Brewster Academy Blogs

Sharing files using Brewster’s High Speed File Server!

(bafiles.brewsternet.org)

Here at Brewster you will often be required to share or upload/download all sorts of different files with your teachers, students or colleagues. No matter the type of file from documents to movies and other such project files, the fastest and safest way to share those files is by utilizing Brewster’s high-speed file sharing server (bafiles.brewsternet.org). Not only is this service many times faster than Google Drive, it’s also backed up regularly by IT Staff. That said it IS NOT a collaborative service like Google Drive/Docs. It is recommended that you do not edit files that live directly on the file server.

To connect to the file server from an Apple computer, open your “Connect to Server” utility. You can do this in a few different ways. One of the simplest is as follows:

• From your desktop, open the “Go” menu at the top of your screen. Select “Connect to Server…” at the very bottom of that list.
  
  
• You will see the following window though it may or may not already have some addresses saved in there.

• Enter the address:  smb://bafiles.brewsternet.org
  Click the “+” sign
  Click the “Connect Button”

• You will be asked to log in:

• Enter your student/faculty number (STU###, FAC###, etc) and your 10-character portal password to gain access.
• Once you log in you will see a list of “Share Points” (aka folders) which are different collections of files. If you are a student, please choose the “Share Point” that you are instructed to connect to. Usually, this will be “Classroom Resources”.

• Select the “Share Point” you wish and then click “OK”
• You will then be presented with a list of files/folders much like you would find on your computer. (See example)

• Generally, you will be instructed by a faculty or staff member to upload or download files from a specific folder. This works in EXACTLY the same was it would on your computer.
• You can “drag” files in and out of these folders. Dragging files or folders, into these folders uploads them to our file server and automatically shares then with the owner of that folder.
• Dragging files OUT of the folder downloads that file from the file server to the place that you drag it to on you computer.
• Whether you drag something in or out of your computer you will see a progress bar appear that lets you know when the transfer is finished.