How to Store Files on the GoBigWest Server
In our last post we have described possible reasons why you would want to use your personal server space and briefly mentioned how you would do this. In this week’s letter, we will go into more detail about specific steps that you would need to take in order to use your server space.
In a nutshell, placing files on the GoBigWest server is just like moving files from one place on your computer to another. Files are stored in folders and when you move a file, you are moving it to a different folder. Your storage space on the GoBigWest server is just another folder except that it is located on the GoBigWest server instead of on your computer.
The first thing that you will need to do is get a program that can be used to transfer files between your computer and the GoBigWest server. Many of these programs, known as FTP clients, can be downloaded from the Internet and used free of charge. Some popular sites for downloading these programs are www.download.com and www.tucows.com. These FTP programs will all do the same basic thing but some programs such as CuteFTP and CoffeeCup are more user friendly while others such as WS_FTP use a more simplified approach. For a more complete list of FTP clients, please browse to the help section of the GoBigWest homepage. Follow the links to the Windows or Macintosh setup instructions and then select the FTP clients link.
After you have downloaded and installed your FTP client, you will need to tell it the proper setting to use so it is able to communicate with the GoBigWest server. Instructions to do this and to use the program itself are also contained in the help sections described above. Once you have the appropriate settings in place and you are on the Internet, you can begin moving files to and from the GoBigWest server.
After you have placed some files on the GoBigWest server, there are two ways that you can access them. The first is to use your FTP client. This is the fastest method, but it requires that you have an FTP client installed and properly configured on the computer that you are using. The second is to use a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape. For example, if your GoBigWest username is johndoe and you have placed a file in your folder on the GoBigWest server named SampleDocument.zip, you can access the file from any computer with Internet access simply by typing http://users.GoBigWest.com/johndoe/SampleDocument.zip in the address bar. In this example, you are telling the browser to look for a file that is named SampleDocument.zip, and is placed in a folder named johndoe that is on the GoBigWest server.
Setting up and using FTP requires some practice in order to become proficient, but this is not unlike any other feature that you use on your computer. Once you get the hang of it, FTP will help you to get even more out of your Internet service.
