How to Upload Files

The following information pertains to the www.gmu.edu and mason.gmu.edu servers.

General Uploading Information

The hostname is mason.gmu.edu.
A Mason Cluster account can be obtained at mason.gmu.edu, subject to Account Eligibility.
The application should use Secure FTP (SFTP) to connect.

Personal Sites

Once you’ve connected, if you’re uploading files to your personal site, you should see a public_html folder. Double-click on it to enter that folder. If you do not see a public_html folder, please follow the instructions in the setup a personal site knowledgebase article.

Note: In order to upload your files onto your public_html folder, you must upload an index.html file to the folder first. Only then will you be able to view your content.

Colleges, Departments, and Student Organizations

Once you’ve connected, you’ll want to switch to the directory that contains the files for your department or organization: /usr/local/htdocs/your_directory_path (Replace your_directory_path appropriately. For instance, if your site is located at www.gmu.edu/departments/english, your_directory_path would be departments/english)

How to Fix Server Upload Permissions

The default setting for newly uploaded files is that they are only readable by the user that uploaded them. This results in a Forbidden error when the files are viewed through a web browser. In order to access them, you have to make them world-readable. For more information, see instructions on how to fix server upload permissions.