ZEDEX The School Networking Solution!

Guide to installing Zedex  

At this point we assume that you already have a Peer-to-Peer network setup.  Need help go to How to Set Up a Peer to Peer Network

Setting Up the Server:

The server can be any WFW or Windows 95/98 computer on your network. The server cannot be a Windows NT , Windows 2000, or Windows XP computer.  You must judge the capacity needed of that machine. It is best to use a computer with a large hard drive to hold user files. A Windows 98 computer is recommended.  Only the network administrator should be able to access the server. It cannot be used as a workstation by users, except the computer administrator.

Name the computer that you will use as a server "zedex".  The computer must have this name.

• On a WFW computer, from Control Panel, choose  network,  and then type the name "zedex" into the computer  name box.
• On a Windows 95/98 computer, from Control Panel , choose network , then the identification tab,  and then type the name "zedex" into the name box.
  
  You will have to reboot the computer for these changes to take effect.

Turn on "File Sharing" on the server only.

• On a WFW computer, select Windows Setup (or while in Program Manager, select File, Run,  "winsetup")
  In the Setup dialogue box, Choose Options, change network settings.  Select the Sharing... button and mark them as shared.
• On a Windows 95/98 computer, from the Control Panel, select network and then select the File and Printer Sharing button.
  
  Mark these as shared.
  

Create directories (folders in Windows 95/98) that will be the directory space for each user. Use File Manager in WFW or Explorer in Windows 95/98 to do this. It doesn't matter if they are a sub directory of another directory. Organize them in a way that is most convenient for you to manage later. 

The directory names will usually be the login names of the users.

• In a school I suggest that you divide up the students by having a parent or higher directory for each grade level such as group1, group2, group3, etc. and teachers. Then place all student directories for each grade level under one of these groups. Place teachers under the teacher directory.  Therefore if all Grade 8 students (who happen to be the graduating class) are under group1, then at the end of the year, you only have to delete directories under this directory and replace them with the new crop of students who are entering kindergarten. 
• As a school you might create groups identified be the year they graduate (gr2008). In this way, the group stays consistent. Don’t group them by grade 1, etc., as the students in these change each year. If you share the group folder, make sure that you password protect it. Only give the group folder name and password to teachers who needs to access their group to examine their files. They can access student files relatively easy using Zedex.
• Remember that each directory (login) name can have only 12 letters. The password is limited to 8 letters.
• At the high school level, each group could be a class for a particular term.  When their gone, just delete the directory.
  

Mark each of the user directories as shared. 

• Suppose that some of your users are: johns, heatherk and frankt. Under WFW, while using File Manager, select the directory "johns" and then select the Share button (the file folder with the little hand). Then mark as shared "Full" and enter a password if you are having that user use a password.  Select OK and then repeat for heatherk, frankt and all the other students and teachers.  Each user directory must be marked as fully shared with or without a password.  You may add passwords later if it becomes an issue in your school.  
• In Windows 95/98, while using Explorer, select each folder and then right click. Select Sharing and fill in what is necessary.
  

  Note that as these directories become shared, the folders appear with a little hand to show that they are shared.  Once you have hundreds of directories/folders shared, due to memory limits, these little hands will start disappearing. Don't worry about it, they are still shared.

  • 
    One of the directories must be called "Logout". This directory is a common place where everyone has access to. When they log off,  they actually log on to this file. In that way, if they forget to log on, they will still have saved their work in an area that is accessible and easy to locate. 
  • Share this directory/folder, "Logout", as "full" shared and with no password. Don't forget this or Zedex won't work. If you don't want users to leave files in all_file, share it as Read-Only without a password.

  If this directory,"Logout", does not exist on the server, Zedex will not work.

   

  ---

If, and only if, you are running the 16 bit version for WFW, then load Filerun on the server:

On the server, create a directory/folder under the root directory called "zedex " (c:\zedex ).

This directory must be shared as read-only and have the password "hello" for read-only. Again Zedex won't run if it can't find this directory/folder.
 
 Load Filerun there (or wherever you want it to be on the server) and then run Filerun (vbrun300.dll must be loaded into the windows\system directory). Filerun will keep its data in this "zedex" directory.  When a user logs in with Zedex, the list of files in their directory becomes available. By double clicking or using the enter key they  may go directly to that file. For an example:  if "letter.txt" is one of their files, when they double click on it or select it and hit the enter key, notepad is loaded along with the file, "letter.txt". Filerun allows you to add programs that you want available along with the letter extension that you want.  This list is separate from the associate list in File Manager and Explorer.  You can run Filerun at any time to update the list. While you are running Filerun, Zedex cannot work on the workstations. If you make changes using Filerun, Zedex will need to be rebooted on the workstations so as to read those changes.

• The latest version allows the program name to be up to 200 characters long.
  There are two way to enter programs.
  First, if the program is in the identical directory on every computer, add the complete path and program name (i.e. c:\msoffice\winword\winword).  In this case you will not need to update the path statement on all computers.

  Second, if the program is in different directories on the workstations, either move them to be in the same directory, or just type the program name in filerun and then put the path to that program in the path statement in the autoexec.bat of each workstation (See Below).
   
