9.3 Exploring Filr Functionality for End Users

After you have completed the setup and administration instructions in this guide, the Filr VMs and your Windows server are ready for the exercises in the following sections:

9.3.1 My Files—Home Folders and Personal Storage

The files and folders that users see when they access My Files are illustrated in Figure 9-1 and demonstrated in the steps that follow the figure.

  • The top half shows that two storage locations can be assigned to users for their own use—personal storage on the Filr data disk and/or home storage on a Windows file server.

  • The bottom half shows how the assigned storage is displayed in My Files, depending on what a user is assigned.

Figure 9-1 What Filr Users See in My Files Depends on What Is Set Up for Them

In the following steps, take the role and do the steps of the users that are indicated.

  1. User ablack is a fan of the Hubble telescope and especially likes this image.

    On the Windows VMware host workstation, open a browser, then select the 1280X1024 link.

  2. Right-click the displayed image, then save it to the desktop.

  3. On the Windows server, access user ablack’s home folder in Windows Explorer.

  4. Drag and drop (copy) the image from the desktop to ablack’s home folder on the Windows server.

  5. In the administrative browser, sign out as user admin.

  6. Sign in as User ID: ablack.

  7. Click MyFiles and notice the folder named Home. This is ablack’s home folder on the Windows server.

    Refer to Table 4-1 and notice that user ablack has a home Folder and is also assigned personal storage. In other words, user ablack is an example of the section labeled Both in Figure 9-1.

  8. Open the Home folder.

    The Hubble image file is there as you would expect it to be.

  9. Sign out as user ablack.

  10. Sign in as User ID: admin.

  11. Access the Administration Console (upper-right corner).

  12. Under Management, click User Accounts.

  13. Select A Black, then click More and select Purge User Workspaces > Yes.

  14. Click Yes.

  15. Select A Black again, then click More and select Disable Personal Storage.

  16. Sign out as user admin, then sign in as user ablack.

  17. Notice that the Home folder has disappeared from user ablack’s My Files folder (the up-arrow left of Home has disappeared) and the Hubble image file is now directly listed as a child.

    Because you purged and removed the Personal Storage that was assigned to user ablack, user ablack now fits the definition in the section of Table 4-1 that is labeled Only Home Folder. (Purging ablack’s personal storage had no effect on the Windows server’s file structure or files.)

  18. Click the down-arrow next to the image, then select Share.

  19. In the Share with field, type all, select All Internal Users, then click OK.

  20. Click OK.

  21. Feel free to explore further if you want to get more experience with Filr’s My Files functionality and the role that traditional home folders play in that context. Then continue with Internal Sharing.

9.3.2 Internal Sharing

The exercises in this section demonstrate how Novell Filr users can share files with users who are internal to your organization.

User ared Initiates User apink’s Annual Review

User ared needs to complete the annual review for user apink, but apink doesn’t have file system access to the review file (apink_2013.doc). Rather than sending the file in email or assigning apink the required file system trustee rights on the Windows server, ared simply shares the review file with apink and includes Editor privileges. First, however, ared optionally ensures that email notifications will be sent when the file changes.

  1. Sign in to the Web application as user ared. (This requires that you sign out as user ablack first.)

  2. Click Shared with Me and notice that the image that ablack shared is listed.

    IMPORTANT:If you are not experimenting with email notifications, skip to Step 4 and skip all subsequent steps that are marked (Email only).

  3. (Email only) Click A Red in the upper-right corner, then select View Profile.

    When the profile displays, notice that the email address you configured in Active Directory for user ared is listed.

  4. Click Net Folders > reviews > apink.

  5. Click the check box for apink_2013.doc, then click the file drop-down arrow to the right of the file and select Share.

  6. In the Share with field, type p, then select A Pink.

  7. Select Editor, then click OK

  8. Click OK.

  9. (Email only) Click the check box for apink_2013.doc and the file drop-down arrow again, then click Subscribe.

  10. (Email only) Expand the Message Only option, then select the email address you entered for user ared in Directory and click OK.

