If you’ve ever logged into Novell, either from your own laptop or a University computer, you’ve noticed that the computer acquires several additional drives after logging in. What you might not know is just how each of those drives works and how they can be utilized to make your life logged into the DePauw network a little bit easier.
To view the additional drives, open My Computer. Students will see at least five additional drives: F:, Y:, Z:, P: and I:.Some people may see more than these five drives because certain departments or areas with which you might be associated may grant you security access to additional drives.
Three of these five basic drives appear because of the way the DePauw Network is set up. For example, the F: drive contains all of the utilities needed to log in and use Novell on your PC. Both the Y and Z drives are search drives.
The remaining two drives are the two that will be used most often by DePauw students and faculty the P: and I: drives.
The P: drive, or personal drive, is intended for personal use. Students can save anything on the P: drive from their computers and it is accessible from any other University computer – as long as you are logged into Novell. The P: drive functions as an additional storage facility for students. The P: drive also enables students with the ability to create and launch their own personal Web sites. For more information about setting up and maintaining a personal Web site, students can visit the Help Desk Web site (www.depauw.edu/it/helpdesk -- look for the link to Personal Web Sites).
The I: drive, or instructional drive, is intended to be used by faculty members to help share information with students. Faculty members can request I: drive access for an entire course. If you are enrolled in a course that utilizes the I: drive, opening the drive will display any relevant course information that your professor has put on the network. The I: drive can also be used as a way to turn in homework or share information for group projects. Unlike the P: drive, the I: drive does not have any space limitations.
Even though the network drives have no impact on the usability of your computer, it’s important to maintain your network drives – especially with the fixed space allotted for the P: drive. These drives are not accessible by the average student, but the I: drive can be accessed by the faculty member that set up the course – so make sure anything you save on the drive is acceptable by University standards.
