Network Storage, Access, Sharing, Backups, and Websites

• OneDrive is coming for Students in May.

• Files can be accessed a number of ways including Micro Focus OES network login in public Student Computer Labs, FILR, Netstorage, Webdrive, or Kanaka.

• Students have access to a personal I:\ Drive - 25GB of storage for Grad Students and 5GB of storage for Undergraduate Students.

• FILR additionally provides 25GB of personal cloud storage for Students.

• As an alternative to emailing large files, you can upload files for retrieval by others.
• Access file upload services at https://upload.uregina.ca
• You will be provided a link that you can copy and paste into an email.
• Files are available for 30 days.

• The Micro Focus OES client is the standard network access method on campus.
• Computers in Public Student Computer Labs have Micro Focus OES client installed.
• Micro Focus OES client can be installed on a laptop or other system. Note: there are other options for accessing your files.
• Best for users on campus.
• Can access files stored in personal I:\ drive (and network drives like T:\ - used by employees, and hired students).

• You can save files here as an alternate to saving on your computer, as I:\ Drive is backed up nightly.
• You can not share share saved files with others through I:\ Drive.
• Files stored in I:\ Drive are considered personal and are deleted when you leave the University.

• Located at https://netstorage.cc.uregina.ca
• Easy access to all your network drives, from any internet browser, anywhere, at any time.
• Perfect for working on the go, not on your regular computer.
• Can download, edit, and re-upload files if you’re working remotely.
• Not used to share files with other users.
• Can access files stored in personal I:\ drive

• Files stored on U of R network servers are backed up securely on a daily basis.
• Data is also archived weekly, monthly, and yearly.
• It is recommended you store files on a network drive, instead of a local computer drive, to ensure the data is security stored and backed up.

• Ensure that you download any files you wish to keep, when you are finished at the U of R.
• Files stored in I:\ Drive are considered personal and are deleted when you leave the University.

FILR complements other access methods, currently used at the University of Regina:

• Used at work or in computer labs to access I:\ Drive (S:\ Drive,T:\ Drive - employees, hired students) et. al. drives.
  • Fastest method - full function.
• Webdrive client for Windows and Macintosh.
  • Allows access to S:, T:, I: etc. on your home computer.
  • Good for access at home for most users.
• Netstorage.
  • Basic web interface to S:, T:, I: etc., which works through any browser.
  • To update files you have to download, edit, and upload.

Access FILR

• https://filr.uregina.ca/
  • Web Application User Access Guide
• Desktop
  
  • Desktop Application for Windows Guide
  • Desktop Application for Mac Guide
• iPhone/Android App
  
  • Mobile App Quick Start

• This provides access to files stored in FILR
• You can also access to your personal I:\ drive, in FILR - look for the Home folder.

More Disk Space

The default quota for FILR personal storage is 100GB for students.

• Store files in FILR, and access them from any internet browser, anywhere, at any time.
• Share files easily with U of R users. Select share file and start typing their name and FILR shows you users that match what you typed so far.
• Share files easily with external users by using their email address. They will have to choose a login password when they first connect to FILR.
• You can edit and save documents in FILR. Also multiple people can edit the same document at the same time and save in FILR.
• Synchronize your FILR personal storage and/or I: drive to your computer for offline access.
• Install the smart phone app to get access to your files from your mobile or tablet.

All data is stored in Canada

We do not mine your data, so we won't serve targeted advertising to you.

• Use the web interface to get at your files from anywhere.
• Access network drives like T: (employees have access to the T: drive) remotely from within the FILR web interface and apps using netfolders.
• Add comments to files you are sharing with others.
• Easily undelete files you have deleted in your personal storage.
• Desktop software can be installed, or as an app on many devices.

Compared to Dropbox, FILR has the following Advantages

• FILR gives you access to standard U of R Micro Focus OES groups and users for easy sharing.
  
  • Want to share with your class? Just share it with the pre-defined class group, which is automatically generated from registration data.
• When you share files with people the file sizes don't count against the other user's quota. Dropbox gives you 2GB for free so if you are sharing large files with others they may be forced to upgrade to a paid package.
  
  • You can share large files with external users, and they don't have to pay for a large Dropbox quota.
• With FILR you can store files in your HOME directory (I: drive usually) which is backed up, so you can request files be restored from backups if needed (up to 6 months back or on yearly backups). Dropbox free version has a limit of 30 days.
  
  • In FILR, deleted files in your personal storage are also kept unless you run out of space, or purge them.
  • In your I: drive deleted files can be salvaged.
• Students get 100GB of personal storage.
• You can get easy access to files on your T: drive (netfolder) through FILR.
• Unlike Dropbox, you can edit and save documents within FILR. Also, multiple people can edit the same document at the same time and save within FILR.

Compared to Dropbox, Filr has the following Disadvantages

• Dropbox has versioning as well as undelete; whereas, FILR only has undelete. If you overwrite a file and make a mistake (delete 50 rows in a spreadsheet and don't notice) you can go back to an older version in Dropbox. If you delete a file you can undelete in both.

• Dropbox can synchronize any size of file. FILR at the U of R is configured with a maximum file size of 5GB.

FILR offers two main storage types, My Files and Netfolders. Anything under My Files can be synchronized to a computer with the desktop client.

There are two subtypes under My Files:

Home

• This is a link to your home directory files (usually mapped as I: drive). FILR can synchronize your I: drive, or a portion of it, for you to allow easy access on remote systems.

