Welcome to the Orion ADS Secure File Exchange Service. This guide describes how to use the service to collaboratively and securely share digital files with select groups, teams, and/or individuals. Please contact filemaster@orionads.com:
This guide will describe in depth the requirements for use, individual components that make up the Secure File Exchange (SFE) service, and give a basic step-by-step example of use.
Service Description
For a detailed description of this service, click here. For a description of the security features of this service click here.
The Orion ADS Secure File Exchange requires that you have a computer, web browser, internet connection, and user account. The Orion ADS SFE service requires a modern web browser that supports Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connections. We have tested and confirmed compatibility with Mac OSX 10.5. – 10.13 using Safari and Firefox (Mojave and Catalina should also work but we haven’t tested them yet). We have also tested and confirmed compatibility with Windows XP , Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 10 using Internet Explorer (XP, Vista, & 7), Edge (10) and Firefox. If you have an earlier version of these browsers, we recommend that you update your browsers. Netscape, Chrome, and Opera may work, however, they have not been tested.
Registering User Accounts
You must be a registered user to access the service. User access will be restricted to areas that the individual has a "need to access". "Need to access" will be determined by Orion ADS. Access may be subject to:
To apply for access, go here. If approved, you will be provided a username and password. Keep this information secure. It is a violation of the terms of service (and may be a violation of federal law) to share this information with another person.
Logging In
Once you have a username and password, navigate to the Secure File Exchange home page and select the "Login" button for existing users. At the Login dialogue, type in your credentials and click "Log In" to continue.
After successfully logging in, a Login Welcome Message will be displayed; it may contain important notices regarding the service. Click "Close" to close the welcome message.
After logging in, the Main Screen of the Secure File Exchange Service will be displayed. The initial directory displayed will always be the users home directory. Each user has a unique home directory containing folders and sub-folders to which they have been granted access. Folder structures to which a user has not been granted access will not be visible. This page is the interface where all file sharing transactions are performed including upload, download, file and directory deletion, and creation of new folders.
There are three major parts to this screen: the navigation bar, the control side panel, and the file browser window. All these parts are labeled in the figure below.
Navigation Bar
The navigation bar is used to navigate up and down the folder hierarchy. It is made up of two sub-components: the path bar and the navigation buttons. These two are components are shown in the figure below.
The path bar shows the hierarchy levels back to the home folder. As you click down through folders, the path bar will grown to show these levels. You may click on any one of the folders shown in the path bar to go to that folder.
The navigation buttons are used to move forward and backward through the folder hierarchy. You may think of these as the same as your Internet browser's forward and back buttons. The house-shaped Home button will return you to your home folder--the folder that is displayed upon login. This is the same as clicking on the "Home" link in the path bar.
Control Side Panel
The control side panel is a consolidated location for all administrative tasks. From the side panel, you can upload files, create folders, get download help, or logout. It also displays your username and the date and time (NOTE: the time and date do not update automatically, but will update when the page is refreshed or when you move to a new folder). Depending on your access rights for the specific folder you are in, you may or may not be able to upload new files or create new folders. If you do not have the rights, those buttons will not appear in the control side panel. In upload-only folders (like drop boxes), the control side panel does not appear.
The file browser window is the heart of the Secure File Exchange. It shows all the files and folders on the server, and allows the download of the files, as well as facilitate navigation deeper into the folder hierarchy. The file browser window has six columns (from left to right): the icon column, the filename column, the size column, the updated column, the download column, and the delete column. They are shown in the figure below. The icon column shows the file-type of the entry and is a quick way to pick out image files, video file, or folders, without having to look at the filename. The filename column shows the name of all the files and sub-folders within the current folder. Clicking on the entry in the filename column will open/download the file or move to the subfolder. The size column shows the size of the files, or the word "Folder" if the entry is a folder. The updated column shows the last updated date and time for the file or folder. The download column displays a down arrow which will prompt you to download the file. The delete column will show a trashcan if you have permission to delete the entry. It is possible to sort the entries in the file browser window by File/Folder-name, size, or date/time of updating by clicking on the double up/down arrows next to the column header for those entries. After clicking on the up/down arrows, a list of sort options will drop down. "Cancel" leaves the sorting unchanged.
