Can You Open It From Here?

About this interactive

The lessons' rules for reaching a file: - A share on a local network (a shared folder on a PC, a file server, a NAS) is reached from a computer on that network. Away from it, traveling, the lesson says you might not have access. Reaching a local share from outside takes extra setup these lessons do not cover, so in this activity local shares work on their own network only. - A share on a desktop or laptop disappears when that computer is shut down or carried somewhere else. That is why the file server lesson sets up a dedicated server that stays on. - The share and its NTFS list still decide who gets in, and you sign in with an account the sharing computer or NAS has. - Cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, an Amazon S3 bucket) is reached from anywhere, as long as you have a data connection. With no connection, the web page cannot be reached. - A sync client (the lesson's Dropbox example) copies whatever you drop into its folder onto every computer that runs the client.

What you'll learn

Decide whether a file can be opened from where you are, from where it is stored: a share on a local network, a computer that may be off or away, or cloud storage
Predict what cloud syncing and sharing give you: a file in a synced folder appears on every computer running the client, and cloud files open over any data connection

Aligned to

CompTIA Tech+

2.5 Compare and contrast storage types.

CompTIA A+ Core 1

4.1 Summarize cloud-computing concepts.

Key terms

Cloud Storage: A service that allows users to save, access, and share files over the internet rather than on a local device.
Syncing: The automatic process of updating and matching files across multiple devices or locations so they remain consistent.
Local Area Network: A network that connects devices within a limited geographic area such as a home, office floor, or building, where all devices share the same broadcast domain and communicate at high speeds with low latency. A router defines the boundary of a LAN by separating it from other networks.
File Server: A dedicated computer on a network whose primary purpose is to store and manage shared files and folders for access by other networked devices.
Network Attached Storage: A file-level storage device connected to a network that provides centralized data access for multiple clients, functioning as a dedicated file server. NAS devices use standard network protocols such as NFS and SMB/CIFS to share files across a LAN.

Topics

Cloud Storage Syncing File Sharing Nas File Server Interactive Streak Sort

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