How about using OneNet to store data?
The server is backed up frequently. So data that makes it to the server should
be fairly secure. However, if you have large files and a slow connection at
home, it is just not worth waiting hours for data that could be carried on
a USB key and loaded in minutes. If you have no network connectivity at home,
OneNet is not even an option.
What about size?
Yes, size matters. CDRs will hold 640 megabytes (megs) of data. Zip disks
will hold either 100 or 250 megs of data. USB Keys can hold anywhere from
16megs to 4000 megs (4 gigabytes). The current price break seems to be around
the 128meg or the 256megs size right now as these sizes can be had for between
$20 and $40 dollars (August 2004)if you shop the sales some.
But wait, there is more!
They are not just storage devices. You can buy USB Keys with audio capability
which turn them into a solid state walkman or a digital voice recorder. The
Walker Teaching Resource Center (Karen) had a model that not only stores data,
but also had a radio linked button set and a laser pointer. This allows her
to carry her powerpoint presentation to a podium computer, advance the slides
with the remote buttons and point out key points with the laser. Sort of an
all-in-one presentation package. Here is a link to some of those.
http://www.buy.com/prod/Creative_Labs_Muvo_NX_128MB_Holds_up_to_32_Songs/q/loc/101/90126871.html
http://www.kanguru.com/presmouse.html
So look at a USB Key next time you need to carry data with you. They are pretty
convenient.
How to get to files on Onenet
There are 4 supported ways to upload or download your files
to your OneNEt file storage space. Each faculty is given 200 megabytes
of space on OneNet but you can call the help desk and ask for more if you
need it. As usual, each of the following methods of accessing your space
has draw backs and advantages. By knowing which method does what, you
can pick the way that works best for you.
The OneNet web interface
Go to Onenet web site and log in with your OneNet username
and password.
Pros - This interface works from anywhere on the
web. It works with a wide variety of web browsers and has a good reliability
history.
Cons - This method only allows you to upload and download
one file at a time. If you are dealing with a large number of files,
this will take a long, long time.
Internet Explorer FTP
Using Internet Explorer, go to the following web address,
ftp://oneftp.utc.edu/
A windows should pop up and ask you for your OneNet username
and password.
Pros - Makes your Internet Explorer act just like your
Windows explorer. You can copy and paste multiple files and directories
fairly easily.
Cons - Does not work with other browsers. Remembers
your login until you close the browser.
NetDrive
Type in the server name of oneftp.utc.edu and this program
will connect OneNet as just another hard drive on your computer.
Pros - Any server can be attached as just another
hard drive on your computer. This allows all programs to open and save
to this new hard drive while in actuality; the data is being uploaded to the
server. Really easy to work with. You can copy and paste multiple files
and directories fairly easily.
Cons - This program has had issues with reliability.
Sometimes it works perfectly other times, something hangs in the system.
It only works with Windows machines
Novell Client32
OneNet is a Novell program. This is the Novel program
to connect your server space as another hard drive.
Pros - Because it is a Novell native program, this is the
fastest way to upload and download files to the server. It is 4 to 10
times faster than the above methods. It is easy to use as the server
appears as just another hard drive on the computer. You can copy and
paste multiple files and directories fairly easily.
Cons - It only works from campus. The other programs
will work from anywhere. It completely takes over your login process
to Windows. If it stops working, you cannot even get into your computer.
It has had a few reliability issues. It only works with Windows machines.
It only works with Novell servers (OneNet is a Novell server but most of the
others servers on campus are not. Juno, Ulysses, etc) (added 3-29-04)
Copying Excel data without copying the formulas
Problem: You want the data but every time you copy and paste it, you see
error messages because the formulas now point to either the wrong cells or cells
that do not exist. You just want the numbers right? This is also helpful
for stripping the formulas out of cells.
To keep the results of a formula but not the formula itself, just copy the appropriate
cells and choose paste special. Then choose ‘values’ and click
OK.
The value numbers are retained in the cells in which you pasted without the
formulas that generated them. You can also paste over the original cells
which in effect strips the formula and leaves the values in the same cells from
which they were showing.
Added 3-22-04
Easy Drop-Down Menus
Would you like to spice up your web pages with some neat pull down menus that
hold your links? Now you do not need to know how to code in html to have this
advanced feature. Just go to the web site below, type in your links and
it will generate the code for you. Take this code and paste it into your
current web page according to the instructions and your will have a individualized
drop down menu of links. The only decision you will have to make is whether
to have a go button or not. I personally don’t care for go buttons.
