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Remote Access for Students

Remote Access to Student U: Drives

Connecting from off-campus - Requirements

Connecting from off-campus - Windows Instructions

Connecting from off-campus - Macintosh Instructions

Connecting from off-campus - Firefox

Links

The following information is also available as a handout (PDF).

Accessing Student U: Drives from home

Students can use the Internet to manage their U: drive files from off-campus. By using Remote File Access, Students can view, add, edit or delete any of the files in their U: drive, including files in their Web folders. This is accomplished by using the WebDav protocol - Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning.

Because of the large number of possible home computer configurations, the ITS department cannot guarantee the functionality of this service.

  • If you are unable to connect from home, please try this service on campus. If you are successful on campus, but not at home, it is a configuration or security setting on your home system.
  • If you are unable to connect from home or from on campus, the problem may be with your student computer account (Make sure you have followed the Instructions below). Please stop by the ITS Helpdesk to have a ticket created for this (please remember to bring our Student ID).

Connecting from off-campus - Requirements

In order to access your U: drive from off-campus, you will need the following:

  • A Computer with Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
    • Mac users need to be running OS X 10.3 or later
  • An active Internet connection
  • An active VIU Student Computer Account (see below)
  • Remote File Access enabled for your Computer Account (see below)

To create a student computer account, please see the following web page:

Technology Essentials for Students

To enable remote file access, or confirm that remote file access is enabled on your account, login to the following web page (Students - you must use a Windows operating system and Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher to use this online tool to enable Remote File Access. The buttons will NOT work with Firefox or any MAC browsers):

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Remote File Access

You will see a page that should look like this. If Remote file access is not enabled, click the Enable button.

Web page showing Remote file access and Home page access as enabled

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Connecting from off-campus - Windows Instructions

Note: You must have Remote File Access enabled for your Discovery account -- see above for instructions.

After you have finished go to Start - My Network Places and double click the new location you created

Warning: Do not copy move or delete the folder named "Web". If you do, your web directory will no longer work correctly. However, you can safely move files into and out of the "Web" folder.


How your U: drive will appear when you open it remotely.

    • To add files to this folder you can copy and paste or drag and drop them into the open window.
    • To edit existing files, you will need to copy and paste (or drag and drop) the files to your local computer. Once the file has been edited, copy and paste (or drag and drop) back into the Explorer view (you will be prompted to overwrite the earlier copy of the file).
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Connecting from off-campus - Macintosh Instructions

You must have Remote File Access enabled for your Discovery account -- see above for instructions.

  • In the Finder's GO menu, click on Connect to Server
    FinderGo
  • Type the following:
    • https://www.discovery.mala.bc.ca/home/yourusername
  • Change 'yourusername' to your Discovery account username (i.e. https://www.discovery.mala.bc.ca/home/555444555)
  • Press the Connect button
    MACServer

Connecting from off-campus - Firefox Not Supported

  • Firefox does not support the WebDav protocol at this time
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Links: