Five Things You Didn’t Know About the UB Cloud

Students on computers.

By Blake Cooper

Published July 7, 2014 This content is archived.

UBfs, UB’s cloud storage network, is one of the most versatile tools available to students, faculty and staff. But most of us only interact with it when we click the ‘windows’ folder using one of the computers at the public sites.

Here are five “pro tips” for the UB power users who want to take their files to the next level:

Print
Blake.

Blake Cooper (UB Student, Class of 2016) is originally from Canandaigua, NY. He is studying Spanish, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, and beginning work on translating an Argentinian novel into English.

Share Your Files

Sharing with UBfs is flexible and easy-- all you need are the UBITNames of the people you want to share with. If you’re a windows user, just right-click the file you want to share, go to ‘Properties,’ and then select the ‘Security’ tab. Click ‘Add’, and in the box type “ad\” followed by the UBITName of someone you want to share with. BOOM! File shared. No big deal.

If you're a mac user, then point your browser to https://ubfs.buffalo.edu/. Click "My Files" to log in, enter your "windows" folder and click the lock icon under "Manage Permissions" to change who has access.  Then, once you've done that, why not learn more about the best ways to use UBfs with Mac OS X?

Recover Lost Files

Did you know UBIT automatically backs up your files every six hours? You can also restore any of the last eight backups at any time; for Windows users it’s as simple as right-clicking the folder, going to ‘Properties’ and clicking on a date and time you want to access. You’ll have that paper done on time after all.

Access through Mobile Devices

You (hopefully) already know that you can access your files on UBfs from anywhere, but did you know that your iOS or Android device is no exception? With a single app download and a few simple steps, you’ll have your files with you wherever you go.

Host Web Pages

Have you ever noticed that folder in your drive called “public_html?” What’s that doing there?

This folder is different from the others in a very important way: it has the ability to publish to the Web. That means any media or html documents you put in this folder will be available through a Web browser, and people all over the world can see it.

If you download one of the many free web page designer programs out there (Dreamweaver is available in UB’s computing sites), then you can host your own personal page, digital resume, portfolio or whatever, completely for free, right from UBfs.

Before you check it out, be sure to activate your website in order to make it public.

Go Retro with UBUnix

Too cool for graphical user interfaces? Think consumer tech “jumped the shark” with the advent of the Mac OS in 1984? UBUnix might be for you. From a bygone era when people mostly controlled computers by typing esoteric commands into a plain black window, UBUnix keeps the legacy alive by connecting you to a time-sharing environment via a terminal emulator you control with Linux/Unix commands, without the benefit of a graphical user interface.

If it’s so outdated, why use it at all? One advantage is the added power you get from using UBUnix to access UB’s powerful computers and analysis software over the Internet. There’s also a philosophical component to mastering the dark, no-frills world of UBUnix; it can be a nice reminder that it’s us controlling our machines… and not the other way around.

Should you be interested in taking back the power from our benevolent electronic overlords, you can use your “UBUnix” folder in UBfs to store and manipulate files.