EastNet

EastNet is EastSide's unofficial file sharing service (not to be confused with the school's Eastnet network) intended to give students the ability to share content easily and efficiently.

Setup

To download files, simply visit EastNet, search or browse for what you're looking for, click the link, and you'll download the file. This is (or should be) true for any and all operating systems, it is not proprietary to Windows.

To share files takes a little bit more work, but it's still fairly straightforward. Basically, you need to setup an FTP server, and give anonymous read access to any folders you want to be indexed by EastNet. If you don't know how to do that, you can follow the following guides.

FAQ

How does EastNet work?
EastNet uses a protocol called FTP (File Transfer Protocol), which allows users to easily files between computers. On the client (downloader) side it works just about as easily as exploring your local file system. Simply type 'ftp://ACOMPUTER/ADIRECTORY' into Windows Explorer, and assuming that computer is sharing that directory, you'll be able to see it and copy it over to your computer. On the server (uploader) side, it involves a little bit of setup, but once you're up and running, it runs in the background and should never be a problem.

I can't seem to download a file that I found on EastNet - what's going on?
EastNet does not host any files itself, it simply links you to the computer where the file is actually stored. If that computer is off, or disconnected from the network, you will not be able to download it now. Try again later, maybe the computer will be reconnected.

But I can access the computer - so what's up now?
If you can access the computer, but can't seem to download the specific file, it has been deleted off the host computer, and in a short while EastNet will update it's index and the file will no longer be listed.

Last year I could just use Windows File Sharing, what happened?
The problem with operating system's built in file sharing system is that it's proprietary, and involves a lot more work on the part of all parties to get it working with any computer. Most notably, users running Windows Vista last year were unable to share files on EastNet. In addition, the people who ran EastNet last year decided to leave, and refused to share what they had, so we're starting from scratch with something better.

Is there any security risk to using FTP?
FTP is not a secure protocol, which means it is possible for a third party to intercept transmissions. Therefore, you should never use EastNet or FTP to share confidential or secure data. However, using FTP will not make your computer less secure. You have full control of which files and directories to share, who can access them, and what they can do with those files. Normally, you will give everyone read-only access to the files you want to share. This will allow them to download whatever they would like, without having any ability to put anything on your computer.

Do I need to install anything to download from EastNet?
No, you do not. Most web browsers and file explorers (such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Windows Explorer) are also FTP clients that will allow you to download whatever you would like. We strongly encourage you to setup an FTP Server and share and share alike, however that is by no means a requirement.

What about copyright laws?
Fundamentally, EastNet is simply a computer which indexes all the files being shared via FTP accross Eastside. Therefore we have no control over what content you decide to share. However, being inside a school network that no one else can see does not make sharing of copyrighted content legal. Just like giving your music library to a friend, sharing copyrighted content is not condoned by EastNet.

What is the school's stance on EastNet?
EastNet is in no way connected with Willamette University. Most importantly, this means do not call WITS for help if you are having problems with the system. The system is provided as-is by its creators and the school may chose to shut it down at any time.