Technology
Help Desk
Mac OS X: Access Your File Server Folders
All members of the Simmons community have access to storage space on the file server. Each Simmons faculty and staff member has a personal file server folder, where they can store up to 1 GB. Students can store 100MB of data. You can access your folder from any Simmons computer on campus. To do this you will need to login to the machine, and then select the correct folder. If you need assistance, please call the Technology Help Desk at x2222. To access your file server drives from a personally-owned computer on campus or using another operating system (e.g. Windows XP), please see other versions of this document: http://my.simmons.edu/technology/helpdesk/fileserver.
These instructions are slightly different from the steps some staff and faculty will follow when connecting to the file server from their office Macs.
Step 1) Anytime you sit down at a Simmons College-owned computer, it should be ready and waiting for you to log in. Log in by entering your
a) Username (Same as for file server, and for Simmons Windows computer)
b) Password
If this is your first time logging into a computer on campus or using your file server folder, you are prompted to change your password. Your new password should be six to eight characters long and should include upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Caution: If your password is longer than eight characters, you will be unable to use it later.
Step 2) If your office computer was set up after July 1, 2004, or you are using a classroom or general access computer, you will see a folder on your Dock, to the left of the Trash, identified with your username (If you move your mouse over the folder icon, your name pops up). That folder is your personal file server folder. There may be Dock icons (sometimes they appear as question marks) representing other file server folders you may access (see the list below). To connect to them, simply click on the dock icons. If you do not have these Dock icons, proceed with these directions.
From the menu bar at the top of the screen, select Go, and then Connect to Server…. In the Server Address: field, enter afp://mcbfs1.simmons.edu and click Connect.
Step 3) You may be prompted to login again by entering your username and password. If you have just changed your password, enter the new one here.
Step 4) A window labeled MCBFS1 opens. Inside this window is a list of fileserver folders that you can connect to. Select one and then click OK. The folders that you are likely to connect to are:
Dept
The Department Folder is for storing files used by an entire department. Everyone in your department has access to your department folder, but other users cannot use it. The Department folder has many, very helpful uses. For more information, please see the "What Are My File Server Drives" on the Technology web site.
Public
StudentData
These folders can be used for transferring files to someone else or for temporary storage. Please note that files older than 2 weeks are deleted daily, and files on these drives are not backed up. Also be aware that these are not secure locations, and files can be viewed and deleted by anyone who accesses the folder. Please backup your work and do not save confidential information that you don't want others to read. StudentData is intended for use by faculty and students; Public is made available for staff and faculty.
Users
Student
These folders give you access to your personal file server folder.
• If you are faculty or staff, select Users
• If you are a student select Student
Once the Users or Student network drive appears on your desktop, double-click to open it and navigate to your username to open your personal file server folder. It is not a temporary folder like StudentData: any documents you save there will stay until you delete them, or until you are no longer enrolled or employed at Simmons. Only you have access to your fileserver folder;* you may safely store your personal files there. Technology backs up the file server regularly, so your data will be safe and secure.
*Some Technology staff have access rights to your user folder; their access is governed by the Simmons Acceptable Use Policy and the Technology at Simmons College Confidentiality Agreement.
Step 5) When you click OK, the MCBFS1 window disappears, and an icon appears on your desktop, with the same name as the folder you chose to mount. Double-click on this icon to open the fileserver folder. Some of these folders contain a large number of items, and take a long time to open.
If you are opening the Dept, Users or Student folder, scroll down in the window to find the folder named the same as your username or department. Double-click on this folder to gain access to your Department Folder or personal file server folder.
Step 6) When you are finished using your personal fileserver folder, you may close your connection to the file server. To disconnect the Users folder, select the Users icon, control-click, choose Eject "Users." Disconnect/eject other file server folders, and removable media (e.g. flash storage devices) using the same technique.
Note: Occasionally Technology needs to perform maintenance on Simmons network. Please check your Simmons email or ask Information Commons Technology staff for information about when and how this may affect access to the fileserver.