There is an important distinction between clicking on the download down arrow and clicking on a filename in the filename column. When you click on the download arrow, the Secure File Exchange will tell your browser to download the file so you can save it to your hard drive. If you click on the filename, it will tell your browser to do whatever it thinks best. For example, if you try to download a PDF file, and you click on the download arrow, you will get a dialog to save the file to your hard drive. If you click on the PDF's filename, the PDF will open in your browser window.
This example will provide step-by-step instruction on applying for access, logging in, dowloading a file, navigating through the folder hierarchy, creating a folder, uploading a file, deleting that file, deleting that folder, returning to the home directory, and logging out.
Start by visiting the Secure File Exchange website: http://files.orionads.com. Once there, find the "New Users" section. Click the "Apply" button under "New Users." This goes to the application form. Fill out this form for access. Be sure to fill out ever field, including the reCAPTCHA at the end of the form. If there are omissions in the form, you will be prompted to correct them. Once you recieve the "Success" page, you have successfully submitted your form. Be aware: it may take up to five business days to process the application. Once approved, you will be contacted with login credentials. You need these credential to go to the next step.
Once you have your login credentials, return to the Secure File Exchange website. Find the "Existing Users" section. Click the "Login" button. This goes to the log in form. Enter your credentials and click "Log In" to log in.
When you have successfully logged in, you will see the Welcome Message. Read it, and click "Close" to close it. You are now looking at the main screen. Since you just logged in (like every time you log in), your are at your home folder, and you should see the following sub-folders: Your Dropbox and Projects. The Your Dropbox folder is your dropbox. The Projects folder has sub-directories linking to each one of the projects you have permission to access. Within each of the project folders there is a Dropboxes folder that links to the dropboxes for the people working on that project.
Now, return to the home folder by clicking "Home" in the top left or click on the house-shaped Home button on the top right. You should notice a "Terms of Service.pdf" file in the file browser window. This links to the most up-to-date copy of the Terms of Service for the Secure File Exchange Service. We are going to download this file. Click on the download arrow to begin the download. Your browser will now take over. Follow the instruction of your browser to complete the download. For now, we recommend you save it in an easily accessible place since we are going to be using it soon.
After the download has completed, you should be at your home folder. If not, go back to your home folder as stated above. Now, click on the Your Dropbox folder to go into your dropbox. Any files that people upload to your dropbox will be visible here. First, we are going to create a folder. Click the "Create Folder" button in the control panel. This will popup a window requesting the name of the new folder. Let's call it "New Folder" (without the quotes). Click "Make Folder" to make the folder. If the folder was created successfully, you will get a message saying "Folder Created". Click "Return to the File Listing" to continue. Now, once back at the main screen, click on the folder "New Folder" to navigate into it.
Now, we are going to upload the Terms of Service.pdf to New Folder as an example. First, click the upload button on the side control panel. This will open the upload file box. The top drop-down menu lets you select how many files you are uploading. Since we are only uploading the one file, select "Upload 1 File". Now, click "Browse" and locate and select the Terms of Service.pdf file. Now click "Begin Upload" to begin the upload. A progress bar will be displayed, and once the upload is complete, you will get the message "The File Has Been Successfully Sent", and you can click "Return to the File Listing" to go back to the Your Dropbox folder. IMPORTANT: Do not navigate away from the page while you are uploading a file. If you do, the file upload will be canceled. You have now successfully downloaded and uploaded a file.
Now, let's delete the Terms of Service.pdf file from New Folder: click the trashcan next to the entry for Terms of Service.pdf. A pop-up will ask for confirmation that you want to delete the file/folder. Click "Delete this File/Folder" to finish the operation. When the file/folder has been successfully deleted, you will get a message to that effect, and will be able to return to the file listing.
Now, navigate back to Your Dropbox by clicking "Your Dropbox" in the path bar. We are going to delete the "New Folder" folder, which is exactly the same as deleting the Terms of Service.pdf: click on the trashcan, confirm deletion, and return to the file listing! Now, you have deleted the folder.
Lastly, return home by clicking the house-shaped home buttom. Click the Logout button in the control panel to log out. You have completed the tutorial!
If you have any more question, you may contact us at filemaster@orionads.com or by calling (877) 214-7416, and selecting Department Directory followed by Customer Support.
Use of this website/service constitutes acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Service and Privacy Policy. Report errors and improper use to Orion ADS at filemaster@orionads.com
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