OurFiles is a system that allows groups of people at Dartmouth to easily share files. If you are interested in a place to store files that only you will need access to, see MyFiles.
Connection to this space can be done via a computer's built in utilities (Map Network Drive for Windows and Connect to Server for Macintosh). Any type of file can be uploaded, edited or deleted from the server. If you need to connect to OurFiles from a computer not on Dartmouth's network, you need to start a VPN connection first. See Using the Juniper VPN for additional information.
To have an OurFiles folder set up for your department, contact Help. Each division of Dartmouth has a server and all departments will have folders created under the server for the division to which they report.
Each division's server has space allocated based upon the number of departments in that division. Additional space can be requested. Contact your department's IT support office for additional information.
When you first access OurFiles, you will only see those folders which you have permission to see; there may be others.
People will only have "read" only permissions to top-level folders; they will not be able to create sub-folders in any of these top level areas.
When users double click one of these top level folders to open it, you will see more folders at the second level which you may have permission to access; there may be others. If you need another folder created at a level where you lack permission, contact your department's IT support office to request they create that folder. They will need to know the name that you want given to the folder and the people who should have access to that level of folder. Anything created within security controlled folders must inherit "read" and "write" permissions onto lower folder/file levels.
If you have "write" access to a security controlled folder that you opened, you can create as many levels of sub-folders within that folder as you need. Files can be added within that folder level and all it's sub folders as well. However, permissions for any files or folders within the second level folder must be the same as the permissions to the second level folder itself. If you need more restrictions, you must request a different second level folder.
For a thorough understanding of permission structure in Ourfiles, please do not hesitate to contact your department's IT support office for additional information.
*NOTE: If you are unsure of the name of the share that you need to connect to follow the directions below:
Because the server holding the files is not a Macintosh server some characters are not allowed in file and folder names. These include the following:
If you have file or folder names with these characters, they will appear when accessed from a Macintosh computer but, when accessed from a computer running another operating system, these characters will be replaced with periods. Therefore, please avoid using these characters.
Important: Do NOT connect to OurFiles from a public computer unless you have the ability to restart the computer after you have finished using OurFiles. If you need to do this, make sure you do NOT set up a permanent connect. Otherwise, the next person who uses the computer may have access to your files.
This functionality is currently not available for the OurFiles service.
Important: Do NOT connect to OurFiles from a public computer unless you have the ability to restart the computer after you have finished using OurFiles. Otherwise, the next person who uses the computer may have access to your files.
Snapshots of the OurFiles space is taken at regular intervals to ensure the greatest possible chance for recovery if you accidentally delete a file, modify a file and want a previous version back, or if the OurFiles system itself suffers a catastrophic failure. These snapshots are taken at the following intervals:
Windows Users: In order to restore a previous version of a file, in OurFiles, right click the file you want restored to a previous version, then select Restore Previous Version from the menu that appears. A listing of the dates of the previous versions appears. Select which one you want to use to overwrite the existing version of the file in your OurFiles. If you need to restore a file that you deleted from OurFiles, send an e-mail to help@dartmouth.edu with the name of the file you want restored, and the OurFiles location in which it appeared.
Macintosh Users: In order to restore a previous version of a file, with the Finder as the active application, select Go from the menu bar then Connect to server. In the Server Address box enter smb://<sharename>/<department name>/.ckpt then click Connect. In the Name field enter your NetID; in the Password field, enter your password. Click Connect. In the .ckpt window that appears, a listing of all the snapshots of your data will appear. Open the snapshot that you want to restore from, and navigate to the file/folder that you need restored. Drag the file/folder that you want restored from the .ckpt window to the appropriate location in your OurFiles space.
Important: Files can only be restored if they have made it to a snapshot. In other words, a file that has resided on OurFiles for less than 2 hours cannot be restored.
