Moving Files To and From the Server

© 1999 - Grady D. Smith, Student Assistant
Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine
Now that you have your new or updated web page you need to put it onto the server so that the public can access it. There are two options for doing this. Before we discuss those, it is important to first understand the directory structure of the server.

Server Directory Structure

The web page directory in both personal and group accounts is called www. For example, Academic Affairs has a directory on the group drive (G:\) known as academic. Within their academic directory is the www directory. This is the only public accessible directory. All public web pages and graphics need to go in this directory and any sub-directories created in it.

Personal web pages work the same way: For example, my account on the server is the directory smithg4 on the home drive (H:\). This directory contains any files I want to store, all of my e-mail, and my web pages. The only public directory is www and that is the one that my web pages are stored in.

Sub-directories can be created in the www folder. Unless the file permissions are specifically set differently, all files within these sub-directories will be accessible to anyone in the world with an Internet connection.

To have a file load automatically when a directory is accessed, it must be named home.html. For example, to access the Large Animal Clinic web site all you need to do is go to http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/lac. You do not have to type home.html in the address. When you go to that site the first page you automatically see is the home.html page. If no file of that exact name exists in the directory, a directory listing that shows all files will be displayed instead.

Saving Directly to the Server

If you are working from within the CVM campus and have your computer set up to map drives, you will be able to access your www directory as if it is on your PC.

as if

Go to the My Computer icon (if you are running Windows95). Any of the drives you are connected to will be listed.

For personal pages, open the H: drive.
For departmental, organization, or other group accounts, open the G: drive

If you are not opened directly to your account on that drive, browse through the folders until you recognize your group symbol (lac, sac, academic, conted, etc...) or your personal id.

Within your directory on the group or personal drive find the www folder and open it.

Any htm or html file that you see listed can be opened directly into Composer (please see the Netscape Composer tutorial for information on this). You will be able to open these files with Composer, modify them, and save them back to the server without ever moving them to your computer! However, this can present problems. Once you save the file, any changes you made instantly overwrite the previous file. You are not prompted before the old file is overwritten. Therefore, it is essential that you make back-up copies of any file on the server before modifying them or else they may be lost forever.

Using File Transfer Protocol

You may use this method to access your files from anywhere in the world. It requires a software program known as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) which is provided in both the AUNet and CVMNet folders on your computer.

Session Profiles

When you open FTP you will either be prompted to select a session profile or be given a blank transfer screen. If you are given the program screen, click on the connect button in the bottom left corner to bring up the session profile box as seen below.

REQUIRED INFORMATION
The following information must be entered into the session profile in order to connect to the server:

HOST NAME: snoopy.vetmed.auburn.edu
HOST TYPE: UNIX (standard) or Automatic detect
USER ID: This is the same user id that you use to access your e-mail.
PASSWORD: This is the same password that you use to access your e-mail.

OPTIONAL INFORMATION
The following information is not required to connect but can be helpful. These help you jump directly to the files both on your computer and on the server that you want to work with.

REMOTE HOST: This allows you to specify which directory on the server to open.
        For departmental or group pages it should be:
            /export/group/________
            Insert your department account (lac, sac, raptor, academic, etc...) in the blank.
        For personal pages it should be:
            /export/home/_________
           Insert your User Id in the blank.
LOCAL PC: This allows you to specify the directory on your computer that you want opened.

SAVING THE PROFILE
To avoid having to re-enter this information every time you connect, you may save the profile. After entering everything needed (including a session name in the Profile Name box at the top) press the save button. Next time you open FTP you only need to use the drop down arrow in the Profile Name box to find your session name. Once you highlight that name all of the information you previously entered will appear below.

NOTE: If you save a profile, do NOT select Save Password. If you save your password someone else could easily have access to your account and any files on the server that you have permissions for. This could compromise your account and the network security.

FTP Session

After all of the information is entered in the Session Profile Box, press the Ok button.

The following session box should now appear. Please see the explanation below the diagram..

LEFT COLUMN
All of the directories and files listed on this side of the screen are on your local computer. The command buttons (delete, rename, etc...) in this column only affect the selected files on your computer.

RIGHT COLUMN
All of the directories and files listed on this side of the screen are on the server. The command buttons (delete, rename, etc...) in this column only affect the selected files on the server. It will not affect files on your computer.

CONNECT / CLOSE BUTTON
If FTP begins without prompting you for a session profile to connect (as described previously) click on this button to connect. Once connected you may click on this to terminate the connection. Always terminate your connection when done to protect your account.

DIRECTORY LISTING
All sub-directories within the current working directory are listed here as yellow folder icons. In older versions of FTP, the directories are listed as text in their own box at the top of each column. Double click on the directory name to open it. Double click on the two dots with the green arrow to move up a directory.

MAKE / REMOVE DIRECTORIES
Use these buttons to create new directories or remove existing ones.
NOTE: Some versions of FTP will not allow you to delete directories with files in them. You must manually delete the files (see number 5 below) before removing the directory.

FILE LISTING
All files (including your web pages, graphics, text files, etc...) which are in the open directory are listed after the sub-directories. They will not have a yellow folder next to them but will have various other icons depending on the file type and your computer's settings.

FILE COMMANDS
These allow you to delete files or rename them.
REFRESH is used to view the directory once changes are made.
When you make changes they are not necessarily shown on the screen depending on what version of FTP you are using. In these situations you will need to use Refresh to view any changes made.

TRANSFER BUTTONS
Use these buttons to move files between your computer and the server. Select the file or files that you want to move on only one side of the screen by highlighting them with your mouse. Now click on the appropriate arrow to move them.
IMPORTANT!!! If there is a file that already exists with the same name as the file you are moving, it will be overwritten by the new file. As mentioned previously, it is best to back up your existing files before you modify them. You will not be prompted before the old file is erased and replaced.

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THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN FULL OR IN PART WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. ADDRESS COPYRIGHT OR USAGE QUESTIONS TO: smithg4@vetmed.auburn.edu