  11. Click the comment icon .

  12. Add a comment, such as

    Hi pink.

    Would you please edit this with your objectives and achievements and let me know when you have finished?

    Thanks.

    red

  13. Click Send and close the Comments dialog.

User apink Responds to the Annual Review Request

  1. On the Windows 7 VM desktop in the notifications area, right-click the Filr icon.

  2. Select Open Filr folder.

  3. Double-click Shared with Me.

  4. Right-click apink_2013.doc, then select Open.

    The file should open in LibreOffice Writer, assuming the prerequisites are met for the Windows workstation.

  5. Make a few changes, then save and close the file.

    You can be as verbose or brief as you want.

  6. In the Shared with Me folder on the workstation, right-click the file you just edited and select Synchronize now.

  7. Sign in to the Web application as user apink

  8. Click Shared with Me.

  9. Click the drop-down arrow for apink_2013.doc, then click View HTML.

    Your changes are reflected in the view.

  10. Close the HTML view.

  11. Click the review file’s comment icon, type a comment indicating that the review is ready, then click Send and close the comment panel.

  12. Continue with User ared Approves apink’s Annual Review.

User ared Approves apink’s Annual Review

  1. Log in to the email account that you assigned to user ared, open the message from filr-admin, then click the Visit Message link.

  2. Sign in to the Web application as user ared.

    The message from apink is displayed.

  3. In the new comment box, type a comment indicating that the review is approved, then click Send.

  4. Close the view.

  5. Continue with (Email Only) External Sharing.

9.3.3 (Email Only) External Sharing

The exercises in this section demonstrate how Filr users can share files with users who are external to your organization.

IMPORTANT:Completing the instructions in Section 8.7, (Optional) Setting Up Email Communication with the Filr VM is required for the exercises in this section.

About External Users

External users are those who receive share invitations through email and subsequently provision themselves as system users. They can then log in to the system using the credentials they establish with Filr, or they can elect to be authenticated through a Google or Yahoo Open ID account.

For more information about the different kinds of users who can access Filr, see Users and Groups with Filr in the How Filr Works–Overview Guide.

User ared Gathers Input for the Next Release

User ared managed the ABC product release and is responsible for gathering input for the upcoming XYZ product. User ared also wants to invite input from a key partner named M Opaque. Inviting M Opaque to participate requires using the second email address mentioned in Section 2.0, Hands-on System Requirements and further explained in Section 8.7, (Optional) Setting Up Email Communication with the Filr VM.

  1. If you aren’t already signed in to the Web application as user ared, do so now.

  2. Click Net Folders > projects > current.

  3. Click the check box for abc_reqr.doc, then click the file drop-down arrow to the right of the file and select Share.

  4. In the Share with field, type your second email address, then click the plus sign (+) to add the external user.

    At this point, user ared could share the document with internal or other external users, but for brevity’s sake, we aren’t including steps for that.

  5. Click OK > OK.

  6. Click the check box for abc_reqr.doc and the file drop-down arrow again, then click Subscribe.

  7. Expand the Message only option, then select the email address you entered for user ared in Directory and click OK.

  8. Click the comment icon to the right of the down-arrow.

  9. Add a comment, such as

    It’s time to gather input for the next release.

    Please log comments to let us know which features we need to include this time.

    Then click Send.

  10. Close the Comments dialog.

  11. Continue with User opaque Self-Provisions and Responds to the Review Request.

User opaque Self-Provisions and Responds to the Review Request

  1. Log in to the email account that you used to invite user opaque to participate in the review.

  2. Open the message from the email address that you assigned to user ared and click the abc_reqr.doc link.

  3. The registration dialog lets external users register or log in as a guest.

    Register as M Opaque by typing First name: M, Last name: Opaque, Password: F1lrrock$, and Re-enter password: F1lrrock$.

    The User ID (email address) cannot be changed.

