Introduction: AppleShare and Access Privileges

Drop-off folders

Pick-up folders

Access to other classroom servers from the classroom backbone

Access to classroom backbone from your office

 One of the supposed advantages of the computer classroom is that it can reduce the flow of paper between instructor and students; while this is true in theory, the practical realities take a little getting used to. It's important to note that computers have evolved a long way from the early days, when each machine was an island, and networking groups of computers was rare and difficult. Long before the DOS world did so, Apple worked out several important and relatively reliable solutions to the problem of sharing files, applications and peripherals. Even now, collaboration and resource-sharing remain some of the most frustrating and error-message-inducing aspects of the computer world, and provide guaranteed employment for consultants worldwide.

 That said, the AppleShare networking software and the classroom "file servers" allow each instructor to use sharable folders for pick ups and drop offs, and the instructor can set the access privileges for each of the folders. For example, a pick-up folder should be accessible to all students in the class, so that they can drag a copy of an exercise file to their own hard disk or diskette for editing; on the other hand, students should not be able to throw away items from the pick-up folder. By contrast, an essay drop-off folder should be more private, like a mailbox slot, so that students cannot see or trash each other's work.

 At the beginning of term the good folks of IT-Lab-Management will have created a class folder for each class, containing a properly configured Pick-Up folder and a properly configured Drop-Off folder. As part of this configuration process the Computer Classroom Coordinator and Lab Management staff have identified each instructor's class folder with that instructor's usercode, so that only you have privileges to change your folders.

 Within the Drop-Off folder is a sample exercise Drop-Off folder, properly configured as well. The folder hierarchy takes some getting used to, in part because it is slightly asymmetrical--that is, students have to go to different "levels" of the folder system to use the pick-up folder and the drop-offs. Teachers' resource folders, including refresher cheat-sheets for access privileges, are placed on each classroom server.

Here is a schematic diagram of part of the "Class Folders" area of a classroom file server's file structure, with folder arrows dropped to show contents:

The AppleShare system allows for three levels of access--"Owner," "Group," and "Everyone," but we generally only use two: we instructors are the "Owners" of our class folders and their contents, and our students are "Everyone." Information on access privileges for a selected folder or file is available in the status box accessible from the "Sharing" sub-menu under the "File" menu. To check a folder's Sharing access privileges, highlight the folder's icon and pull down the File menu, then highlight "Sharing..." As usual in the Mac world, the three dots after the menu choice indicates that a sub-menu lurks beneath.

It's vital for instructors to understand that in the AppleShare world, to be able to "see" a file's icon is to be able to make a copy of the file--and that to "make changes" in a file or folder is different from being able to see the file or folder. As a further complication, the access privileges govern the folder itself, but not folders within the folder. This is where the physical analogy of filing cabinets breaks down: topologically there is no file cabinet with a locked drawer containing a sealed file folder that contains files that can still be copied from outside! However, your students (and you) can quickly get used to the conventions and procedures, especially if you expect frequent practice.

 Differences between Student's-eye and Instructor's-eye view

Furthermore, the appearance of AppleShare icons changes depending on your access status. Because you are the Owner of this folder, you don't see what your students see (for example, your drop-off folders won't have the little arrow and belt designation that you saw a couple of shots back).

The following sections describe the mechanics of access privileges, the basic types of folders and the ways to use them.

To check or change sharing privileges, you must be in the Finder (that is, with the menu bar showing the standard MacOS "File Edit View Label Special" across the top, and not within an application program), and highlight the icon of the folder whose privileges you want to check.

 Opening the "Sharing..." sub menu from underneath the File menu displays the status box; if you own the folder, the status box will be in dark outline, and your usercode will appear in the "Owner" box. If you are not the owner, the box will still appear, but will be slightly grayed out--you aren't able to change privileges of folders you don't own.

 Keep in mind, though, that you are the Owner of folders within your class folder, but Lab Management, designated as "root" in system-speak, appears as the owner of the server as a whole. For folders that you own, such as your Pick-up folder, you can change privileges by clicking on appropriate boxes, toggling through different privileges.

As this manual goes to press, Lab Management has just installed version 8 of the Macintosh OS (Operating System), and one of the differences in "look and feel" manifests itself in the Sharing menus. In older systems (for example, those in many offices), a folder's privileges appear as a grid of blank boxes, filling in with X's and X's turning to blanks with each click of the mouse.