Personal Storage

• Anything in 'My Files' that isn't in your Home directory (I: drive). 
• Has a large quota (100GB) but is only backed for disaster recovery purposes (fire/flood/explosion).
• All deleted files are saved and can be undeleted.
• Netfolders gives you access to Micro Focus OES drives like T: and U: and allows you to share individual files with others.

1. If only sharing with internal employees, store files in department folder (typically T: drive) and access with Micro Focus OES Client and use webdrive/NetStorage for home access. You can share your folders without putting a ticket in, using the instructions in How to Setup Micro Focus OES Directory Permissions.
2. If you only need to share one or two files read-only with external users, store them in the most appropriate Micro Focus OES drive (a netfolder likely) and share out the individual files in Filr to the external users. Folders cannot be shared on netfolders.
3. If you need to share a lot of files with external users or provide them write access, then store files in a user's I: drive (a faculty/department generic account works well for this) and share out permissions using FILR. Use FILR web interface or desktop client to access files. The desktop client is particularly recommended if users need to edit files instead of just viewing them.
4. Use the FILR web interface to access files instead of NetStorage. Use the free FILR apps for iPhone/Android to access your Micro Focus OES files on your phone or tablet.

Online Editing

• When you right click on a document there is an option to Online Edit the document.
• Documents are edited in a dedicated server and the results are displayed on your screen – you don't even need to have Word/excel etc., installed locally.
• It even allows simultaneous editing where you can see what others are typing. Other advantages are that there is no copy of the document downloaded to your PC so it is more secure and the lack of download and make it faster to edit large documents.
• A downside is that the online editor does not support advanced Word/Excel features.

Note: You cannot edit the document in an application and online simultaneously. If some try to use online mode and some with the Application, then conflicts will be reported, and you will have to save multiple copies and merge them manually. 

Collaborative Editing

• Each user gets assigned a color and the cursor of each user will be shown in the assigned color (you will see your cursor as black).
• The content editor notifies you with a small notification in the footer, when a new user enters or when a user leaves.

Additional Documentation

• When you are online editing a document, choose Help from the top menu in FILR.

Filr has the following limitations

• You can not synchronize netfolders (T:, U:, etc. drives) to your desktop when you have the FILR desktop installed. This is due to privacy/confidentiality concerns and the typically large-size of these drives.
• You can only share files on netfolders and not directories. This is to protect against accidental (or intentional) sharing of a whole faculty/department directory.

Tips

• To download the desktop app, see FILR Downloads.
• When installing you will need administrative access on your machine. For the FILR server URL use https://filr.uregina.ca
• For most employees, it's best not to synchronize your whole Home (I: drive) folder to your laptop. 
• Be careful when synchronizing folders that contain confidential data. It is best to leave files on the secure U of R network. See technote 610 for suggestions on configuring what is synchronized to your system.

Online Editing

• Documents are edited in a dedicated server and the results displayed on your screen – you don’t need to have Word/Excel etc., installed locally. It allows simultaneous editing where you can see what others are typing. Other advantages are that there is no copy of the document downloaded to your PC, so it is more secure and the lack of a download makes it faster to edit large documents. A downside is that the online editor doesn't support advanced features of Word/Excel/PowerPoint.

With Application

• Downloads the document to your PC and saves it back to FILR. You must have the application (Word/Excel/…) installed on your device.

You cannot mix the two modes!

• If some try to use the online mode and some with the Application, then conflicts will be reported, and you'll have to save multiple copies and merge them manually.

• Refreshing your web browser will usually fix this.

• Your document will auto-save periodically or when you close your browser tab.
• You can also click on the floppy disk save icon in the left side of the command bar at the top of the document.

• The first person to save the document notices nothing, but the second person will get a warning that the file on the server is newer and gives you the option to replace to file with your version or save under a new filename.
• If you ignore the message, the file gets a small red X on the icon to show that it is not in sync with the server, and you can select what you want to do in the Filr desktop client later.
• The best way to avoid conflicts when multiple users are editing a file is to use the online editor.

Editor

• Users can view and modify individual files shared with them, or all files within the folder shared with them.

Contributor

• Users can create files in the folder, rename existing files, modify files, move files, and delete files inside the folder. Users cannot perform actions on the folder itself (applies when sharing folders only).

• The timeout is 4 hours. If you are using online editing, please ensure changes are saved before this.

• The file or folder will be removed from the shared users computer automatically.

Note: There is nothing to prevent the user from making a separate copy of a share before you remove the share option.

• In the current FILR version, you can only share files from Net Folders, not complete folders; this prevents someone from accidentally sharing a whole Faculty/Department folder.

• Yes, the Home directory in FILR and your I: drive are the same. If you have 'FILR Desktop Client' installed, it will synchronize a local copy of your 'Home (I: drive)' to your computer.
• Having 'FILR Desktop Client' installed on your computer allows for offline access, which will be synchronized back to the 'Home (I: drive)' when you have network access again.

Mac Systems Setup

• MacOS has a built-in SSH client called Terminal. Search for Terminal to open the program.

Linux Systems Setup

1. You need to delete the index.html file in the public_html directory on the RIGHT hand side.
   Click the file once so it is highlighted, then click the red X at the bottom to delete or press F8.
   Be very careful you are not deleting anything on the LEFT hand side, which is your current C: drive files. 
2. You should also delete the remaining files in the public_html directory if you do not want them to be accessible online.