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Overview
While local network storage is very secure, it can be difficult to set up and manage sharing. Because of this, OIT provides storage on the Google Drive and on campus network drives. This article describes the use of these services.
Requirements
Any client with an active Faculty, Staff, or Student account at Williams.
Instructions
Google Drive or Network Drive?
In general, OIT recommends that you use Google Drive for sharing and collaborating on most files. Network Drives are a good solution for files containing sensitive information that should be protected from exposure and are required to stay off the cloud. Please consult the OIT Data Classification Policy and Usage Guidelines and your department head to ask about department-specific sharing conventions.
Click the service below for detailed information on each:
Google Drive
All faculty and staff at Williams College are allotted cloud storage space on Google Drive, which is a cloud service. "The Cloud" is broad a term for services provided via the Internet - storage is one such service. Advantages of using cloud services, such as Google Drive, as the primary place to store your files include: easy access from any device as long as you have an Internet connection, automatic backups, and virtually instantaneous file sharing operations. The ease-of-use makes cloud services practical for collaborative work. This is available as a tile in your OKTA dashboard or directly at drive.google.com
Network Storage
Williams also offers shared department network drives that are accessed from either your File Explorer (for Windows) or Finder (for Mac). The data on these network drives are not stored on your computer, instead stored on campus servers maintained by OIT. Each department's shared drive is accessible by members of that department. This shared network is ideal for on-campus faculty and staff collaboration.
For information about connecting to your department's drive, see below
Connect to a Network Drive
Most network drives are automatically assigned based on your role. There are some instances where access to another department’s drive is granted to an individual; in such cases, the drive mapping is done manually. Choose your OS for directions:
NOTE: If you are off campus you will need to make a VPN connection before connecting to a network drive.
Windows
Once logged into Active Directory (AD), the shared drive associated to your department will automatically map. To map another drive, do the following:
- Right-click ‘Computer’ icon on the Desktop
- Select ‘Map Network Drive…’
- Select a drive letter that isn’t in use
- Click the ‘Browse’ button
- Select ‘Network’
(note: if message appears about ‘Network Discovery’ being turned off please follow steps that are at the bottom of the page FIRST)
- Wait several seconds...
- Enter the full path to the drive (example: \\files2.williams.edu\department name)
- Locate the Shared folder, open it
- Click the OK button
- Make sure there is a check mark in the “reconnect at login’
macOS
- While on the Desktop view, click on Go on the top Toolbar
- At the bottom of the drop-down menu select "Connect to Server"
- Enter the following in the Server Address field: smb://<server name>.williams.edu/<department name>/shared
---- For example to connect to the CES share type in: smb://files2.williams.edu/ces/shared
- Click the Connect button
- Enter your Username (do not add @williams.edu) and the password used for Okta/email
- Click Connect
Department Network Drive list
College network file servers changed from Novell to Microsoft a number of years ago. The overall naming convention also changed from personal names (e.g. Hector) to a basic numbering scheme (e.g. Files2). See below for your departments drive listing
Network Volume List
- Files1 (formerly Athena and Achilles)
- XXstudents Home Directory Volumes (from Achilles)
- Projects (from Athena)
- Courses (from Athena)
- Argus (from Athena)
- Econ_Shared (from Athena)
- ESRIData (from Athena)
- StateData (from Athena)
- Files2 (formerly Hector plus one other volume)
- Admissions
- AlumniAdmin
- Anthropology
- Art
- AsianStudies
- Astronomy
- Biology
- BSC
- BuildingGrounds
- CDE
- CenterHu
- CES
- Chaplain
- Chemistry
- Classics
- CompSci
- Conference
- Control_ScanDoc
- Controller
- Dean
- DeanFac
- Dining
- Economics
- English
- FacSec
- FinAid
- ForeignLangs
- GeoSciences
- GermanRussian
- History
- LearningInAction
- Math
- Personnel
- Alumni_Review (from Tyrone)
- Files3 (formerly Helen)
- Affiliate (Affiliate Home Directories)
- CampusLife
- ChapinLIbrary
- Communications
- GISData
- Library_Video
- MultiCultCenter
- Music
- Mystic
- OFCHealth
- OfficeServices (note the OfficeServices Dropbox for submitting course packets has NOT moved)*
- Payroll
- Philosophy
- Physed
- Physics
- PoliSci
- PreMed
- President
- Provost
- Psychology
- Registrar
- Religion
- RomanceLangs
- SawyerLibrary
- Security
- Theater
- Trust_Estate
- Visitors (Guest Account Home Dirs)
- VPAdminTreas
- VPSPID
- WCCC
- WCMA
- Files4 (formerly Tyrone & Rhodus)
- Peoplesoft\PSFT (from Tyrone\Peoplesoft\PSFT)
- Peoplesoft\PSFT-Docs (from Rhodus\Peoplesoft\PSFT)
*Instructions for course packets are available at http://faculty.williams.edu/teaching-advising/course-reading-packet-instructions/
Additional Help
See A Detailed Look at Williams Google Drive for more information..
If additional help is needed, please submit a ticket using the request help button at the top right.