Though subsequent sections depict new versions, here is the way a drop-off folder looks on an older operating system:

 If you access the class server from your office using AppleTalk Remote IP, this is what you'll see if your office computer isn't running OS 8.

 In the new version, Apple has substituted pictographic cues--spectacles for read-only (pick-up), a pencil for write-able (drop-off).

 The screen shot at right shows the same type of privileges, but with the newer style of depicting them.

Hence, a properly configured exercise drop-off folder has access privileges that look like this:

Note that the upper-level Drop-off folder--the folder that contains the other drop-offs--has been configured slightly differently; students can See Folders (as indicated by the spectacles), but cannot make changes to that folder.

To create a new folder for drop-offs, say for your diagnostic essays, click your way into the Drop-Off folder; select "New Folder" from the File menu. If you check its access privileges by highlighting the folder name and using "Get Info," you may be disappointed: irritatingly enough, and you may have to hand-set the access privileges yourself. (Even if you see an option that says "Make all enclosed folders like this one," it's usually been only a cruel hoax--this is what upgrades are supposed to fix.) In the new version, select the sub-menu item indicating "drop box"; in the old style, click the Make Changes box since you want your students--"Everyone"--to be able to write their changes in, without being able to see the other files.

When your students first try to drop a file off, they will run into a variety of off-putting messages; these are warning messages if they have the correct folder, outright prohibitions if they are trying to drop off directly into the outside drop-off instead of one of the folders inside.

 It's important to remember that even if they are doing everything right they are warned that they don't have access privileges to See the file they are placing; this is perfectly normal, just as they can't see a letter after they drop it through the mailbox slot. Tell them to click on OK or accept by pressing the Return key.

Commonly at least a few students try to drag directly into the outside Drop-off folder and are told their request is denied. This seems to engender a bizarre combination of satisfied martyrdom, usually accompanied by dramatic crossed-arm gestures and sighs of exasperation: "I tried to save the way you told me, but it won't let me." I have made the mistake of assuming that they are just encountering the warning message about not being able to see what you're placing; don't count on this. Check the error message yourself; if it looks like this,

remind them to save to the specifically named folder within the main drop-off folder.

A third class of error occurs when students cleverly think they can circumvent all this copying and dragging and inconvenience, and take a short cut--that is, to Save-As directly into the appropriate folder within your class folder. Interestingly, the analogy they are using is valid to a point, for on their own home computers they can use the Save-As command to place files deep in nested folders, simply by selecting deeper and deeper folders.

 But file servers don't work that way, by their very nature, and using a word-processor's Save-As command is a forbidden class of writing operation on our servers, which allow only certain kinds access. Your mystified short-cutting students will be out of luck when they suddenly find themselves seemingly at their goal, with their desired options implacably grayed-out. Their objection may take the form of "It won't let me save," meaning that the "Save" button is grayed out at that level of the folder hierarchy.

 For the technically inclined, here's a more thorough explanation (like others in this manual, courtesy of Tim Leamy): Different operations require read-access, write-access, and read-and-write-access. Copying a file to a Drop-off folder only requires "write" access; using Save-as direct (which keeps the file open simultaneously) requires read-and-write-access, which is not allowed.

 You'll also be able to tell by the indicator on the screen: when a student tries to save directly into a drop-off folder without dragging a file icon, they'll get a "Save-as" dialog box, with the "Save" button grayed out--it's not an option. You'll be able to tell by checking the folder into which they are trying to save: it'll save "File Server" and "Drop-Off" instead of their diskette or hard drive.

 If you have students who have tried to do this, have them save normally (to the desktop or hard drive) and go through the opening and dragging routine like everyone else. Often this short-cut occurs to students who have forgotten to bring their own diskettes, and who they think they can avoid embarrassment this way; remind them that they can save to their individual Mac's desktop or hard-drive. Remind them: save first, place later.

Finally, there is the "no-file-server icon" problem, which happens most often early in the quarter: a student will type in a paper, save it properly, and then try to drop it off, only to find no file server icon on the desktop! What happened? The file server may have crashed, though usually when this happens all the other machines will report the same problem. The network connector at the back of the computer may have been jarred loose, which occasionally happens in rooms where the backs of computers are exposed to traffic, or where the connector screws can become loose.

