Introduction to ownCloud¶

Your organization is now using ownCloud for file sharing. ownCloud is software similar to Dropbox, Google Drive, or SkyDrive, but instead of running on a third party's server, it runs on a server belonging to NDWA. This allows NDWA greater control and security.

Accessing ownCloud¶

To access ownCloud, open a web browser and go to the site listed below. your first name is your username and a password reset link should have been sent to you by email.

NDWA: https://cloud.domesticworkers.org/owncloud

Navigating ownCloud¶

Once you're logged in, you should see the contents of your shared folders. To navigate between folders, click on the name of a folder (not the icon of the folder) to enter the folder. Along the top of the screen, you'll see the "path" of your subfolders - you can go back up by pressing the "Home" icon, or any other folder in the path.

Downloading, renaming, deleting files¶

To download a file, click the ellipses icon ("...") next to the folder. The menu that appears will allow you to download, rename or delete a file. It's also possible to download folders this way; they will be zipped up before download, so you should be comfortable with unzipping if you choose to do this. Note that downloading a large file will take a long time, and a folder that's too large can not be downloaded at once.

Uploading files¶

To upload a file, press the plus button ("+") at the top of the window and select "Upload". You can send files from your computer to the server. You can also drag a file or folder from your computer onto the web browser window to upload it.

Sharing files¶

If you click the sharing icon next to a file, you'll bring up a "sharing" panel on the right. From here, you can click "Share Link" and receive a link you can e-mail to colleagues outside the organization allowing them to download the file. This is preferable to e-mail because the files can be of unlimited size, and if you update the file on the shared drive, they'll get a copy of the latest version. You can also password-protect the link and/or set it to expire after a set number of days.

Cheatsheet¶

Below please find an annotated screenshot of all the options you may want to use in ownCloud.