Audubon Area Community Services, Inc. IntraNet
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AACS IntraNet User Page

Introduction to the AACS IntraNet | System Overview

*Navigating the AACS IntraNet* \| Links**		AACS IntraNet Indexes
*Logging Into the AACS IntraNet* Server**		Special Note on Passwords
Using Your Netscape Navigator Browser		GroupWise WebAccess E-mail
Internet Access		AACS World Wide Web Site
*Background Information on the Development of the World Wide Web and Its Technology* *and* Audubon on the "Information Superhighway"
*Computing and Internet Glossary Page*

Welcome to the Audubon Area IntraNet!

This is your new Audubon Area informational resource. Already, there's a great deal of information and resources available for your use. In time, there will be so much more. Got any ideas of things you'd like to see on the AACS IntraNet? Send the executive director an e-mail (Yes, it's also on this IntraNet!) and let him know. We want to include just about everything -- anything -- that staff often use (or even rarely use but when it's needed it's vital).
No longer will staff have to worry where a document was left or whether it is current. It'll be on theAACS IntraNet and available on a "dial-up" basis to all users. And since we only have to update it one central place, it'll be current, up-to-date.
The AACS IntraNet system is hosted by "mirrored" servers (two duplicate servers operating in tandem) at the AACS Central Office in Owensboro and supported by six 28.8 kbps (thousand bits per second) modems. Soon, we expect to add one "800" dial-up number and modem for the Board and staff's "toll free" access on a first come, first serve basis. The software which powers this AACS IntraNet system is Novell, Inc.'s IntranetWare. The system is password- and virus-protected.
The system works on the same "hypertext"/browser (and "plug-in") technology that supports the Internet's World Wide Web. The AACS IntraNet features the popular Netscape Navigator 3.0 browser. It is set to dial up the AACS IntraNet server when you invoke the program by double-clicking on the Netscape icon on your computer's "tabletop."
The contents of the AACS IntraNet are available to you on a "view only" basis. (But using your Netscape browser's PRINT button and your local printer you can print anything you access from the AACS IntraNet.
Every AACS-served county is (or soon will be) connected to the AACS IntraNet system. In counties where there are multiple AACS sites the "main" office or center hosts the dial-up computer. The limiting factor is the available of a suitable computer at each location to adequately handle the dial-up and browser software and the presentation of files accessed from the central server. Again, in due time we expect that all AACS locations will be connected and served by this system.
Depending on the capability of your computer equipment, your computer can be pre-set to view the IntraNet server's data in either a graphical (preferred) of text-only format. Most users can and should use the graphical "versions." Indeed, there are so few text-only users on the system that the development of the "text only" files for most if its informational resources is for the present lagging far behind. In fact, the posting of data to the system will yet take quite a lot of time; therefore, you'll encounter some screens that present an "Under Construction" notification. This can mean that little or nor work has as yet been done on a particular IntraNet page or that the page/document (as in the case of the AACS "Strategic Plan") is simply a current status report of a work in progress, a process that is yet to be completed.
The technical planning, work, and installation of the AACS IntraNet were performed by Steve Bruton of MicroAge Computer Stall.

Navigating the AACS IntraNet -- or What are Links?

The "Web technology" mentioned above largely operates through what is called "hypertext." HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the basic "language" of the "Web" -- and now the intranets, or internal "webs," as well. A key feature of that technology is hypertext links. Every time you encounter a "link" you Netscape browser will cause your mouse cursor to change into a little "hand" as you move your mouse cursor to or across a hypertext link. These links are how you "navigate" the AACS IntraNet. It's all just "point and click."
Any place you see the little "hand" appear on you screen you know that it represents a link to something else you might want to go to. Usually (but not always), colored text (usually blue) tells you what the link is. Please note that graphics can also be links, as is the case with the stylized "AA" (which links back to the "AACS Internal Web Resources Gateway" section of the IntraNet "Home Page" (graphical version only). In addition, every time the "hand" appears the "Document: Done" message in the lower lefthand informational box of the browser will change to present to you the name and location of the file that the link represents. So, you might want to note that before you move to it.

The AACS IntraNet's Indexes

Already (as of January 1, 1997), there are more than 700 items posted on the internal web site. There will be many, many more. Although we have tried to organize the materials in the AACS IntraNet to provide a logical structure, sequence, and means for finding what you need, it may be a problem to efficiently locate what you want. So listed below there are or will be a number of "indexes" to help users find what they want on the AACS IntraNet:
"AACS Internal Web Resources Gateway" section of the IntraNet "Home Page"
Table of Contents Page Most items are readily "locate-able" through this index.
New Additions Page Although this page is entitled "New Additions" it includes the IntraNet-wide index:.
USER INDEX AACS IntraNet Index / Individual User File Access USER INDEX
Webmaster's Page In the future, selected items recommended by the Webmaster will periodically be noted on this page.
AACS IntraNet Search Engine. (Search tool not yet available. When available, it will be capable of searching the entire AACS IntraNet "site" for information by topic which is available on the internal "net.")

