Segal Design Institute

Depot is a file sharing system used by Segal and EDC to provide shared project space for design teams. You will post assignments to be reviewed by your instructors, exchange work in progress with your teammates, and download information and project resources posted by instructors and others.

We have created a Depot account for every EDC student. In this tutorial, you will test your account, perform some basic tasks, and notify your instructors. At the end, you'll get a few tips for using Depot in EDC, and learn where to go for more information.

NOTE: if your Depot account is not active yet, don't worry. Many students are still being added to EDC, and their accounts will be activated very soon. Simply email your instructors to let them know your status, and complete the tutorial when your account is available.

Overview

What is Depot?

Depot is a networked file sharing system that uses WebDAV (definition: Distributed Authoring and Versioning over the Web) to provide secure, shared project spaces for teams. All McCormick students have an account on Depot, and it's used heavily in Segal classes like EDC.

Everything on Depot is a URL. This makes it possible to see and share files from anywhere on the Internet.

Why use Depot?

Depot lets people working in different locations (dorm rooms, labs,classrooms, etc.) have access to the same project files. Compared to other ways of sharing files, using a central file server like Depot can help a team keep better track of the pieces of a project.

For example, sending an email attachment is a fast and useful way of giving someone a file. But you can end up with five different versions of the file (all with the same name...) on five different people's computers.

How to get the most out of Depot in EDC

Logging in to Depot

  1. Open up a browser window.
  2. Enter the URL https://depot.northwestern.edu
  3. Log in using your netid and password

First check: are you able to log in to Depot?

When you do, you should see something like this:

Depot home directory

Figure 1: A user's home directory in Depot

When you enter Depot, you are in your own personal directory. Every user has their own private space on the server. However, you need to be able to find the shared spaces for use by your EDC section and team.

Finding the EDC folders

Follow these steps to find the shared EDC materials and create a bookmark for faster future navigation:

  1. In the left browser frame, click the link labeled "Root/"
    This goes to the "root" level of the server--the base of the file directory tree
  2. Find the folder labeled "meas" (stands for McCormick), and open it by double-clicking it
  3. Find the folder labeled "2008" and open it. You should then see two folders: the "2008_wq_106-1_00" folder, and your section folder (2008_wq_106-1_01, 2008_wq_106-1_02, 2008_wq_106-1_03, etc.)
  4. Open the "2008_wq_106-1_00" folder by double-clicking on it. You should see a list of files.
  5. Return to the /meas/2008 folder by clicking the "Up" icon (or the "Back" button on your browser)
  6. Open your section's folder by double-clicking on it. You should see a folder labeled "general
  7. Create a bookmark to your section's folder by clicking the "Add bookmark" icon.

Bookmark icon highlighted

Figure 2: Bookmark detail

Second check: are you able to see and open the "meas," "2008," "2008_wq_106-1_00, " and section directories?

Note: you can only see items on Depot that you have permission to use. If you don't have permission to read a folder, you won't even see it. So, what you see when using Depot may be different from what your classmates or instructors see.

00 Directory

Figure 3: Sample Depot folder.

If you go into the "00" folder, you will see files that all EDC students need (like the syllabus). This is one of the ways we use Depot: the EDC core faculty can post a file once on Depot and have it show up in every section's page of links in the Course Management System.

Uploading files

  1. Create a small file in a text editor or other simple application.
    ("hello_from_bob_student.txt", "simplefile.doc", "picture_of_my_cat.jpg", etc.)
  2. In Depot, navigate to the "general" directory in your section's directory.
  3. Click the "Upload" button at the top of the interface. Browse to find your file.

Third check: can you post a file in the "general" directory inside your section's Depot folder?

The general folder is set up so that you can read and write files there, but not delete them. This is of limited usefulness, but does give all teams in a section a place to put things for everyone to see. Later in the quarter, every team will have their own private folder that only they (and the instructors) can see.

Launching Depot from inside the CMS

Fourth check: are you able to get into the NU CMS and launch Depot from inside your section's course?

