Cloud Folders – quick upload into CloudShare

We’re excited to announce “Cloud Folders”, which enables each CloudShare user to quickly upload their work (code, content, software) into CloudShare machines and move files between machines and between environments.

What is a Cloud Folder?

Each CloudShare ProPlus user now gets a private FTP folder in CloudShare (in the cloud).  This folder is mounted as a local drive in each of the user’s CloudShare machines.  You can use FTP to upload your files from your local machine into your private folder.  These uploaded files can be accessed in all your machines.

Why use Cloud Folders?

Cloud Folders can be used to upload all files relevant for your project such as your source code, test content, software applications to your machine.  It can also be used to export your finished work from your machine.

Until now, some users have used the mapped local drive within the RDP session to transfer files to CloudShare machines.  While this approach works well for small files, the RDP connection is not optimized for transferring large files and times out.  Others may have used the Internet connection to download files to machines but Internet connection is not available during the 14-day trial period, for security reasons.

Cloud folders provides 3 benefits to users

1. Speed – FTP provides a fast mechanism to upload large files, which has been a challenge uploading over a slower RDP connection that users have used
2. Privacy – You can upload only the required files into your Cloud Folder and make it visible in the machines.  [The RDP connection maps your entire local drive to the machine].  With collaboration feature, multiple users (developers, QA, customers) may have access to your machine, making
3. Sharing content between machines – The Cloud Folder gets mounted to all the machines in the environment, and enables rapid sharing of content between machines.

Video Demo

Video Demo of Cloud Folders

Exporting your work out of CloudShare

You would need to export your work to a production or a customer environment.  Cloud Folders enables you to export your files [source code, configuration files, content]  from CloudShare.

How do I use Cloud Folders?  User Experience

Once your environment is created, follow these 3 simple steps

1. FTP your files into your Cloud Folder

Click on Cloud Folders tab and get the FTP account information.  Then, use an FTP client of your choice (or browser) to upload files into your Cloud Folder.

• You can create sub-folders to organize your content.
• We currently don’t support SFTP (secure FTP), but are looking into supporting it.

2. Mount your Cloud Folder on your machine

• Click on “View Machine” (on the Environment Details page) to access the machine remotely.
• Click on Mount (see arrow on upper right corner of the screenshot) to mount your Cloud Folder on your machine
• The Cloud Folder gets mounted and is accessible within your machine (red arrow in the screenshot)

3. Start working

• Your Cloud Folder and all your uploaded content in it is now locally mounted to all the machines in your environment.  You can move files, install software and start working.

Related posts:

File Transfers – Overcoming the Challenge How to share files between your local PC and a CloudShare Environment! Will you be CloudSharing this weekend?