Using the Filex File Distribution System

Introduction

Filex is a file distribution system that allows TAMU affiliates to upload files to a Texas A&M Technology Services-managed file server and send download links via email to specified recipients. Recipients can then download these hosted files directly from the Filex server. By hosting files on a central server for distribution instead of emailing the files directly, email delivery times in general will become faster as the work of sending files is taken from the email relay servers and is given to dedicated file distribution servers.

Files hosted on the Filex system will remain available for a minimum of seven days and as long as thirty days. After the retention period has expired, the files are automatically deleted from the Filex server and cannot be recovered. Filex is intended to be a distribution solution and not a long-term storage solution. If you require that the files remain accessible for more than thirty days, it is recommended that you seek alternative hosting solutions, as exceptions cannot be made.

This document provides instructions regarding creating, sharing and downloading files with Filex as well as a section with important notes.

Setting up TAMU Mail Routing

In order to use Filex successfully, you will need to setup your TAMU mail routing. Essentially, if anyone were to email you at your_NetID@tamu.edu, the setting will indicate where that email would go. This is also required to be setup for the Filex service. 

1. Go to gateway.tamu.edu 
2. Log in with your NetID and password
3. Click on Email Settings
4. On the Forwarding Settings section, click the Edit button 
5. Select any option presented to you other than "Returned to sender"
6. Click Save

Creating and sharing files

This section will address the steps to create a folder to store files you wish to share and to allow others to access all the files within that folder. 

1. Go to https://filex.tamu.edu.
   
    
2. Click Start Sending with Filex [fig. 01].
   
   
   [fig. 01 – Start sending with Filex]
   
    
3. Log in using your NetID and your NetID password [fig. 02].
   
   
   [fig. 02 – CAS login screen]
   
    
4. Once logged in, click on either Get Started with Filex or Create a Folder to create a folder to hold the documents you wish to share.
    
    
5. Enter a title for your folder and a description of the files in the folder. In this example, we will name the folder “Example Folder”. Once a title and description have been entered, click Next [fig. 03].
   
   
   [fig. 03 – Enter folder title and description]
   
    
6. This is where you choose the file you wish to upload to be shared via the Filex service. As with the folder we created in Step 5, give your file a title and description. Once a title and description have been entered, click Choose file to choose a file to be hosted.
    
    
7. Once you have chosen the document to upload, you may choose to encrypt the file or not. If the document contains sensitive or confidential information, encrypt the document. Once you have chosen whether or not to encrypt the document, click on Next. This will upload the file you have chosen and encrypt it if you selected to do so [fig. 04].
   
   
   [fig. 04 – Encrypt]
   
    
8. After the file has been transferred, click on Continue to select your recipients. Recipients entered will have access to all files in the folder.
   
    
9. Enter the email address with which you wish to share the file. This can be an individual person’s email address or a bulk mail address (such as those used for TAMUDirect and Listserv). Only one address at a time can be entered in the email field. If you wish to add two or more recipient addresses, click the link below the Recipient pull down menu that says Add Another.
   
    
10. In the pull down menu by “Recipient”, you can set the permissions you wish to give that email address. These permissions will apply to all files within the folder. If sending to a bulk mail address, every recipient will have the same address. For this reason, we recommend carefully selecting the permissions you give. The choices are:
     
    1. Can download – The recipient(s) can only download files contained in this folder.
    2. Can download and upload – The recipient(s) can download files from the folder as well as upload new files.
    3. Has complete access – The recipient(s) can download and upload files as well as edit folder titles and descriptions, add or remove recipients and delete files.
       
        
11. Once you have set permissions for the recipient(s), click on Complete [fig. 05].
    
    
    [fig. 05 – Enter recipient information]
    
     
12. You will now be on the “Folder View” page for the folder you have created. On the left is the title of your folder with its description below it. These can be edited by clicking the edit link to the right of the title. Below the title and description is a list of recipients for the folder. You can remove recipients who no longer need or should not have been given permission to download the folder by clicking the remove link to the right of their address. If you remove a bulk mail address, all individual recipients of that bulk mail will be removed. If you need to resent the download key for the folder, you can click the Resend Key link [fig. 06].
    
    
    [fig. 06 – Folder view]
    
     
13. On the right side of the screen is a list of files located in this folder. You will have links there to download the file and to delete the file (if you have permission to do so). The expiration date of a particular file is given in red to the right of the file’s name. After this date, the file will be deleted from the Filex server and cannot be retrieved. Filex is intended for file distribution and not file storage. You can extend this date by clicking the Extend Expiration Date link.
    
     
14. The “Change Expiration Date” page will give you the option to change the expiration date from seven days to thirty days [fig. 07].
    
