Filr

The Filr service allows you to access your University home folder from anywhere in the world. You can use it to keep data on the University's servers synchronised with data on your computer or mobile device, as well as to access your files through a web interface from a device that is not already synchronised.

Web access

To access Filr from a web browser, visit https://filr.ncl.ac.uk and login with your university login and password.

Once you have succesfully logged in, you will see the new Filr Home Page.

 

The icon links to MyFiles (your home folder) and the  icon links to you NetFolders (shared folders).

If you select MyFiles you will see the files in your Home Folder.

Windows or MacOS desktop clients

The installation for the Windows and MacOS desktop clients are very similar.

After downloading and installing the client, you'll be asked to fill in some information:

Server URL should be: https://filr.ncl.ac.uk

Username and Password should be set to your university login details.

Filr login details

When asked which folders to synchronise, select My Files - this is your university home folder (H drive). 

Filr synchronised folders

Choose a folder on your local computer to synchronise your Filr files to.

Filr local folder selection

Once Filr has synchronised your files, you can access them either from the Novell Filr favourite in Windows Explorer or MacOS Finder, or by double-clicking on the Filr icon in the notification area.

 Filr on MacOS

Double-clicking on the Filr icon in the notification area will also open the Filr folder. Right-clicking on it will open a menu with several useful options.

Filr notification area icon

Open Filr folder: Opens the Filr folder
Open Filr console: Opens the main Filr application where you can change the settings that you configured earlier, as well as see recent activity and alerts.
Visit Filr on the Web: Opens the web version of Filr.
Synchronize now: Force the Filr folder to synchronise everything immediately.

Filr menu

Please note that changes can take up to 15 minutes to synchronise between your H drive and your local computer.

Android/iOS/Windows Phone client

The mobile clients are available for free from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and the Windows Phone Store. To find them, search for 'Filr'.

When you install it, you'll be asked to configure your account - you should use the following settings:

Server URL: filr.ncl.ac.uk
UserID and password: Your usual university login details.

Once you're connected, the interface is very similar to the web interface as described above.

WebDAV

Windows 8

Right Click on Computer.
Select Add a network location and click Next
Click on 'Choose a custom network location'

Enter the filr URL https://filr.ncl.ac.uk into the Internet or network address box and click Next

Enter your campus username and password and click OK.

‌Enter a name for this network location and click Next.

‌A Network location will then appear in Windows explorer allowing you access to your files via filr.

MacOS (Sierra and High Sierra only)

Open finder
Select Go from the menu bar at the top of the window.
Select Connect to Server
Enter the filr URL https://filr.ncl.ac.uk
Click connect

If prompted, authenticate using your campus ID and password and click connect



A folder will then appear giving you access to all your files via filr.



More information

The best way to access up to date information and documentation about Filr is to login to the Filr web interface, click on your name (in the top right of the page), and click Help. This will take you directly to Novell's official documentation.