RM Easylink - need to achive similar... how?

[stevegwernyfed14]

Hi All,
Many of you will have heard of RM Easylink - allows students to access their work via a web browser from home etc.
We don't have an RM network - have a generic W2003 system etc. But we need to do somthing similar - allow students to access their work from schooll website - i.e. publish the students 'my documents' folders along with security etc.
Anyone know how we can do this or any products that allow it?

Thanks,
Steve

[webman]

You may be able to achieve this if you enable the FTP server within IIS. As long as your NTFS permissions are all in order, you would probably need to set up virtual folders for each year group or however they're arranged on your server. I've been trying to set up a linux ftp server to achieve a similar sort of thing but haven't got very far due to permission issues (although we have an RM network) :?

[spc-rocket]

Steve,

RM easylink uses Microsoft web folders technology which allows you to publish these folder on the intranet or internet. The RM system uses SSL (443) to publish folders but i suppose you can also use just plain HTTP (80) to do the same. There are few directories (high level) which gets published in IIS and some asp pages that sort of looks at who logged in and maps it to the appropriate "my document" for the relvant users.

It also displays LR (Learning Resources) as well and i think this is again based on webfolders as well.

Have a look at webfolders on the net

HTH,

Ashok.

[webman]

The only bad thing about MS web folders is that clients need IE5.5 upwards to be able to use it.

[wesleyw]

We are using Easylink at the moment but we plan to move away from RM in the near future, Teksys do a product which uses ISA server and is allowed through our LEA firewall (You'll have to check your LEA and see if the web folders option would be allowed if your connection goes through the council!) You could of course just configure ISA server to do the same but it'll take a lot of setting up, I believe NS Optimum do something called Optilink and I would think Stone would do similar things as well. I know NS Optimum do though as I've been in contact with them recently I believe Tulip recommends Teksys not sure though. I have heard people have had problems with NS Optimum and some have had a good relationship I suppose it all depends! I think when I move away it'll be with either Teksys or Stone (Of course if I'm feeling adventurous I may set it up myself lol)

Hope this helps

Wes

[stevegwernyfed14]

Thanks guys - you have made some very helpful comments. I have just had a play with creating a new site in IIS, pointing it at the students root folder ad setting the security - works a treat (well, kind of).
Now need to go and find out how to get web folders working - seems to be a total lack of info on the MS site.
Anyone got any documentation on Web Folders?

Thanks again,
Steve

[spc-rocket]

The technology behind webfolder is WebDAV so you may want to have a look at this and do a few searches.

Check out this -->

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/art...ebDAV-IIS.html

HTH,

Ashok.

[stevegwernyfed14]

Thanks Ashok,
Excellent article! Should give me all the info I need to finish this. Think I may need to write a couple of asp pages to allow students to select their own folder rather than see a list - but that should be a piece of cake.

Steve

[wesleyw]

If you get this working would you let me see the ASP scripting you use to allow the student or staff member to only see his/her work folder?

If I can do this for free I can get more hardware lol

Wes

[stevegwernyfed14]

At the moment, I have simply got a form and asked for the students username - then appended that to the URL string to take them direct to their folder. Sure, they can edit the URL and go up a level to try and access somone elses but they can't get into any other folders except their own.
I have this working fine in 'normal' file list mode but as soon as I try and flick over to Web Folders mode I get a logn box that won't accept the username and passord of the account I am tryng to access. If I cancel I get a 'do not have permissions' message.

Must be some permissions specific to WebDav / Web folders. Anyone have any ideas?

Steve

[spc-rocket]

Steve,

What kind of authentication have you got on the website? Integrated, Basisc, anonoymous etc it may be this.

The username and password is normal as webfolders doesn't use IE but windows explorer so you will be prompted for this. ON the autnehtication select Basic rather than integrated. However i do recommend that you use SSL to secure the traffic as in Basic authentication passwords are sent in clear text.

Also when you type in the username password did you specify domain\username format?


Ashok.

[stevegwernyfed14]

Hi Ashok,
I have it set to basic with SSL required.
I have tried the username both with and without the domain before it.

Anything else I can try?

Steve

p.s. Off home shortly so will try and pick this up tommorow.

[spc-rocket]

Steve,

I came across this article --> http://pluralsight.com/blogs/craig/a...05/04/692.aspx

It talks about the "Network service" which is the IUSR_ equilent in ii6 you may want to try this.

Also when you are trying in IE, do the following.

1) Open up IE and then click on File | Open
2) type in the url in the Open box
3) Place a tick in the "Open as Web Folder"

Give this a shot.

HTH,

Ashok.

[tarquel]

hey steve - u should have said

Good fun playing around with the WebDAV stuff wasnt it?

As a side comment, WSUS on the DC and OWA accessible on the email server - is there a way I can redirect a virtual folder to the WSUSadmin screen [with authentication of course hehe] on the DC?

I tried lots of things that worked locally but just couldnt get the blasted screen to appear login box for user/pass but thats the lot - page not displayed and all sorts happens.

But a good idea no? I "could of" administered and approved WSUS updates then

First one to crack it wins a pint at the next meeting lol

Nath.

[plexer]

Have you looked at SSLExplorer?

http://www.sshtools.com/showSslExplorer.do
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sslexplorer/

Ben