    
    [fig. 07 – Option to extend date]

Sharing files

To share a file you need to have already created a folder in “Filex”. If you have not, see the “Sharing Folders” section. 

1. Go to http://filex.tamu.edu.
   
    
2. Click Start Sending with Filex and login with your NetID and your NetID password.
   
    
3. You will now be on your “Filex home page”. On this page, you will see listed the folders you have created, descriptions of those folders, the date you from the Filex server and cannot be retrieved [fig. 08].
   
   
   [fig. 08 – Filex home page]
   
    
4. Click on the folder you wish to upload your file into.
   
    
5. You will now be on the “Folder View” page. To upload a file, click the Add a file link on the right side of the page next to the “Files” heading.
   
    
6. On the “Add a File” page, enter a title and description of the file you will be uploading.
   
    
7. Click on Choose File to choose the file you wish to add to your Filex folder. Please remember that you cannot upload files larger than 5GB in size (2GB if your browser does not support 5GB uploads). If the file contains sensitive or confidential information, select to encrypt the file. When you choose to encrypt the file, you will have an option to allow recipients to decrypt when downloading. This will result in an unencrypted file on the recipient’s machine. If you do not leave this option checked, the recipient will need a GPG program on their computer in order to decrypt the file. In this example, the file is being encrypted, and recipients will be able to decrypt it while downloading. Additionally, you have an option to send yourself an email with the decryption code for this file. If you leave it checked, you will receive the encryption code in the confirmation email you receive from Filex. If you uncheck it, the code will not be sent [fig. 09].
   
   
   [fig. 09 – Choose and title an encrypted file]
   
    
8. After you have selected the file and set its encryption settings, click on Complete. Because the file is being encrypted, a “File Access Code” will be given. A copy of this access code will be sent to you if you left the box checked to do so. Otherwise, this is the only time you see this code. Make sure to record it. Click Continue on the “File Access Code” page [fig. 10].
   
   
   [fig. 10 – Access Code]
   
    
9. On the “Folder View” page, the new file will be added to the list of files within the folder. Because the file is encrypted, the options listed are “Decrypt File and Download” and Download Encrypted File” as well as “Delete File”. As with all files, the expiration date for this file will be listed beside the file’s name.
   
    
10. If you need to delete a file, click the Delete File link below the file. This will give a confirmation page where you can confirm you wish to delete the file. Click on Yes, Delete This File to delete the file. This cannot be undone, and you will have to reupload the file if you deleted it by mistake [fig. 11].
    
    
    [fig. 11 – Confirm delete]

Downloading files

1. When a file is available for you to download, you will receive an email from the “@tamu.edu” address of the person who uploaded the file to be downloaded. The email will contain the name of the folder you have access to as well as the titles and descriptions of all the files within the folder. There will also be a link available which will take you directly to the shared folder [fig. 12].
   
   
   [fig. 12 – Filex email]
   
    
2. On the right side of this page is a list of files in the folder as their download options. For unencrypted files, you will have only a download link. For encrypted files, you will have links to decrypt and download the file or to download the encrypted file [fig. 13].
   
   
   [fig. 13 – Files to download]
   
    
3. If choose to download and decrypt an encrypted file, click on Decrypt File and Download. You will be asked to enter the passcode provided to you in the previous section. Enter the passcode and then click on Download File. The file will then download normally. If you choose to download the encrypted file, you will need a GPG program on your computer to decrypt the file [fig. 14].
   
   
   [fig. 14 – Enter passcode]
   
    
4. If you have been given options to delete files, a “Delete File” link will appear to the right of the file download links.
   
    
5. If you have been given permission to upload files to the folder, you will have an “Add File” link above the list of files. Instructions for adding files can be found in the previous section.

Important notes 

There are several important notes to remember about the Filex system:

• There are no long term storage for files on this system. Each file will be deleted once it hits its expiration date (seven days after upload or thirty days, if you chose to extend the file). If you require longer-term storage than that, it is advised that you seek alternative hosting solutions.
• The message sent to recipients DOES NOT include the expiration date of the file. The only place where this expiration date is visible is on the Filex webpage itself. The expiration date will be listed in red letters to the right of each file’s name. this date is viewable to every recipient who has permissions to view and download that file.
• Once a file has been automatically deleted from the Filex server, it cannot be retrieved.
• If you send a Filex notice for an encrypted file to a bulk mail address through TAMUDirect, Listserv, etc., every recipient will receive an be able to use the same access code to decrypt and download the file.
• If you use Filex to distribute a file that contains sensitive or confidential information, it is up to you to know that every recipient you send the file to has authority to view the contents of the file.