If I choose a link it should know that is where I want to go. Check it out.
Drop Down list generator
http://javascript.internet.com/generators/drop-down-menu.html
See it in action on the following page. Our very own Joe Wilferth
uses it to keep his web page clean while at the same time having links to information
his students need.
http://oneweb.utc.edu/~Joe-Wilferth/courses/
Added 1-11-04
Taking control of your Email
Did you know that you can access your email in a variety of different ways?
Our UTC email server can handle several connection methods and each one has
various attributes that will help you access your email in the manner you
want.
How does it do this?
There are two main protocols that are used to connect to the UTC email server,
IMAP and POP3. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol and POP3 stands
for Post Office Protocol revision 3 and is the older of the two. POP3 was
designed to go get your email and then delete it from the server and it does
this really well. IMAP was designed to work with your email on the server,
so it allows you to create subdirectories and to move email around into these
subdirectories on the server. Added 10-13-03
Email automatically comes to your office computer. (POP3 protocol)
This is the simplest method of getting email. All that is required is a connection
to the internet and your computer can pick up your email from your inbox on
the email server (pop.utc.edu). As soon as your computer has your email, it
is deleted from the server making room for other email. All of your email
is stored on your own hard drive. This works wonderfully if you only want
your email going to one computer. It is a problem though if you want to be
able to get your email from several computers or see it from the web-mail
interface of OneNet. The emails are no longer on the email server after they
are downloaded (POP’ed) to your computer. The POP3 protocol can be manipulated
a little bit by delaying when emails get deleted or by picking only one computer
to delete the email and the rest that you use to just copy them. So other
computers have a chance to retrieve a copy, but you still are not assured
that all computers will have all emails.
Email stays on the email server (imap.utc.edu) and you just connect to it
from any computer to read them. (IMAP protocol) This is a great method of
being able to see your email from lots of different computers. You can check
your email from the office, from home and from on the road using the Web-Mail
interface of OneNet. You can even have subdirectories on the server in which
to file your email. The main problems with this method are that all the messages
are stored on the server taking up a limited amount space. If you are the
type of person who deletes emails often, this is not a problem. If you happen
to want to be able to refer back to old emails, you may run into storage space
issues by saving all of your old emails on the server. This is especially
true if you receive a lot of attachments in your email. Added
10-13-03
Web interface email using OneNet
You can also choose to only work with your email using the web interface
that is part of OneNet. This system uses the IMAP protocol similar to the
way an email program on your personal computer would. Web-Mail allows you
to create subdirectories on the server and to create rules to sort incoming
mail into these subdirectories. This system allows you to see your email from
any computer that has a World Wide Web connection. The drawbacks are the same
as that for using IMAP, namely storage space concerns, as well as a possible
lack of features that you could find in another email program that runs from
your desktop (spell check).
Added 10-13-03
Transposing a column of data in Excel to a row of data
Problem: Your data is up and down and you need it side to
side.
Do you know how to transpose a column of data in Excel to a row of data?
Here’s how.
1. Select the cells you want to copy
2. Choose Edit>Copy (or ctrl-C)
3. Right click on the cell that you wan the data to start in.
4. Choose Paste Special and choose ‘Transpose’ then click OK.
Copying from a column transposes to a row. Copying from a row transposes
to a column.
**** You can also use paste special to copy formulas and transpose them.
If the formula refers to the cell above the original cell that you copied,
it will transpose to referring to the cell to the left of the new cell into
which you paste.
Added 9-29-03
Macintosh users on Windows Machines
Are you one of the people who learned to use a computer on a Macintosh and
now have to use a Windows machine?
Here is help!
Added 9-22-03
Printing from the Web. Example, from WebASIS.
Problem: What you see on your screen is not
what you see on your printed page.
So you are using the new WebASIS system but when you try
and print something like your class rolls it seems to garble the output. What
you see on the screen is not what you see on the page. This usually
means that the font has been set for easy viewing on the screen and not good
printing on the page. Try making the font size smaller and then choose
print preview to see if it has done any good. This should correct most
print formatting issues.
In Internet Explorer, go to View > Text Size
and choose a smaller size. Now go to File > Print Preview and see
what it looks like.
In Mozilla, go to File > Page Setup and choose
Shrink to fit page width. Now go to File > Print Preview and see what it
looks like.
Added 9-15-03
