WesFiles Info

Connecting to WesFiles

Below is detailed information on the various methods of accessing WesFiles.

Connection Method	Macintosh OS 10.3	Macintosh OS 10.4+	Windows XP	Windows Vista	Windows 7	Linux	Mobile devices
Web-browser note	X	X	X	X	X	X	see note
Finder		X
Web Folders			X	see note	X
Xythos Drive		X	X	see note	(32-bit)
Other webDAV clients	X	X	X	X	X	X	see note

Accessing WesFiles via Web Browser (all platforms)

Wesfiles can be accessed via any web browser by going to the URL https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu. The web interface iis called the WFS, or Web File System.

Installing and Using Xythos Drive (for Windows XP and Vista)

1. To download the installer, first log into WesFiles via a web browser by going to https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu.
2. Click on the folder icon at the far left of the WesFiles address window to go to the top of the directory structure.
3. Double-click on the XythosDrive folder.
4. For a private computer, click on the filename XythosDrive_4.5.7074_setup.new.exe and save it to your own computer.
5. On a shared computer, use XythosDrive_4.5.8193_setup.lab.exe instead.
6. Open the .exe file to run the installer, and after it finishes reboot your system.
7. When your system restarts, the Xythos Drive will launch automatically and map WesFiles to the drive letter H: (If this does not happen, please see our instructions on mapping the drive manually).
8. If your computer is set up to map the H: drive to dragon, you will be asked whether you want to disconnect H: from dragon. To use WesFiles you must click yes. Ask your DSS or ACM to have you added to the Xythos group so that you will not see the prompt every time you restart.
9. Now you can access WesFiles by going to My Computer, and then to the H: drive (which will be labeled “wesfiles on ‘XythosDrive’ (H:))
10. You can find online documentation from Xythos at:
    http://public.xythos.com/home/xythos/xd_help/ver4.5/en-us/index.html

Using Web Folders with Internet Explorer in Windows XP and Vist

1. Start by navigating to the folder you want to work with via the web interface at https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/
2. Click on the “Launch Web Folder” button in the right-hand toolbar
3. You can work with the files and folders in the web folder in much the same way as if they were on your own computer
4. This option is especially useful if you are using a computer that does not have a Xythos Drive, or if the folder you are working with is nested within some other folder to which you do not have read access
5. This function is available only for Internet Explorer

Connecting via the Finder (Mac OS X, 10.4+)

1. Choose “Go” from the Finder menu and then “Connect to Server…”
2. In the Server Address box, type https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu, then click on the plus sign (+) to add this address to your list of favorites.
3. Click on “Connect”.
4. Type in your user name and password. Click “OK”.
5. To reconnect, you can either use the Connect to Server option again, or find WesFiles in your list of Recent Servers (Apple–>Recent Items–>Servers).

Note: You can also interact with WesFiles via a terminal window on the Mac. This connection will allow you to move, copy, or rename files, but not to edit file permissions or use other special function of WesFiles (such as subscriptions, logging, etc.). To edit file permissions you will need to log in to the web interface (https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu).
Note: You will not be able to connect to WesFiles via the Finder if you are running OS 10.3 (Panther) or earlier.
Note: Working through the finder connection is slow, and it can interfere with permissions, versioning, logging, and other special WesFiles functions. Mac users are encouraged to use the improved web interface. Faculty whose needs are not met by the web interface should contact their ACM to discuss other options.

Other webDAV Clients

See http://www.webdav.org/projects/ for a listing of webDAV clients. Known issues with other clients include;

• some lack full support for file-locking
• none will allow you to edit permissions on WesFiles, for that you need to either log in via the web interface (https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu) or use the Xythos Drive client (Windows only)

With those caveats in mind, options include:

• Cyberduck, a free, graphic ftp/webdav client for Macs. Good for moving things around or up- and down-loading.
• Trasmit, an inexpensive graphic ftp/webdav client for Macs. Good for moving things around and up- or down-loading. When properly configured, it will also allow you to edit your files ‘on the server.’
• cadaver, a free command-line interface for unix/linux systems (including the Mac Terminal and CygWin)
• davfs, a free linux package that allows you to mount a webdav drive. Known to be slow.