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One of an eclectic series of notes on how to do things on the UNM / EPS network by Jim Connolly
(Revision date: 4-Jun-2003)
Note: This document contains information about accessing resources on the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Network remotely utilizing the Internet standard File Transfer Protocol (FTP). This includes access from CIRT resources (Unix accounts) and via other remote services such as Internet service providers and major online services (like AOL, Earthlink, NetZero, etc.). Although Windows systems can be setup for a higher level of connectivity, FTP is fast, reliable and will work regardless of your Internet Service Provider's restrictions.
Other documents detailing connection alternatives to FTP may be found on our network help page at http://epswww.unm.edu/help.
Two EPS file servers which host our "User" and "Common" drives. The "User" drive (host to user's personal files) is on the system named eps2 (Full IP name eps2.unm.edu). The "Common" drive (host to shared research group and class resource files) is hosted on eps1 (Full IP name eps1.unm.edu). Both systems can be accessed via FTP through any service which supports it. FTP is used for file transfers between Internet nodes. All of the major Internet services support FTP through the Windows or Macintosh software which they provide to users. All UNIX and Linux systems include FTP as an intrinsic part of the operating system. The industry-standard web browsers (Netscape, Internet Explorer) include FTP client (sometimes download-only) capability. UNM's Mirada Internet suite includes a fully capable FTP client program.
Our FTP server on eps1 allows access only to registered users who have accounts on the departments local area network. This means that a valid username and password are required to access your data remotely. Anonymous users cannot access these data resources.
Because of an issue related to operating system compatibility, anyone wanting to access their personal files on eps2 must have a special account created on that system by the network administrator to enable that access. This issue will be resolved when our network is fully upgraded to Windows 2000 server sometime in late 2003. Until then, see Jim Connolly if you need an account created -- it takes about 5 minutes and must be done at the server (in Room 209A).
To log in all you need to do is start your FTP client software, and specify the Internet address of the E&PS server to be accessed (eps2.unm.edu or eps1.unm.edu), using your login or account name, and your password on the system. When logged in, you will have access to your personal file area.
To access the "Public" areas accessible to anonymous users users must connect to the public FTP server located at eps.unm.edu. The commands to change directories and drives vary depending on the particular FTP client program, so you need to practice with it.
If you need an FTP client program, there are good free ones available our our server or for download at any number of commercial shareware providers. For Windows systems, WS-FTP (Limited Edition) is available in the "pub/internet" folder on "eps.unm.edu" as "ws_ftple.exe" (available on the Windows network or by an anonymous download using your Web browser). For Macintosh systems, Fetch is available in the "Macintosh Shareware" folder of the anonymous FTP in BinHex format as "fetch-301.hqx". To decode and install the program you will need to use Stuffit Expander, a free program which comes as part of the Netscape Communicator web browser -- if you have a Macintosh, chances are you have Stuffit Expander on your system somewhere. Tucows (www.tucows.com) is an excellent place to find free or cheap FTP software for download. The latest versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer include the ability to do "two-way" FTP including logging in to the remote site.
Only the USER directory on eps2 and the COMMON directory on eps1 are available to remote users, and the directories are "hidden" so that they are not displayed upon login. To access the USER directory on eps2, connect to the directory named epsusers. Your FTP client (like WS-FTP for PCs and Fetch for Mac) will have a command box which lets you enter the CD command, or you can do it from a command line. (The FTP command line for this is typically: "cd epsusers" or "cd /epsusers".) The remote name for the COMMON directory on eps1 is epsgroup. After connecting, find the directory you are looking for (yours or your group's) to access your data. You will have read-write access to your personal folder, and also have the ability to make new folders, delete files, etc. You will not have access to anyone else's data because of the way our server controls user access.
Remember, FTP is only used to transfer files and requires an FTP server be operational on the machine to which you are connecting. Users running a PC with Windows operating system and dialing in via PPP connections (either through UNM or some other Internet service provider which will pass WINS service requests) can connect to more network resources than are available using FTP. How to set this up is dealt with in another document -- win_dialup.htm.
The department's "public" FTP server (i.e., the system on which anonymous access is allowed) is eps.unm.edu. This server contains a useful collection of software for both general computer tasks and specialized earth sciences tasks. The root folder for the shareware software is ftp://eps.unm.edu/pub, and a webpage index for the software (to be updated before the end of June, 2003) is ftp://eps.unm.edu/pub/toc.htm.
The FTP server also contains two special folders which are designed to facilitate exchange of large files between personnel inside the Department (who have a network account) and associates outside the department (who do not have a network account). The latter category can include non-department associates at UNM or from other universities or companies. Outgoing is for files from the department to outside; Incoming is for files being sent from outside to someone within the department. Here is how they are used:
We ask that you remove unneeded files from the Outgoing folder because there is a limited (though substantial) amount of space available. Another reason to remove things is that this is a public folder visible to anyone cruising our FTP site; many items placed here will likely be research work "in-progress" which you probably do not want to share indiscriminately to the world.
Important note: This is not a place to share MP3 music files or any other form of copyrighted material. Any material of this nature found here will be removed immediately, and whoever placed it will be warned. A second offense will be grounds for termination of network privileges.
The preferred way to receive files from colleagues outside of UNM is as an attachment to Email. This method is private, secure and convenient. The Incoming FTP folder is provided primary for files which exceed the maximum size allowed for Email attachments (currently about 5 to 10 MB depending on the type of file and Email encoding method used).
We ask that you remove unneeded files from the Incoming folder because there is a limited (though substantial) amount of space available. This is done as a courtesy to other users so that short-term space will be available for large uploads.
Note: Unlike the Outgoing folder, the Incoming folder is not publicly accessible, i.e., anonymous users have no access to the contents of the folder or any of the sub-folders in it. To access files in it or add files to it, you must use a valid E&PS network account (including the special one for uploads described above).
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