Claremont McKenna College

Information For...
Students
Faculty
Staff

Information About...
Help Desk
Computer Security
IT Policies
IT Forms
IT Strategic Planning
ITS @ CMC
ITS Staff

IT Online Requests...
Help Desk Request
AV/Media Request

Information Technology Advisory Board

ITS Home

Back to CMC Technology Guide for Students Home

Student Web Space

Claremont McKenna College Information Technology Services (ITS) has set up a new web server to ensure that all CMC students have easy access to web space for general purposes. You may interact with your student web space using SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) from on or off campus. Your web files are viewable on the web without restriction through a web browser using a URL in this format: http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/classyear/user/webpage.htm. See the rest of this document for complete details.

On this page:

• URLs (Web Addresses)
• Default Files
• Storage Quotas and Restrictions
• Connecting to your web space via SFTP -- Windows (SSH Secure Shell)
• Connecting to your web space via SFTP - Mac OS X (Fugu)
• Navigating to your web space

URLs (Web Addresses)

Student web space URLs take this standard form:
  http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/classyear/user/webpage.htm

In the URL, user is equal to your CMC network user name without the class year. For example, the URL for Jennifer Smith, class of 2009, would be:
  http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/jsmith/story.htm

Following the URL, indicate the desired file name or directory and file name.

If the combination of your first initial and last name is not unique in your class year, ITS will assign you a variation (generally your full first and last names). The original combination itself will serve as a pointer to the actual student web sites. For example, if there is a John Smith and Jennifer Smith both in the class of 2009, the address http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/jsmith will be a web page that links to http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/JohnSmith and http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/JenniferSmith. This will hold true even if one of the students has jsmith09 as their username and the other has jrsmith09.

Your last name will not be truncated in your URL, even if it is for your CMC network user name. For example, gstephanopoulos might have a username of gstephanopo08 but his web page username will be gstephanopoulos.

Default Files

The student coursework web server looks for default file names in this order: default.htm, index.html. When people enter in your web address, the server will automatically show them pages named default.htm or index.html. You are not required to have a default page, but doing so allows for a shorter address: e.g.,

• http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/jsmith/

   instead of
• http://students.claremontmckenna.edu/class2009/jsmith/webpage.htm

Storage Quotas and Restrictions

Your web space has a 50 MB storage quota. Your web space is subject to all CMC and Claremont-wide student computing policies, including Claremont McKenna College Computing Usage Policy, The Claremont Colleges Policy Regarding Appropriate Use of Campus Computing and Network Resources, and CMC's Copyright Compliance Policy. You may view these and other policies in the IT Policies area.

Connecting to Your Web Space via SFTP - Windows (SSH Secure Shell)

Secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) is a method for transferring files between computers that uses encryption to protect user account information and the data being transferred. There are many computer programs that provide SFTP. Some, Fugu are specialized applications that only do SFTP. SSH is a popular program that provides a nice SFTP interface and also can be used for secure telnet sessions (terminal emulation). Additionally, some web design applications, such as Dreamweaver MX 2004, support SFTP.

You may download the SSH Secure Shell application, which includes an SFTP client, from the official SSH Secure Shell for Workstations Download page. Click on one of the official download links, or choose from one of the mirrors.

When you click through to a download site, you need to select a file name such as:
  SSHSecureShellClient-3.2.9.exe

Click the file on the download site. When prompted, select the option to save the file and save it to your desktop or a preferred temporary location. After you have installed and configured the application you can delete the installation file.

Installation Steps:

1. Download the installation file from the SSH web site noted above.
2. After launching the installer, click Next on the first screen to continue the installation.



3. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
4. Click Next to accept the Destination Folder.
5. Click Next to accept the Program Folder.
6. Deselect all components and click Next



7. Click Next to accept the Current Settings.



8. Click Finish

Configuration Steps:

1. Launch the SFTP client:
   Start->Programs->SSH Secure Shell->Secure File Transfer Client.



2. Define a new profile by clicking on Profiles->Add Profile
3. Name the profile McKenna (or another name that suits you) and click Add to Profiles.



4. Click Profiles again and then Edit Profiles
5. Select the McKenna profile and on the Connection tab type students.claremontmckenna.edu for the Host name and mckenna\username (where username is the your standard CMC network user name) for the User name.



6. Click OK, then click on the File menu and choose Save Settings.
7. Test the connection by clicking Profiles and then selecting the McKenna profile.
8. The first time you connect, the server will ask you to accept its public key. Click on Yes to accept it and proceed.



9. When prompted, type in your password and click OK.
10. Once connected, the SFTP client shows remote files on the right and local files on the left. If local files are not displaying, click on the View menu and then select Local View.
11. The file transfer process is a simple Drag and Drop.



12. Exit the client and, if prompted, click Yes to save the current settings
13. You can create a desktop shortcut for your McKenna profile by clicking on the Edit menu and selecting Settings. On the Profile Settings page, under Desktop shortcut, click the Create Shortcut button, then OK.

Connecting to Your Web Space via SFTP - Mac OS X (Fugu)

You may download Fugu, a free SFTP application for Mac OS X from the University of Michigan. Documentation is online in this PDF from the University of Michigan.

Here are the basic configuration steps:

When you launch Fugu it should go to a screen like this. You can also get to this screen from the SFTP menu, by selecting "Show SFTP Window."

Enter in these values:

• Connect to: students.claremontmckenna.edu
• Username: mckenna\username (inserting your CMC network username)
• Port: 22
• Directory: the directory name for your class year (Class2008, Class2009, etc.)

Once connected, Fugu uses a traditional FTP interface in which you can drag and drop between local folders and the server.

Navigating to Your Web Space

If the combination of your first initial and last name is not unique within your class year, please read this section with extra care.

The student web server is organized like the U: drive. Once you are connected via SFTP, select your class year, and then select your folder.

Your folder is labeled with a version of your user name that excludes the class year. If the combination of your first initial and last name is not unique in your class year, ITS will assign you a variation (generally your full first and last names).