  4. Open the confirmation email, then click Sign in and access shared items.

  5. Type the password F1lrrock$, then click Sign in.

  6. Click Comments and read the comment from user ared.

  7. Click Actions, then click Subscribe.

    Emails will now be sent to user opaque as others comment on the document or perform other actions.

  8. Read the HTML view of ABC Project.

  9. Log the following comment, then click Send.

    Competing products have had morning coffee functionality for over 18 months now.

    If the next release doesn’t include this, we will be forced to switch.

  10. Continue with User ared Responds to User opaque’s Input.

User ared Responds to User opaque’s Input

User ared receives notification of user opaque’s comment (you can check ared’s email if you wish) and remembers that the requested feature has been discussed. It should already be in the next requirements document (xyz_reqr.doc), but ared isn’t certain that it is.

  1. Log in to the Web application as user ared.

  2. Click Net Folders > projects > future.

  3. Click the file drop-down arrow for xyz_reqr.doc and select View HTML.

    The file has not been updated.

  4. Click the file drop-down arrow again, then select View details.

  5. Click Edit this file, then continue past the security warning and other messages until you are prompted to log in.

  6. Log in as user ared.

  7. Insert the following text before the period:

    , and it will make the morning coffee

  8. Save the file and close LibreOffice.

  9. Navigate to xyz_reqr.doc again and view its details to confirm that the change has been made.

  10. Log and send a comment indicating that the file has been updated.

  11. Log a comment for the abc_reqr.doc file that Opaque’s requirement has been included in the next version.

  12. Continue with Public Sharing.

9.3.4 Public Sharing

User ayellow wants to get the word out about the abc version of the organization’s product and elicits the help of user aorange with the effort.

  1. Log in to the Web application as User ID: ayellow.

  2. Click Net Folders > cool stuff.

  3. Click the file drop-down arrow for abc_flyer.pdf, then select Share.

  4. In the Share with field, type o, then select A Orange.

  5. Click Public > OK > OK.

  6. Log in as User ID: aorange.

  7. Click Shared with Me.

  8. Click the action drop-down for the abc_flyer.pdf file, then click Share.

  9. Click Make Public.

  10. In the Type column, click Public to view and copy the URLs that can be shared in social media, and so on.

  11. Enter one of the URLs in a separate browser window or tab, then click Enter as Guest to see what Internet users who access the URL will see.

  12. Continue with Re-sharing and Searching.

9.3.5 Re-sharing and Searching

  1. Log in to the Web application as User ID: ablue.

  2. In Net Folders, navigate to training > Novell-Filr.pdf, then share the file with agreen as a Viewer with rights to reshare the file with internal users.

  3. Log in as user agreen, then share the file (with rights to reshare) with users apink, ayellow, aorange, ablack, and agray.

A few days after user agreen has shared the file, user apink is talking with user ared in the hallway and mentions the file.

  1. Log in as user ared, then in the search field, type quick and press Enter.

    Because the file is not found, user ared asks apink to share the file.

  2. Log in as user apink and share the file with ared.

  3. Log in as user ared and search for the file again.

    The file is listed in the search results window.

9.3.6 More Things You Can Try

There are a few additional files in the other Net Folders that you can experiment with as indicated below. You can also experiment with your own files.

Activity Type

Net Folder

File Location

Task Descriptions

Planning

comp planning

2014.xls

  1. User ared opens the file in LibreOffice and plans a 5.5% increase for apink’s 2014 salary.

Planning

projections

fy_2014.xls

  1. User ablack shares the file with user agray as a viewer and asks whether the goals are realistic.

  2. User agray comments that the Q3 estimate is low and the Q4 estimate is high. User agray asks that $10,000 be transferred from Q4 to Q3.

  3. User ablack adjusts the Q3 and Q4 estimates, thanks agray, and acknowledges the change.

Reporting

quotas

fy_2013.xls

  1. User ablack shares this file with user agray as an Editor and requests that agray update it with Q4 actual results.

  2. User agray opens the file, enters $110,900, and saves the file.

  3. User agray comments that the file is now ready for review.