<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic" style="task"
      id="nautilus-connect">

  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="files" group="more"/>
    <link type="guide" xref="sharing"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.6.0" version="0.2" date="2012-10-06" status="review"/>

    <desc>View and edit files on another computer over FTP, SSH, Windows
    shares, or WebDAV.</desc>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>Shaun McCance</name>
      <email>shaunm@gnome.org</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="editor">
      <name>Michael Hill</name>
      <email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email>
    </credit>
    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
  </info>

<title>Browse files on a server or network share</title>

<p>You can connect to a server or network share to browse and
view files on that server, exactly as if they were on your
own computer. This is a convenient way to download or upload
files on the internet, or to share files with other people on
your local network.</p>

<p>To browse files over the network, open the <app>Files</app>
application from the <gui>Activities</gui> overview, and click
<gui>Browse Network</gui> in the sidebar. The file manager
will find any computers on your local area network that advertise
their ability to serve files. If you want to connect to a server
on the internet, or if you do not see the computer you're looking
for, you can manually connect to a server by typing in its
internet/network address.</p>

<steps>
  <title>Connect to a file server</title>
  <item><p>In the file manager, click <gui>Files</gui> in the top bar and pick
  <gui>Connect to Server</gui> from the app menu.</p></item>
  <item><p>Enter the address of the server, in the form of a
   <link xref="#urls">URL</link>. Details on supported URLs are
   <link xref="#types">listed below</link>.</p>
  <note>
    <p>If you have connected to the server before, you can click on it in the
    <gui>Recent Servers</gui> list.</p>
  </note>
  </item>
  <item><p>Click <gui>Connect</gui>. A new window will open showing you the
  files on the server. You can browse the files just as you would for those on
  your own computer. The server will also be added to the sidebar so you can
  access it quickly in the future</p>
  </item>
</steps>

<section id="urls">
 <title>Writing URLs</title>

<p>A <em>URL</em>, or <em>uniform resource locator</em>, is a form of address
 that refers to a location or file on a network. The address is formatted like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>scheme://servername.example.com/folder</sys></p>
  </example>
<p>The <em>scheme</em> specifies the protocol or type of server. The
  <em>example.com</em> portion of the address is called the <em>domain name</em>.
  If a username is required, it is inserted before the server name:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>scheme://username@servername.example.com/folder</sys></p>
  </example>
<p>Some schemes require the port number to be specified. Insert it after the domain name:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>scheme://servername.example.com:port/folder</sys></p>
  </example>
<p>Below are specific examples for the various server types that are supported.</p>
</section>

<section id="types">
 <title>Types of servers</title>

<p>You can connect to different types of servers. Some servers are public,
   and allow anybody to connect. Other servers require you to log in with a
   username and password.</p>
<p>You may not have permissions to perform certain actions on files on a server.
  For example, on public FTP sites, you will probably not be able to delete
  files.</p>
<p>The URL you enter depends on the protocol that the
  server uses to export its file shares.</p>
<terms>
<item>
  <title>SSH</title>
  <p>If you have a <em>secure shell</em> account on a server, you
  can connect using this method. Many web hosts provide SSH accounts
  to members so they can securely upload files. SSH servers always
  require you to log in.</p>
  <p>A typical SSH URL looks like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>ssh://username@servername.example.com/folder</sys></p>
  </example>

  <comment><cite>shaunm</cite><p>We should have a topics on encryption
  keys, possibly rolling the seahorse help into gnome-help. Then link
  from here.</p></comment>

  <p>When using SSH, all the data you send (including your password)
  is encrypted so that other users on your network can't see it.</p>
</item>
<item>
  <title>FTP (with login)</title>
  <p>FTP is a popular way to exchange files on the Internet.
  Because data is not encrypted over FTP, many servers now provide
  access through SSH. Some servers, however, still allow or require
  you to use FTP to upload or download files. FTP sites with logins
  will usually allow you to delete and upload files.</p>
  <p>A typical FTP URL looks like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>ftp://username@ftp.example.com/path/</sys></p>
  </example>
</item>
<item>
  <title>Public FTP</title>
  <p>Sites that allow you to download files will sometimes provide
  public or anonymous FTP access. These servers do not require a
  username and password, and will usually not allow you to delete
  or upload files.</p>
  <p>A typical anonymous FTP URL looks like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>ftp://ftp.example.com/path/</sys></p>
  </example>
  <p>Some anonymous FTP sites require you to log in with a
  public username and password, or with a public username using
  your email address as the password. For these servers, use the
  <gui>FTP (with login)</gui> method, and use the credentials
  specified by the FTP site.</p>
</item>
<item>
  <title>Windows share</title>
  <p>Windows computers use a proprietary protocol to share files over a local
  area network. Computers on a Windows network are sometimes grouped into
  <em>domains</em> for organization and to better control access. If you have
  the right permissions on the remote computer, you can connect to a Windows
  share from the file manager.</p>
  <p>A typical Windows share URL looks like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>smb://servername/Share</sys></p>
  </example>
</item>
<item>
  <title>WebDAV and Secure WebDAV</title>
  <p>Based on the HTTP protocol used on the web, WebDAV is sometimes used to
  share files on a local network and to store files on the internet. If the
  server you're connecting to supports secure connections, you should choose
  this option. Secure WebDAV uses strong SSL encryption, so that other users
  can't see your password.</p>
  <p>A typical WebDAV URL looks like this:</p>
  <example>
    <p><sys>http://example.hostname.com/path</sys></p>
  </example>
  <comment>
    <cite date="2012-02-19">shaunm</cite>
    <p>Also used by gnome-user-share, but we're not talking about that
    in gnome-help for 3.0. Hopefully it will be better integrated in 3.2,
    and we can discuss it better in the help. If that happens, link from
    here.</p>
  </comment>
</item>
</terms>
</section>

</page>
