Several methods are available which allow you to access your network drives while off campus. These methods include FTP, WebDAV, and NetStorage for both Windows and Macintosh. Windows also has one other method called Netdrive which allows you to map a drive over the Internet to your Home Drive (H:).
FTP
FTP requires an FTP client. Simply point your FTP client to ftp.umw.edu and login using your Net-ID and password. However, FTP access does not provide encryption to protect your login credentials. Therefore, it is recommended that you only use this option as a last resort.
NetStorage
NetStorage allows you to access your network storage space from a web browser. All activity between your computer and the server is encrypted for privacy. One limitation of NetStorage is that you can only upload and download a single file at a time however, it is still a good option.
WebDAV
WebDAV stands for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning. It also refers to the set of extensions to the HTTP protocol which allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote servers. Windows computers can access UMW network drives via WebDAV using “My Network Places”. Macintosh computers must use an open source client named “Goliath”. Security is provided via SSL encryption.
NetDrive
Novell NetDrive lets you map a drive from your computer to your UMW network file server without having to install the Novell Client. The benefit of mapping a drive through NetDrive instead of the Novell Client is that NetDrive uses Internet protocols to connect to the server, thereby helping you access your network files from any Windows computer that can access the Internet. Once you map a drive to the server using NetDrive, Windows Explorer appears and the drive letter that you mapped through NetDrive appears and functions like normal drives that are mapped using the Novell Client. The only difference is that all of the drives that you normally map through the Novell Client now appear as folders in Windows Explorer. So, with just one drive mapping you can access all of your data that you used to access through multiple drive letters via the Novell Client.
Send an email to Tac@umw.edu or call 540-654-2255.
