Texas State University
SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN
Learning and Digital Media
ARTT 2372
Server Intro
The internet is an ocean of computers attached to each other via cables, switches, and software.
The sole purpose of this massive tangle is to swap digits (zeros and ones) back and forth (endlessly).
From that ultra simple activity, everything else flows. Because anything repeated repeated endlessly, trillions of times per second, creates great power. Witness the emails, photos, videos, games, paychecks, rent payments, food deliveries, plane tickets, and almost every other thing our society recognizes as core to its identity — here they come, relentlessly, seemingly without any effort.
Just click “send” or type a URL...that’s all you need.
In this Inquiry you’ll play with those computers, aka servers, by sketching directly on the network, i.e., by writing and copy/pasting the digits (the bits and bytes that make up photos, videos, love letters) directly on a prepared but blank, raw server space.
And then, once a file has been uploaded, you’ll share its URL with the world.
To get started, you need to software tools and the digital address and log-in credentials for the server.
TOOLS
1. To put files on the server you’ll software program known as an FTP client (FTP means "file-transfer-protocol"). There are many of these on the market, and many free ones. I use Transmit, but CyberDuck and Fetch are also good choices.
2. To arrange data (e.g., text, images, graphics, etc) so it looks good, you need a coding environment, aka a code editor. I recommend BBEdit (for Mac) or Visual Studio Code (Mac or Windows). Both are free.
SERVER
Server Name: dignat.xavierbonghi.com
Protocol: sftp
Port 22
Username & Password: to come
IMPORTANT: The server does not keep backup copies of your files. Make an archive of whatever you post, before you post it. And beware of overwriting existing information on the server—once you write on the server you cannot un-write, i.e., all changes are permanent.