Much more likely, though, the student had logged in using the "Guest" option, which does not connect the computer to the file server, but only allows "local" operations. This means "local" in the sense that only this particular computer is involved, and not the file server. [See the earlier discussion of this in the Logging In section.]

 The same problem will arise if a student logs in as guest and tries to launch Daedalus, which depends on the file server for certain operations. The solution is to log the student out (selecting the LOGOUT command from under the Apple icon), and log back in, either using the student's own usercode and password, or the temporary usercode and password provided as a courtesy by IT-Labs (and which should be noted in the memo CAI instructors receive at the beginning of each quarter).

 In PowerBook-equipped classrooms an odd glitch was discovered: closing the notebooks puts the computers into "Sleep" mode, which also disconnects them from their network hook-up. Opening the machine wakes it up, but alas does not re-establish the network connection. Some instructors like to have students close the notebooks to confirm that the class is in "standard" class mode rather than computer class mode, but perhaps half-closed is an adequate compromise!

 Pick-Up folders don't have to have folders inside them the way Drop-Offs do. The most important fact to remember about Pick-Ups is that users must copy (drag) the file from the server onto their own computers before working on it. In the Mac world, dragging that icon makes a copy of the file. Our everyday reflexes work against us: we tend to double-click first and ask questions later. Read on, for solutions.

 To allow your students to pick up an exercise, you must set the access privileges so that they can See Files and See Folders, but not be able to Make Changes. This means that they can drag a copy to their hard drive or diskette, and open it there. Here's the configuration for a Pick-Up folder, showing the spectacles for "seeing" the items:

To use a Pick-Up folder, create your exercise and save it with an appropriate name (this is especially important during your three-course quarter, when little record-keeping errors seem to get compounded). Either place it on a diskette to bring with you to class, or use the remote login to the classroom network (see AppleTalk Remote IP section) to place it in your Pick-Up folder. Have your students drag the exercise to their own workspaces and have them rename it with their own names (confusion about naming is discussed below).

 Problems with Pick-up folders

Since this is a file that all students must copy to their own workspaces, there are potential problems involved, and computer-classroom instructors have evolved some work-arounds over the years. The single biggest problem stems from the very convenience of the Mac icon system: if you want to open a file, you double-click on it--but if a student double-clicks on that file in the Pick-Up folder, students who attempt to copy it properly will get the message "Unable to open the file, because it is in use," although the exact wording varies according to version. Here are three such messages:

There is something inevitable about this, evoking the old Larson cartoon about "What people say / what cats hear": you may caution your class repeatedly ("Don't simply double-click on the exercise file. Drag a copy to your own workspace and open it there"), but it seems that at least a couple of them will hear something else (". . . simply double-click on the exercise file . . ."). What makes this problem more pernicious is that the initial perpetrator may not be aware of what s/he has done; the first person will have a document open, and only subsequent attempts will fail.

 Fortunately, there is a simple way to mitigate the effects of this syndrome, suggested to me by John Boe: place several copies of the exercise file ("Sentence exercise copy A," "Sentence exercise copy B") in the Pick-Up folder. This way, you cut the chances of having your exercise tied up.

 With newer versions of MSWord, however, another kind of error can occur when a file is opened from the server directly--the window opens in "Read-Only" mode:

Once students have their copies on their own disks, they can double-click to open the file. However, if you use a text file in a Pick-Up folder, or a file created with some other word processing program (like a Daedalus InterChange transcript), you may want to remind your students to use the "open" command under the File menu instead of simply double-clicking. The act of double-clicking makes the Mac look for whatever program created that file; if that program isn't found, you may get the "The file could not be opened, because the application that created it could not be found" message. Usually when this happens, the Mac will default to the SimpleText text editor program and try to open the file--which may lead to some gibberish on the screen in the form of untranslatable format codes. [This principle applies generally to all file-translation and conversion problems: your best bet is to launch the word-processor you want to use, and then open files with the File menu thereafter; see the Conversion section in Chapter 1 of this guide.]

