The Einstein Depot server Have you ever needed a way to transfer large files to colleagues? Or allow a colleague to send large files to you? Do you need to transfer files that are too big to be sent as email attachments? The solution is to use the File Transfer Protocol ("FTP"), but to do that you need access to an FTP server. The Depot was created to satisfy this need. To use the Depot, use your web browser to go to the web site depot.aecom.yu.edu, enter your AECOM email address, and click the button to request that a directory (folder) be created for you. A directory will be created with a name consisting of a random string of characters. The name will be sent to you in an email message, which you can forward to the person with whom you want to exchange files. Anyone who knows the name may copy files to or from the directory using FTP, but the name can not be discovered so the files are reasonably private. Also, the files can not be changed, renamed, or deleted so their contents are reasonably secure. After a certain period of time (currently one week) the directory and all files in it will be automatically and irrevocably deleted. Copying files to and from your directory on Depot must be done using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and this can be done from anywhere on the Internet. The only usage restriction is that the directory must be originally created by someone who is connected directly to ALNET and who has an AECOM e-mail address. All depot activity is logged and the person who created a directory will be held responsible for any illegal activity associated with it. In particular, do not use the Depot to share files in violation of copyright restrictions. Files on the Depot are not backed up, which means they cannot be restored in the event of a system failure. Therefore, always retain an original copy of data copied to the Depot. Using FTP The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is specifically intended for copying files of any size from one computer to another, and is optimized for fast, error-free performance over long distances. Practically every operating system comes with a command-line ftp program that allows the user to make connection to an FTP server and supply a user name and password (open), change directory (cd), display the file names in the directory (ls), copy a file to or from the server (put, get), and disconnect (bye). The usage rules for any particular command-line ftp program are beyond the scope of this document -- to use a command-line FTP program please refer to the help files for your operating system. If you use a command-line ftp program, for user enter "ftp" or "anonymous" and for password enter your email address (not your email password). You can avoid using a command-line ftp if you have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 on Windows because it provides a graphical ftp interface. Using IE, enter the URL ftp://depot.aecom.yu.edu/directory-name (or simply click on the folder name that is emailed to you). Then drag file icons into or out of the IE window to copy files to or from the server.
Finally, special-purpose FTP programs can be purchased that provide a graphical user interface and many useful convenience features. One of these is recommended if you will be using FTP regularly. Popular choices are WS_FTP for windows (http://www.ipswitch.com/) and Fetch for Macintosh (http://fetchsoftworks.com/). Depot Frequently Asked Questions What is Depot? The Depot facilitates large data/file transfer between Einstein network users and colleagues, collaborators and others located off-campus through the Internet. This web site is used to request a unique, temporary directory on Depot, and then anonymous FTP is used to copy files to and from the created directory on the Depot. What is the size limit on files? There is no limit other than the available disk space. Very large files can be transferred. How do I create a directory on the Depot? Go to Depot's home page (http://depot.aecom.yu.edu/), and follow the on-screen directions. Initial space creation must be done from oncampus. Can I use email addresses other than one at AECOM mail to create directories on the Depot? No. The Depot is publically accessible on the Internet, but it is not a public facility. Only users with a valid AECOM Mail Server email address can create a directory on Depot. Once created, the directory location can be shared with anyone with whom you wish to exchange files. Can I access this web site from off-campus? No. Access to the web site from off-campus is restricted. However, once a directory is created it can be accessed from off-campus using FTP. Can a directory on Depot contain subdirectories or only files? A depot directory can contain both. Both files and directories cannot be altered or removed by anyone once they are created or copied to the Depot. This limitation includes changing file contents or renaming subdirectories or files. The files and directories will be deleted by the Depot when the Depot directory expires. Why do I get a "permission denied" error message when I use Windows Internet Explorer to create a subdirectory and try to enter a name other than "New Folder"?
When you instruct Windows Internet Explorer to create a new FTP folder, it first creates the folder with the name "New Folder" and then attempts to change its name. Since directories on the Depot cannot be renamed, you get the "permission denied" message. To workaround this, you can create an empty folder on your local hard disk with the correct name and then copy this folder to the Depot directory. How long will a Depot directory stay on the server? Currently Depot directories expire after one week at which time the directory and any files contained within are permanently and irrevocably deleted. The expiration time may be reduced in the future if disk space is used up. Are Depot directories backed up? No. This means that in the event of a disk or system failure in which data is lost, Depot directories will not be restored. Always retain an original copy of data copied to the Depot. How do I put files onto Depot or get them from Depot onto my machine? You must use FTP. You can use the command line FTP program on any computer. On Windows you may also drag and drop file icons using Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. How can I use command line ftp (i.e., Window, MacOS X, Linux, etc)? For Windows User: Step 1: Launch the command line utility. Go to Start > Run and enter cmd into the open field of the dialog box. Click OK or press enter. Step 2: Change to a local directory that contains your site files. Type cd followed by the path, i.e., if your local files are stored in "C:\my_location", enter cd "C:\my_location". Step 3: At the prompt, enter ftp depot.aecom.yu.edu. Following the prompt, enter anonymous or ftp as user and your email address as password. i.e., C:\my_location>ftp depot.aecom.yu.edu, Connected to depot.aecom.yu.edu. ********************* WARNING *********************
Under no circumstances may copyrighted or licensed information be copied to the Depot in violation of University policy and/or applicable laws. See http://www.yu.edu/mis/asp/copyright_policies.asp for Copyright Policies All activity on this server is logged. ********************* WARNING ********************* 220 User (depot.aecom.yu.edu:(none)): ftp 331 Please specify the password. Password: your email address 230 Login successful. ftp> Step 4: Enter cd pub/your_ftp_directory to go to your ftp directory on Depot. Then you can create a subdirectory by md new_directory. Step 5: Enter put your_local_file to transfer a file from your local machine to the ftp site on Depot or get your_remote_file to get a remote file from the ftp site on Depot to your local machine. (If you have multiple files to transfer, you can use mput or mget instead.) Step 6: Exit ftp and command line utility. ftp>bye C:\my_location> exit For Macintosh OS X, Linux and Unix Users: Step 1: Get the Unix terminal.
Step 2: At the Unix shell prompt, change the current directory by typing cd local_directory. Step 3: follow Windows steps 3-6.