MATRIX Cybermodules

What is an AFS Space?

Your AFS space is no different than a hard drive on your computer or a 3.5" disk - it's simply a place to store documents. Your AFS space is simply a folder on a computer (a server) located on campus. The name of that server is pilot. When you access your e-mail account or save mail, you're actually using your AFS space by either retrieving mail from or depositing mail into the mail folder of your AFS space.

The pilot server is organized by pilot e-mail names (your pilot login name), and is accessed by e-mail, the web, ftp program, or the network by logging onto the pilot computer with that username. Below is a snapshot of my AFS space marked with my e-mail/login name - feganmic.

In every AFS space (or folder) is four folders: snapshot, public, web, and mail.

snapshot folder - every night the computer center takes a "picture" of your AFS space and puts it in the snapshot folder. This "picture" is essentially a back-up for your space.
public folder - the public folder is a storage folder that can be made accessible to the users.
web folder - the web folder is your gateway to the Internet Anything put into the web folder is broadcast to the world wide web at the address -- http://www.msu.edu/user/your pilot login name/filename. So - if I put in a web page called page.html, I could access it by typing http://www.msu.edu/user/feganmic/page.html into a web browser.
mail folder - this the folder where any saved mail is kept.

How Do I Access My AFS Space?

The nice thing about your AFS space is that it can be accessed from anywhere in the world via a computer that has access to the Internet

From Off Campus:

If you're dialing in from off campus, the easiest way to access your AFS space is with a FTP program. Our FTP module fully explains how to do this for both Windows and Macintosh platforms.

From on Campus:

If linked directly to the campus network (in a microlab or a dorm through an ethernet connection) there are a couple of ways to access your space. From off campus, a FTP program can be used to transfer files to and from your AFS space. But - you can access your AFS without the use of an extra program if you're on the campus network. To do this, you'd go through slightly different steps depending on whether Windows or a Macintosh operating system is used. Here are directions for both:

Accessing Your AFS Space Directly Using a PC:

When you use a Windows computer in the microlabs, you must enter in your pilot user name and password to gain access to the computer. Logging in to the computer directly connects you to your AFS space. To access your space when Windows 95 boots up, all you have to do is double click the "My Computer" icon. When this is done, you will be given a list of drives accessible on that computer. The "P" drive is the direct connection AFS space. When the P drive is double clicked, it should list the four folders of your AFS space allowing you to retrieve and save documents directly into those folders. If you have a computer on campus and are on the campus network, you can also mount your AFS space as one of the drives on your personal computer. Visit the Student Network Services page to find out how.

Accessing Your AFS Directly Using an Apple Macintosh:

If you're in a Macintosh lab on campus or have a personal computer that is directly connected to the network via an ethernet connection, you can access your AFS space with the chooser. These steps will explain how.

1. Click on the apple in the upper left hand corner of your screen and drag down to the Chooser.

2. A menu box will appear. In the upper left box of the menu window click on the Appleshare icon. In the lower left box of the menu window, click on Computer Labs.

3. When you click on Appleshare and Computer Lab, a number of options will appear on the right side of the menu window. Double click on either afsgw1 or afsgw2.

4. When one of the afsgw icons is double clicked, another window will appear that will ask for your pilot username and password. Fill in these blanks and click "ok". The example below is for my pilot login - feganmic.

5. When you click OK, another window will appear. In this window, you'll see a selection with your pilot login name. Double click this option and this will open up your AFS space. In the example below, I'm double clicking the option for my AFS space.

6. When you double click the selection for your AFS space, an icon will appear on your desktop. This icon will be labeled with your pilot login name and double clicking it will open up a window with the four folders of your AFS space. Because you are connected directly to your AFS space, documents can be saved directly into any of the folders of your AFS space from within applications. Documents can also be dragged and dropped into any of the folders. If you're working in a public microlab, be sure to drag the icon to the Trash icon and drop it in when you are finished with your work. This will cut the connection to your AFS space. If the icon is left on the desktop, the next person to sit at that computer will have access to your space.