 Re-naming Picked-up files to avoid duplicate filenames

If this is an exercise to take home, the copy-versus-double-click issue is less likely to be a problem. If the exercise is to be performed in class and turned in later to a drop-off folder, you should take some precautions to avoid name duplication. Once students have the exercise file in their workspaces, have them immediately rename it to identify their work later on.

 Several conventions are useful: "Jane Smith 3/16" identifies both the person and the date, which is handy for several reasons. Having the full name prevents the multiple-name problem (more than one Smith, Nguyen or Lee), and putting the date in there means that even if the student places the file in the wrong drop-off folder you have a chance of figuring out which exercise is which, instead of playing hide-and-seek with twenty-odd mystery files.

Without individual naming, you can run into problems with overwriting of files with the same name: if two students try to turn in the same file named "Active voice exercise," the second one may get a message like "A file called 'Active voice exercise' already exists in this location. Replace it?" which can lead to nasty problems.

 Dealing with network traffic jams

A final caveat: any file-server operation like picking up and dropping off files can create electronic traffic jams on the classroom network. Because of the network cabling--think of distributing information over a thin information hose--trying to do the same operation from 20 or 25 computers (45 in the case of upstairs Olson) can take a long time, and can lead to frustration.

 In extreme cases, a student or teacher may think that a computer has frozen up because nothing seems to be happening--even though the little "Network activity" indicator in the upper left corner of the menu bar may be doggedly blinking. Knowing when to be patient and when to try again (or when to call the site attendant) is a difficult decision.

 As the campus fiber-optic backbone improves with the project known as Network 21, most network performance will speed up; nonetheless, classrooms with their simultaneous loads place unique demands on networks, so be aware of the differences between your own computer and a similar machine in the classroom.

 Access to other classroom servers from the classroom backbone

 Step-by-step instructions for accessing Olson File server from basement Olson

1. Open the Chooser from under the Apple menu, and click on AppleShare in the left window; go to the lower left hand window and scroll down to select the correct AppleTalk Zone; then click on the name of the desired server in the right-hand window.

2. Double-click on Olson File Server, or select and click on OK. An access dialog box will appear, but you will want to log into this server with your fz account and password.

3. Move the cursor to the "Name" box and replace what's there with your fz account, then type your password in the box and click on OK. Once you have logged in, a confirmation should appear.

The icon of that server will appear on your desktop, just as if you were there physically; double click your way to the appropriate class folder and you're on your way. You can drag files from one folder to another, retrieve files from a drop-off, plant an exercise in a pick-up, you name it.

When you are finished, be sure to drag that server icon to the trash to end your session. Note that operations over the IT-Labs AppleTalk classroom backbone can be slow, especially if other network traffic is present; you will have a strange swimming-in-molasses feeling, but cope with the slow-motion effect.

 Note: New TCP/IP-based access to classroom backbone

As this manual went to press, Lab Management was just installing the new version of the Mac OS, featuring more efficient access to the classroom servers on the backbone. Instead of using AppleTalk, a relatively inefficient protocol (mode of connection), the new method recognizes the name of the server when you type it in the "Server IP address..." box from the Chooser. Cheatsheets will be made available as this feature becomes fully operational.

 Because the "geography" of remote network access is sometimes difficult to conceptualize (one wonders, "Where am I, really?"), this section provides a quick context for the step-by-step instructions that follow. Even with the drawback of extra steps, it's very handy to be able to set up your class folders before your class, from your office, and retrieve files afterwards without bothering the next instructor.

 The classroom backbone is also accessible from your office computer, but only using a special helper program that allows you to burrow into the IT-Labs classroom AppleTalk network. This program is called AppleTalk Remote IP, and it is a "control panel" option that temporarily changes the way your office computer communicates with the network at large. The recent move to MacOS 8 may mean that simpler methods will be available for Power Macs using Open Transport and TCP/IP, another more versatile protocol, but as of this writing we are still awaiting full implementation.

Computers communicate with other computers, and with printers, via a "network protocol"--within the Macintosh world, a system called AppleTalk. AppleTalk is a way for your computer to tell a printer that a file's worth of data will be headed over, and AppleTalk's conventions let the two devices agree about when the data flow starts and stops. To connect outside the Macintosh world, another set of standards applies, called TCP/IP: on your machines, AppleTalk governs the Chooser, file servers, and the printer, whereas to run Netscape, Eudora or Telnet you're using TCP/IP. Most of the time you don't know or care what protocol is running what, but it's important to have some awareness of these conceptual differences as you perform slightly more advanced activities with your machine.