  For the letter extension do not add the period: use "doc", not ".doc".
  You can have extensions like "doc" load to Microsoft Word or WordPerfect or any program that can recognize the file.  The choice is yours, but each extension should only boot one application.

  Delete blank records. 

Well if you have made it this far, you are done on the server.

Zedex is based on the KISS principle:

1. Name the server "zedex"
2. Give each user a folder, and fully share these folders with or without a password
3. Fully share a folder called "Logout"

If you are running the older 16bit version:

1. Associate file extensions with particular applications using Filerun
2. Read-only share a folder called "zedex"

That's all it takes for the computer that holds everyone's files.
 

Setting Up each Peer Workstation:

Zedex will work on either a Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95/98 computer as a peer workstation.

Please note that all that is needed for Zedex to work on a workstation, is that it has a directory(folder) on the c:\ drive called "Zedex ( c:\zedex).

Load Zedex onto each peer workstation (Note that Zedex does not work on the server).  It can be loaded anywhere on the hard drive of each peer workstation but usually on the desktop (vbrun300.dll must be loaded into the windows\system directory).  The program Shortcut should be placed in the c:\windows\start menu\programs\startup Folder so that it will run on bootup.

Use the Settings ... Taskbar ... Start Menu Programs  ... Add .. etc.  to install the icon on you start menu.

Run the program.

It will appear in the top left corner of the screen where it can be left.  To log on to a user directory, type any shared directory name in the login box and then hit the enter key. The cursor will drop to the password box.   Type the password (if any) and hit enter. Once you are logged in, the peer workstation is connected to the server with the drive letter designated as "Z:\".  If you login as "heatherk" and use the file open or file save dialogue box of any program, you should find the drive, "z:\\zedex\heatherk", in the drive box.
Selecting that drive will have files open or save from heatherk's space.
The Z:\ drive is where you get the "Zed" in Zedex.

• It would be inconvenient for all users to always have to change to the Z:\ drive every time they need to open or save a file.  This would be difficult for the youngest students to know how to do it or to remember.  Therefore on each peer workstation change all the working directories for programs that will load or save to the server to "Z:\".

  To do this:
  In WFW, while in Program Manager, select the program, select File, Properties, and then type "z:\" into the Working Directory box. Select OK.

  For Windows 95/98,  in Settings, select Taskbar, then the Start Menu Programs tab, Advanced.  When you select each program, right click and select Properties, ShortCut, and then type "z:\" into the "Start in:" box. Select OK.
  
  You will only have to change the working directories for those applications that open or save files.  However,  you will not need to change the working directory for certain programs, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, that have their own File Locations selector in their options. In their options selector, type in "z:\".
  There is no need to do change the working directories for applications that do not save files.

  Changing the working directories is not necessary but a convenience you won't want to be without.

  When the necessary working directories are all set to "z:\" and when a student has logged in, that student or teacher, when they open or save a file, will do so automatically to their folder. There will be no need for them to look for their directory space or worry about such things as drive letters.

Setting the Path:

If you are using Zedex, then you need to set the path to those applications that you set using Filerun on the server.
You need to do this only for those programs that are on a different directory on each computer and you only typed the program name in Filerun. This is done on each peer workstation by adding the path of each program used by Filerun to the path statement in the autoexec.bat.  Normally any program in the windows directory will already automatically run from the file list box as the windows directory is already set in the path statement.  Add additional paths to the path statement with a semi colon between each one. Do not add the program name. Only do this for the programs that were listed with their name ( i.e. winword) and not for those that were listed on Filerun with the complete path (i.e. c:\msworks\msworks).
Path statement might look like this:

PATH c:\windows;c:\dos;c:\mspub;c:\fmpro;c:\wpwin60;c:\kidpix;c:\msoffice\excel

Windows 95/98  both still look in autoexec.bat for the path statement.

Note that using the path statement in autoexec.bat, the path cannot have blank spaces (i.e. c:\Program Files\). The path can have long file names and blank spaces if you used Filerun for the path.

Remember that, if you used Filerun to include the complete path, you don't have to make changes to autoexec.bat.

Once you have made the changes, save autoexec.bat.  You must reboot in order for those changes to take effect.

Once you have done that, any file in the file list box in Zedex that has the proper associations using Filerun on the server, can be double clicked (or selected and hit enter) in order for that file to be accessed. This is a very quick way to get to your work. Students needn't look though Program Manager for the needed program and then their file. They just select if right from Zedex . This could not be any simpler for students. You'll love it too because it is the fastest way to get to your work.

Well if you made it this far, and have made all the necessary changes to the peer workstations, then you are done. Well done! Congratulations. You can now consider yourself a fully qualified Zedex Technician.

Zedex is set such that it is difficult to change from one user to another while a program is running. This is to prevent data loss. Depending on the program, some files, when open, will prevent you from logging in to a different user. In some instances, the List Files button may need to be selected in order to change users.

 The X:\ drive is the "ex" in Zedex. Just log in to the X:\ drive. Now one user can be on the X: drive, while the other is on the Z: drive.

When the main user is logged in, the program is green, indicating proceed working. When they log out, the program turns red, indicating that no one is logged in. 

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