Connecting to Shared Drives

Owned by Adam Dinnes
Last updated: Sept 21, 2022
2 min read

Step by step instructions for connecting to shared drives on an individual (faculty, staff, or student worker) Mac computer, and common connectivity issues and solutions.

Connecting to BCShares (M) and UserHome (H) Drives

 

To connect to the shared drives, you must be on campus or connected to the VPN.

  1. Click the Jamf Connect menu (Beloit “B” icon at the top of the screen near the clock).

  2. Click Connect…

    • Sign in with your Beloit College account credentials if prompted

  3. Click the Jamf Connect menu again and select:

    • File Servers > BCShares (M) to connect to the departmental shared drive

    • File Servers > Userhome (H) to connect to your personal drive

  4. You can access the drives by opening Finder and selecting BCVault under Locations on the left side of the window.

    • When disconnecting from the VPN or campus network, save any open files and eject the shared drives by clicking the Eject symbol first to avoid losing data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I access the Shared Drive files offline?

No; you must be connected to the campus network (wired or wireless) or the VPN in order to access shared drives.

 

I’m connected to the campus network but the Shared Drives aren’t showing up.

After connecting to the network, make sure to choose the Connect… option from the Jamf Connect “B” icon menu at the top of the screen. Wait a few minutes, then open the menu and check the File Servers list. Slow network speeds can delay this option from appearing

 

If you still aren’t able to connect to the shared drives, try disconnecting from the VPN or campus network and then reconnect. Additionally, try logging out of the computer and logging back in again.

 

If you continue to have trouble, your account may be locked out or may be out of sync. Contact LITS Support for further assistance.

 

How can I add desktop shortcuts to my Shared Drives?

After connecting to the shared drives using the steps above, open Finder and click BCVault on the left side of the window. Drag and drop the shared drive folders you want to the desktop - your cursor should turn into a small black arrow to indicate that you’re creating an alias, or shortcut, to the shared folders.