Using WebFX

Getting Access

WebFX is a LAN running Windows NT on both servers and user computers. In order to access the system you must have 3 primary accounts and passwords:

WebFX network account - This username (e.g. x97xyz) provides you with access to the WebFX domain, which consists of all users on campus, including staff, faculty and students. When you sit down at a PC on campus and press the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys, you are asking the computer to let you enter your WebFX domain username and password. You can modify your WebFX network account password by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del and clicking the Change Password button.
WebFX Internet account - This username is identical to your WebFX domain username (e.g. x97xyz) and may or may not have the same password. (If it does not, you can make it the same so it is easier to remember.) This account is required to access your e-mail account, special class discussion groups, which you may have access to. You can modify your WebFX Internet account password by selecting the Edit-Manage Mail Account menu option from Communicator's Messenger Mailbox application.

Image of Messenger Edit Menu

This screen also allows you to set special mail options and modify your personal description. The personal description is available to all users on campus (and elsewhere) from the St.F.X. Directory in the Address Book application.

Image of Mail Account Screen

WebFX Calendar account - All users have a separate username (Mark Leggott) and password for the campus calendar system. This username uses a different format with your first name and last name.

The password for your calendar account can also be set to the same value as your other 2 accounts to make it easier to remember. You can modify your WebFX Calendar account password by selecting the Edit-Change Password menu option from Communicator's Calendar application.

As with all computing systems, you should always keep your username and password private, as any unacceptable activities carried out with your account could result in a loss of privileges. The campus Acceptable Use Policy is available online and as part of the printed Community Code.

Network Directories

Each time you login to WebFX a standard set of network drives are available to you to perform your work. These drives are available to you no matter which campus computer you login from. The 2 most important ones are described below.

Home directory (H:) - The H: drive is known as the Home Directory and is the location where you should store your working files (e.g. term papers, assignments in progress, etc.) and any files you want to have regular access to. Your Netscape Communicator settings and local mail folders are also stored in this directory. The server which contains your H: drive is backed every night, so there is also an added level of security if you keep your files on this drive. Despite this however, you should always keep backup copies of important files on floppy diskette.
Web directory (W:) - The W: drive is the directory where your personal web homepage and supporting files are located. Any files stored in this directory are, by default, publicly accessible on the World Wide Web. When creating a homepage in the W: drive, it is recommended that you name it welcome.html, as it will be loaded by default when someone accesses your URL over the Web. The standard syntax for a homepage on the WebFX system is:

http://www.stfx.ca/people/username/

http://www.stfx.ca/people/mleggott/

As with any network directory, there are quotas set for both your H: and W: drives. You should manage your account on a regular basis to ensure that you are not using up your full quota, as this could result in lost data or corrupt files.

Printing under WebFX

There are a number of network printers on campus for student use, including dot matrix printers (printing is free) and laser printers (printing has a cost). Printing under WebFX is easy, if you bear in mind some simple rules:

Make sure you select the proper printer before you click the print button - The most common mistake people make is to click the Quick-Print button (e.g. in Word ) before selecting the printer from the File-Print menu option. The correct printer is not chosen for you by magic - you must know the name of network printer you want to use, and select it. The image below shows the list of available printers as of Sept. 9, 1997.

Image of Network Printers

NP101 and NP102 are the printers available in the lab for this course (NH123).

Make sure the printer is set to the top of the page - When using lab printers, you should try and check that the printer is properly configured before sending your job. This is not always possible, particularly when busy.
Use the Print Preview function when available - Try not to waste paper - check the print preview function to verify that your document will print the way you want before you print it.

Backing Up Your Data

As mentioned previously, saving files in your H: directory can be one of the best ways to backup your data. This network drive is backed up on a daily basis, so in the event of a severe problem, you may be able to recover data. However, it is costly in terms of systems resources (people and hardware) to restore data from backup tapes, so you should still maintain your own local backups of important data.

In order to ensure quick and easy access to backup files, you should store important files and works in progress on floppy diskettes. This way you can keep a copy with you, minimizing waiting time if you need to resort to a backup. Floppy diskettes can be a useful backup source, as long as you remember to:

label the floppy as a backup
check the floppy on a regular basis for bad sectors with the NT Error-Checking Tool (right click the A: drive icon in Explorer, choose Properties-Tools-Error Checking)
check the floppy on a regular basis for viruses (access the F-PROT program from Start-Program Files)
use the write-protect tab when the floppy is not in use

Viruses

Viruses can be a frustrating source of problems with your floppies and files, and can result in lost or corrupt data. The WebFX system has a powerful virus-checking program (F-PROT Professional) which can prevent you from having to deal with this problem.

You can access F-PROT by choosing Start-Program Files-F-PROT and then selecting the drive you wish to check. You should regularly check your home directories (H: and W:) and any floppy diskettes that you use or borrow.