 The AppleTalk protocol can run over various types of cabling: in the olden days AppleTalk was run over phone-type wiring, in an arrangement known as LocalTalk (in part because it has a physically limited range and data-transfer speed). Elsewhere AppleTalk is run over an Ethernet (with the beefier cabling known as 10BASE-T). AppleTalk run over Ethernet is known as EtherTalk, a name that appears in panels discussed later in this section.

 The Network control panel, accessible from under the Apple menu icon, lets you control how your Mac connects to an AppleTalk network. The LocalTalk icon connects you to a LocalTalk network (for example, if you have a printer hooked directly into the printer slot in the back of your computer), and the EtherTalk icon connects you to an Ethernet network.

Here's what the Network control panel looks like, with the different options for networking connections shown (EtherTalk is normally highlighted):

The IP Remote AT is not a separate physical connection between your computer and a network; rather it is a software connection to an AppleTalk router in Hutchison Hall, which connects you to IT's AppleTalk network. The software allowing this special connection lives in your Extensions folder, and if you remove it, the connection will no longer work. Likewise, if there is a problem at the router end of things (as occasionally happens), you may get an error message instead of connecting.

 To connect your office computer to the classroom backbone you have to give your computer the right directions, including telling AppleTalk how to connect to the remote device. We set up the desktop computers assuming that people would mostly want to work within the Voorhies subnet and the Internet at large; to tap into the classroom backbone you'll have to temporarily change the settings, then change them back.

In our networked environment your computer's "printer port" is usually not used--it's the round jack on the back, with the printer icon on it. [Note that if the network is down and you try to print, your computer will obligingly look for a printer in the most logical place it knows--at the printer port; it won't find a printer there, either. Unfortunately, having switched off of Ethernet, it won't switch back automatically. Thus, your network control panel is a good place to start troubleshooting if there have been network glitches in Voorhies.]

 The classroom AppleTalk network is maintained by AppleTalk routers that IT maintains in each building that has a computer classroom. The IP Remote AT program is preconfigured to allow your computer to connect to IT's AppleTalk network.

 Note: your office computer must have a copy of the AppleTalk Remote IP helper program installed in the "Extensions" folder of your System Folder; ask your Technical Services Coordinator or the Computers and Composition Coordinator for help in setting this up and activating it.

 To switch to the classroom servers you must change your AppleTalk settings, choose the proper network zone and server, and log in via AppleShare. 

1. Invoke the IP Remote AT helper program.

2. Choose the Olson AppleTalk zone.

3. Choose the (upstairs) Olson server.

4. Log in as yourself.

At this point the connection is complete, and the icon of the Olson File Server (or whatever server you logged in to) should be on your desktop. Double-click your way to your class folder just as you would in the classroom; dragging files works as it usually does, only a bit more sluggishly if there is heavy network traffic.

Once you have transferred the files you want, you should disconnect, because this system only supports a handful of remote log-ins at a time. Drag the file server icon to the trash, evoking a notification panel telling you of the broken connection.

 To finish disconnecting and reestablish your normal functioning in Voorhies, go back and switch your AppleTalk settings, returning to EtherTalk so that your computer can again communicate with the Voorhies printers. You'll get the same warning box you went through in step 1, above.

 Printing problem after AppleTalk Remote: If you forget to switch back

If you finish a remote-access session and forget to switch back to your normal network connection, beware. Any operations that depend on AppleTalk (such as printing) will not work the way they usually do. You will send a document for printing, but the directions under the Chooser won't satisfy your computer--it won't be able to find the printer the way it usually does.

If this happens, go back to the Network Control Panel, switch back to EtherTalk, and you should be OK; you may get a warning notifying you that the remote server has "quit," but that's normal, since as far as your computer is concerned, that's what happened.

 This little problem is a particularly vexing manifestation of the networking-protocol issues brought up at the beginning of this section. Even without switching your Network control panel back, you can surf the Net or send e-mail--because those operations don't rely on AppleTalk. And you thought you became a writing instructor to avoid this stuff....