Your PASS Account

Upon receipt of a Penn State Access Account all students, faculty and staff are initially allocated 500 MB of online storage space. This is also known as your Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS). This allocation can be doubled to 1 GB for free, (https://www.work.psu.edu) click on "Add More Space (Quota Manager)"). Currently this PASS is active for six months after students graduate. After this time period access to this storage space is deactivated.

Connecting to PASS

Your PASS space can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet. Use one of three mechanisms for connecting your computer to your PASS space.

• Mapping or Mounting your PASS via the PASS Gateway     (Hint: \\win.pass.psu.edu\homes)
• SSH     (Hint: ftp.personal.psu.edu)
• PASS Explorer     (Go to: https://www.work.psu.edu)

In case you are connecting from "outside" the Penn State network (such as using a cable modem or a service such as AOL), you can still map or mount a drive to your PASS space. But first a Virtual Private Network must be established.

Applying for Web space

Users can apply to ITS to have Web folders activated within their PASS space, (http://www.personal.psu.edu).

Once activated, ITS will place both a "www_protected" and a "www" folder in your PASS space. Once connected, you can publish digital files online using one of these two strategies.

1. Use "www_protected" and the Access Control Manager Wizard to restrict access so that only those individuals you choose will have access to your files, or
2. Use "www" so that anyone on the Internet can gain access to it. Publishing in this public web space is as simple as pasting a copy your file into your "www" folder.

Online Publishing

Penn State users have two methods to consider for publishing in either of their online folders. Both methods are available to all users:

1) Use the Penn State Blog tool Moveable Type 4 to create a blog along with accompanying web pages. This is the simplest of options! Easy to learn, these files are written directly to your PASS space. No web editing software is required, just open a browser and login to your blog at blogs.psu.edu.

2) Use common web publishing tools (DreamWeaver, iWeb, Weebly, GooglePages, FrontPage, Nvu are just a some examples) to create web pages. Then, connect to your PASS space (explained above) and upload these digital files into either the 'www' or your 'www_protected' folder.

Helpful Movies / Handout

Handout - Publishing in your Penn State Web Space

The goal of this web site is for you to gain an understanding of the skills you need to build a simple, clean and effective online e-portfolio. Students with inclination and interest can easily extend their range of skills.

Caution! Don't get fancy! Exemplary e-portfolios focus on evidence. Confusing or busy web pages detract from evidence.

All set? Then get going!