…what does it take? No seriously, I’m asking. Below I describe some steps I’m trying out, but I hereby request that you all go nuts in the comments section with your own ideas or solutions. I’m not trying to learn how to backup the data on my hard drive, mind you. I’m trying to store files—lots and lots of big files—in a centralized and networked location so that a team of collaborators can access them easily from distributed locations. Am I overthinking this? Probably. Feel free to mock me in the comments.
Now, I know services like Dropbox (where one can get a free, 2 gig account) take the hassle out of storing files online and sharing them frictionlessly between computers, but here’s the thing: I already have an account with an online storage provider that gives me not 2 but 50 gigs of space: Dreamhost. Furthermore, the files that Cory Bohon I are working with for Look, Listen, Touch are pretty darned big: screencasts involve audio and video files that require a beefy hard drive, and we’ve got 30 gigs of scanned images to use in our sandbox Omeka archive that we’re building with images graciously shared with us by the Littlejohn Collection at Wofford College. So 2 gigs, while generous, simply won’t cut it.
Furthermore, I’d prefer not to shell out an additional subscription fee per month to yet another commercial service when I’m already paying about $10 a month to Dreamhost. So lately (and with significant help and expertise from Cory), I’ve been working on how to create a storing and sharing process—using my Dreamhost account, but perhaps also using my office computer and the attached 1-terabyte external hard drivet—that’s close to as easy as what I’d get from an account with Dropbox.
Last week, Cory taught me about droplets, and I soon figured out that I could create a droplet with Fetch, a great ftp client that I’ve been using for years and years in part because it’s free for those of us who learn, teach, and work on college campuses. I’ve also noted with interest the on-sale-for-$20 application FarFinder, which would allow collaborators to access the files on my office iMac and external hard drive from anywhere in the world.
In sum… hmmm.
- ftp: an acronym for “file transfer protocol,” a protocol for transferring files from one computer to another (cf. http: “hyper-text transfer protocol”)
- ftp client: a software application that uses ftp to move files from one computer to another, in this case between a desktop computer and a server.
- droplet: As I understand it, this is basically an AppleScript that exists as an icon on your desktop or in your launchbar; when you drop a file onto the icon, the script is executed. So in what I’m talking about, an ftp droplet is an easily-created shortcut that allows you to drag and drop files to a pre-determined location on a server. A droplet is convenient because you can avoid the repetitive steps of logging into the server and then navigating your way to the desired location. Instead, the process is more akin to dragging and dropping files from one location to another on your desktop computer.
So whaddya think I should do? What do you do for such purposes? Does your school provide such a thing for you? How so? What might I do to convince my school to do such a thing for me?
Dang, now I’m out of question marks.
6 Comments
I’ve used Tonido (http://www.tonido.com/) hooked up to either external hard drives or my Drobo. All you need is a computer and properly configured router (basically port forwarding). It’s free and allows you to create your own selfhosted “cloud” (I really hate the overuse of that word but oh well). The plug they sell looks cool too. I imagine it’s just a cheap ARM chip running Debian. Anyways it’s the best way I’ve found to share large files outside of Drop.io, Dropbox, etc. @rschapman on the twitters if you have questions. Cheers.
“on the twitters”
I’ve actually got a box in my office that I’ve got setup as a file server that I just access via SFTP. Quick, easy, lots of storage…accessible anywhere I’ve got an internet connection. Also, it doesn’t cost me a thing…which is good
Drop.io is the killer app, here. You can create an infinite amount of “drops” with their own password protected URLs. Each drop is free, but you have to keep it under 100 megabytes.
I upload video responses (under 5 minutes) to this free online hosting and email students their URL. I also upload all my Powerpoints files there, just to make sure I have backup if my computer laptop dies before class. Lastly, I have my students create electronic portfolios using this resource.
I use drop.io, literally, every day! http://drop.io/
@Robert: The Tonigo Plug looks like the Pogo Plug, which Cory and I have discussed briefly.
@Ethan: That sounds like the kind of thing I’m after. I have no idea how to start, though. I could use my iMac, or I could use the old Dell I have sitting around here at home. Is there a step-by-step tutorial online somewhere?
@Todd: Drop.io sounds great, but it would take forever at 100 megs per drop to share, say, 30 gigabytes of images or a 2 gigabyte raw video file. However, I really like the idea of using it for hosting and sharing video responses to students. Thanks for the idea!
In general, I’d like to find a solution involving the equipment, software, and services I have already paid for. Until I get that Macarthur Foundation Fellowship (fingers crossed!) or (perhaps more realistically) an NEH/ODH grant, I need to keep things pretty low budget.
I haven’t checked into this a few days but it looks like some good suggestions were made. As far FTP I would look at Filezilla Server over at sourceforge. It’s not too terribly difficult to figure out and would allow you to setup an FTP server for you and your team. Everything can be done in the GUI and provides a quick way to get started.