Note: the CMS sections will not be active until January 1.

  1. Go to your CMS course: http://courses.northwestern.edu.
  2. In the left hand frame, click the link labeled "Depot"
  3. You should see the Depot interface in the lower right frame.

Figure 4: Depot interface in lower right CMS frame

You should be able to log into Depot from inside the CMS without having to type your password again. Although NU's CMS ("Blackboard") and Depot are two separate systems, both use your NU netid to authenticate you. This makes it possible to make them cooperate.

Warning: If you log out of the CMS without logging out of Depot, and then leave your browser open, your Depot session will still be active--anybody going back to Depot in that browser can see your files. Remember to LOG OUT of Depot before logging out of the CMS, especially at a public computer. Quitting the browser will also work--and is a good idea when using a public station anyway.

Email your instructors

Remember, your assignment is not complete until you email your instructors. They need to know whether you are able to find and use the resources covered in the tutorial, so let them know.

  1. Compose a short note summarizing your degree of success in completing the steps of this tutorial.
  2. If you can access your section's CMS course, you can follow the "Email" menu link and send an email to your instructors from inside the CMS (Note: remember to put your name and return address in the body of the email! The CMS email tool is rather simple minded and does not give full information about the sender.)
  3. You can also email your instructors in the usual way. You can find out your instructors' names and addresses through CAESAR

That's it: you're done. See below for more help and information.

Troubleshooting

If you have trouble completing the steps of the tutorial, send an email to edc@northwestern.edu . In particular, let us know if:

Learning more about Depot

See the Depot help screens for more information. Use the depot help"Help" and info"About Depot" icons to bring up FAQs and other resources.

A note on the name: Xythos is the commercial product; Depot is the local name for NU's Xythos-powered web file sharing environment.

More tips for using Depot

  1. Learn how to manipulate Depot files and folders on your own computer's desktop
  2. Get back filespace by emptying the Trash folder
  3. Use tickets to share private files and send links via email

Tip 1: Learn how to manipulate Depot files and folders on your own computer's desktop

Note: These instructions are for Windows users. Mac users can also mount Depot folders on their desktop under OS X 10.4; earlier versions of OS X can use a free program named Goliath to achieve a similar result.

A folder on Depot can be linked to a Windows Network Place (or Web Folder), allowing you to drag and drop files in and out of Depot folders on the Windows desktop. Some programs (Office, etc.) can work directly with files on Depot (so be careful when deleting or renaming files, especially ones in your team's folder).

  1. In Windows, open "My Network Places" (Start menu or Desktop)
  2. Click "Add a network place"
  3. In the Add Network Place wizard, click "Next"
  4. Select "Choose another network location"
  5. Enter the URL of a Depot folder, and click "Next." For example:
    • https://depot.northwestern.edu/<netid> (for a personal folder)
    • https://depot.northwestern.edu/meas/2008/2008_wq_106-1_00/ (for the all-sections folder)
    • https://depot.northwestern.edu/meas/2008/2008_wq_106-1_01/general/ (for section 1's general folder)
  6. Enter a name for the new network place, click "Next," then click "Finish."

Tip 2: Get back filespace by emptying the Trash folder

When you delete a file through Depot's web interface, it doesn't disappear immediately. Instead, it goes into a "Trash" folder. To get rid of a file for good, open the trash and delete the file. This is good to remember when you are running short of space.

Tip 3: Use tickets to share private files and send links via email

To share a file with someone outside the NU system (such as a client), you can create a "Ticket" to grant them temporary access to the file, and send them the link via email (rather than sending the file itself).

  1. Select the file and click the "Email" icon at the top of the Depot website.
  2. Select the "Ticket" radio button.
  3. Click "Advanced Ticket Options" to control how long the ticket will last, etc.
  4. Click "Email" to send an email message with a URL containing the ticket.

Note: this feature requires full permission over a folder--it will work in your own personal Depot folder, but may not work in a shared one. Also, it will probably work less well from a lab computer. Experiment, and find out.