.

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    4. CLICK THE DIRECTORY WITH YOUR USER NAME.
    5. This is where the files you create for this class will be posted. You will notice that this directory is empty. In order to put information in it, you will have to use FTP. Instructions for installing and using FTP are shown below. This is your "private" directory; only you (and your instructor) can write information to it. Other students can "read" files you post here, but no students can "write" files here except you.

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    6. CLICK [To Parent Directory] at the top of the screen.

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    7. This will bring you back to the main directory for your class. CLICK the shared directory. This directory is also empty. The "shared" directory is a special directory designed for shared use by multiple students. All of the students in your class can "write" as well as "read" files in this directory. Your instructor may use this for term projects, or you may find other uses for it for sharing information with other students in the class.
    8. CLICK [To Parent Directory] at the top of the screen. This will bring you back to your main class directory.
    9. CLICK [To Parent Directory] at the top of the screen (again). This will bring you back to the "student" directory on the server.
    10. EDIT the ADDRESS at the top of your screen, changing "student" to "instructor". It should now read: http://sws.pcc.edu/instructor/
    11. Press <ENTER> to go to the "instructor" directory.
    12. CLICK on the directory with your instructor's name (first letter of first name plus last name).
    13. You may or may not see files here, and the organization will vary according to the instructor. Your instructor may choose to post files here for you to read. You have only "read" rights to this directory.
    14. CLOSE your browser program (Internet Explorer or Netscape). When you are more familiar with this system you can leave it open while you do FTP, but we recommend that you close it now to avoid confusion. The following steps will take you through the installation and use of FTP on this server.

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  5. If you do not have it, DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL FTP. We recommend WS_FTP for PC-based systems (there are other programs for MacIntosh). WS-FTP is available in "Limited Edition" (WS_FTP LE) or "Full Version" (WS_FTP PRO). The "LE" version was free to students and instructors as of 8/31/01, but you are responsible for reading the license agreement to see the current status. IMPORTANT: You MUST select "Academic" during the install or the program will expire!
    1. Download WS_FTP LE: IpSwitch or FTPPlanet or TuCows
    2. Install the program: Installation Instructions (these may not be exact depending on the version you download)
    3. Read a tutorial if you are not familiar with the program: Tutorials on FTP and WS_FTP

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  6. Configure WS_FTP for the Student Web Server:
    1. Start the WS_FTP program by double-clicking on the icon on the Desktop (if it exists) or starting the program from the Windows Start Menu.
    1. A pre-configured FTP site will probably appear on the screen (it doesn't matter which one). You can ignore it; we will be creating a new one.

      2. CLICK "New":
       


       

    2. Enter the settings shown below. REPLACE THE USER NAME BELOW (tomterrific53) with YOUR USER NAME. Your password will show as asterisks (*****). DO NOT CHECK THE "SAVE PASSWORD" BOX when you are on campus or in any other public place. If you check it, any person who uses that computer can get into your private directory on the web site. It is your choice whether to check this box if you are installing the program at home. If you do not check it, you will need to enter your password every time you start the program.
      1. If you do not remember your user name, you can go back to http://sws.pcc.edu and calculate it again, or go to http://sws.pcc.edu/student, click on your class, then look for your name there. Your password is the last 4 digits of your Student ID number (usually the same as your Social Security Number).
    1. Click the "Apply" button to save your settings.
  1. Click "OK" to connect to the server. You should see a screen similar to the following (the contents of the LEFT side does not matter):
    1. If your screen looks different from that below, and the "Local System" is ABOVE the "Remote Site", you can click the following to set it the way it is shown below: Options button, Display tab, UN-check "Alternate Screen Layout", click OK. The screen layout has no effect on how the program works; it is a matter of personal preference.

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    2. Go to your private directory:
      1. Click the MAXIMIZE BUTTON (square) in the upper right corner of the screen so that the program fills the whole screen.
      2. On the RIGHT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the "student" folder.
      3. On the RIGHT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the folder named with YOUR CLASS NAME (Be sure you click on the correct section number). You should now see your user name in the "Remote Site" box:

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    1. Transfer Files to the server:
      1. On the LEFT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the DRIVE LETTER you want to transfer from (in the example below, I clicked on drive "D", which contained a zip disk).
      2. On the LEFT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the FOLDER you want to transfer from (in the example below, I clicked on "test".
      3. On the RIGHT side of the screen, CHANGE DIRECTORIES if necessary. You MUST be in YOUR folder or a SUB-FOLDER of your folder to transfer (you can also transfer files to the "shared" directory inside of YOUR class).
      4. On the LEFT side of the screen, CLICK on the file you want to transfer, so that the name is selected.
      5. In the CENTER of the screen, CLICK on the RIGHT ARROW to transfer the file to the server.
        1. Note: To transfer multiple files at once, you can hold the <CTRL> key while clicking to select multiple files. If the files are contiguous, you can click the top file, then <SHIFT>-click the last file in the series.
      6. Here is how my screen looked after I transferred the "index.html" and "rbekey.jpg" files to the server:



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      7. Note: While you use WS_FTP, it will generate "temporary" files named WS_FTP.LOG . These may be deleted from the server at any time, but should NOT be deleted from the local system until AFTER you close WS_FTP.
      8. On the RIGHT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the 2 DOTS at the top of the directory list. This should move you one level up in the directory structure, to the main directory for your class.
      9. On the RIGHT side of the screen, DOUBLE-CLICK on the "shared" directory. This is where you would go to transfer files to the "shared" directory. Remember that this is available to ALL of the students in your class, so that you can share files with them and work on projects together. Do not transfer any files there at this time.
    1. Transfer files from the server to your local disk:
      1. Follow the same procedure as above, except select files on the RIGHT side of the screen, and click the LEFT ARROW to transfer them.

    1. CLOSE WS_FTP.
  1. For more information on the use of WS_FTP, go to: Tutorials on FTP and WS_FTP . HAPPY FTPing!