Using Mac OS X, how do I use WebDAV to upload files to my Oncourse Resources or Drop Box?

On this page:

• About WebDAV
• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and later
• Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and earlier

About WebDAV

WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) allows you to upload and download large files (over 200 MB), multiple files, or folders of files to your site more easily.

You can use WebDAV to upload and access files in your site's Resources or Drop Box, if you have the required permissions.

Note: WebDAV is not available for use with Guest accounts.

Consider the following:

• Before you set up WebDAV, at least one object (i.e., file or folder) must be in the destination Resources or Drop Box tool. For help, see Resources or Adding, editing, or deleting an item in Drop Box.
  
  
• Set up WebDAV separately for each site.
  
  
• Saving files to your site directly from within an application (e.g., Word or Excel) does not work reliably. For best results, save the file to your computer first, and then upload it to your site.

Note: Filenames that include certain characters cannot be accepted. For a list of unsupported characters, see Unsupported characters.

The quota for a site is 1 GB, and the limit for individual file uploads is 200 MB unless you use WebDAV. To request a larger quota for your site, see What are the default disk quotas for UITS accounts, and how do I request an increase?

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Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and later

To use WebDAV to upload and access files in Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and later:

1. Download the Cyberduck WebDAV client.

   Note: Make sure to download the version that is compatible with your version of Mac OS X.

2. Double-click the downloaded file to decompress it, and then drag the Cyberduck application to your Applications folder.
   
   
3. Open Cyberduck, and in the "Quick Connect" text box, enter the WebDAV URL for your site's Resources or Drop Box tool:
   
   
   • To connect to a site's Resources, enter the following URL, replacing siteID with the appropriate siteID: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/siteID/
   • To connect to your personal Resources (in My Workspace), enter one of the following URLs (both will work), replacing username with your Indiana University Network ID username: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/user/username https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/~username
   • To connect to a site's Drop Box, enter the following URL, replacing siteID with the appropriate siteID: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/group-user/siteID/

   Alternatively, to find the URL you need, go to the site and tool you want to connect to and click Upload-Download Multiple Resources. The URL for that tool appears in the instructions.

   Note: For instructions on finding your siteID, see Determining your site's siteID.

4. In the resulting dialog box, fill in the fields next to "Username:" and "Password:" with your Network ID credentials. Click Login.

You may now drag and drop folders between your computer and the sites to which you just connected.

To bookmark this URL for future use, from the Bookmark menu (Cyberduck 3.3b1 or later) or Action menu (Cyberduck 3.2.1 or earlier), select New Bookmark.

When you log in, you can choose to have the passphrase remembered in your Keychain. If you do this, you will not be prompted for a passphrase when you log into your personal Resources or Drop Box or the Resources for any site to which you have access. Do not do this unless your computer is secured from use by others.

Note: When you use WebDAV to access resources using this method, you may notice that .DS_store files are being created. Apple's knowledge base provides instructions for eliminating this behavior.

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Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and earlier

Using WebDAV to upload and access files in Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and earlier requires a third-party client called Goliath.

Note: Goliath has some known performance issues, and may not work all of the time. Because of this, only limited support is available if you experience problems.

You can download a free copy of Goliath. Once you have downloaded the file:

1. Double-click the file to decompress it. Then double-click the resulting .dmg file. (Depending on your version and configuration of StuffIt, the disk image may automatically mount.)
   
   
2. A disk image named Goliath 1.0.1 should now be available. Drag and drop the Goliath folder contained within the disk image to your hard disk.
   
   
3. Open the Goliath application.
   
   
4. In the "Server Address:" field, enter a URL that points to the destination tool.
   
   • To connect to a site's Resources, enter the following URL, replacing siteID with the appropriate siteID: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/siteID/
   • To connect to your personal Resources (in My Workspace), enter one of the following URLs (both will work), replacing username with your Indiana University Network ID username: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/user/username https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/~username
   • To connect to a site's Drop Box, enter the following URL, replacing siteID with the appropriate siteID: https://oncourse.iu.edu/dav/group-user/siteID/

   Alternatively, to find the URL you need, go to the site and tool you want to connect to and click Upload-Download Multiple Resources. The URL for that tool appears in the instructions.

   Note: For instructions on finding your siteID, see Determining your site's siteID.

5. When prompted, enter your Network ID.
   
   
6. Click the Advanced settings tab, and check Disable Encoding of Macintosh Recourse. Then click OK.

The first time you attempt to connect, you may be prompted to accept a certificate for the site. Click OK if prompted.

You may now drag and drop folders between your computer and the sites to which you just connected.

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