Logging Into the AACS IntraNet Server

First, if you're reading this online you obviously already know the dial-up procedures and requirements. But if you're reading a printout of this page as a guide to using the AACS IntraNet, please read on. You need to know this in order to connect to and use the AACS IntraNet.
For remote users only, on your Windows95 or Windows 3.1/3.11 desktop you have an icon which when double-clicked will invoke your pre-set dial-up program. The dialer is preconfigured and set to authenticate with the server, which requires approved users to provide their identification and a password. Although dialers may initially connect with the communication server only authorized users with the correct password will be admitted to the server. Unauthorized users (those not on the pre-approved user list) will not be granted access; nor will authorized users who fail to provide the correct password. Unsuccessful log ins will cause the dialer to automatically disconnect.

Special Note on Passwords.

These passwords along with other authentication procedures provide the security required to protect our data and the integrity of our server against unauthorized persons -- "hackers" and others with perhaps malicious intent. Do not divulge your password to anyone. No one! Passwords are already written into those computers set up to access the AACS server.

Windows95 Users. Your Windows95 Dial-up Networking provides your connection to the AACS IntraNet server. To connect, simply double-click on the AACS IntraNet dial-up networking icon on your desktop. Normally, the number and required authentication detail are already pre-set, so you don't have to do anything but click on OK to connect. Your computer and the server will take care of the rest. A dial-up screen will appear on your "desktop" to advise you of the status of the procedure. When your connection is completed the dial-up mini-screen (box) will change and show a Disconnect button. You may "minimize" (to the Windows95 Task Bar) that dial-up box after you connect, but that is optional.
You must then invoke Netscape in order to access, view, or use anything on the AACS IntraNet. Again, simply double-click the Netscape icon on your "desktop" and the program will open and present the AACS IntraNet's "Home Page."
Here's an idea that can save telephone time: Invoke Netscape first. When Netscape loads it will tell you that it cannot find the pre-set home page. Just click OK; when Netscape's loaded, "minimize" it, then invoke the dial-up connection. When connected, simply click on the minimized Netscape button on the Windows95 Task Bar. Netscape will again fill the screen. If the AACS IntraNet "Home Page" fails to appear immediately (and that's likely), simply click Netscape's Home button and the page will load.
Windows 3.1/3.11 Users.The Novell NetWare Remote Client Dialer provides your connection to the AACS IntraNet server.
There are two methods to connect to the AACS server:

Simply double-click the Netscape icon on your "desktop." Netscape Navigator will load and in the process it will automatically invoke the NetWare dialer which will call up and connect to the AACS server; and Netscape will load the AACS IntraNet "Home Page." You won't need to do a thing but wait till the "Home Page" is loaded. Then you're ready to proceed.

However, if that procedure does not work you will need to employ a two-step process similar to that above for Windows95 dial-ups. To connect, double-click on the Novell NetWare Remote Client Dialer icon on your desktop. Normally, the number and required authentication detail are already pre-set, so you don't have to do anything but click on OK to connect. Your computer and the server will take care of the rest. A dial-up screen will appear on your "desktop" to advise you of the status of the procedure. When your connection is completed the dial-up mini-screen (box) will change and show a Disconnect button. You should "minimize" the dial-up screen after you connect.

You must then invoke Netscape in order to access, view, or use anything on the AACS IntraNet. Again, simply double-click the Netscape icon on your "desktop" and the program will open and present the AACS IntraNet's "Home Page."
Here again an idea that can save telephone time: Invoke Netscape first. When Netscape loads it will tell you that it cannot find the pre-set home page. Just click OK; when Netscape's loaded, "minimize" it, then invoke the dial-up connection. When connected, simply click on the minimized Netscape button on the Windows95 Task Bar. Netscape will again fill the screen. If the AACS IntraNet "Home Page" fails to appear immediately (and that's likely), simply click Netscape's Home button and the page will load.

Disconnecting When IntraNet Session is Finished

You MUST DISCONNECT when you are finished using the AACS IntraNet. After you close your Netscape browser to finish you IntraNet session, there is one additional step you must take: You must disconnect the dial-up (phone) link to the AACS server. Simply closing Netscape will not accomplish that. Here's what to do:
If you minimized the dialer, restore it.

In Windows95, click on its button on the Task Bar and it will reappear on your "desktop." When the dialer screen is restored click on the Disconnect button to close down the telephone link. Close Windows95's Dial-up Networking.
In Windows 3.1/3.11, click on the bottom in the upper left-hand corner of your Program Manager (or other) screen, select Restore. When the dialer screen is restored click on the Disconnect button to close down the telephone link. Close the Novell NetWare Remote Client Dialer.
If you fail to do this and you're on "long distance" it will result in quite an expensive call.

Using Your Netscape Browser

Your Netscape Navigator 3.0 browser (Novell version) has ten useful buttons (tools) on its Toolbar. Here's a review of them..

BACK This button is the one you should use most often to get back to where you were (or where you started) unless you want to use the stylized "AA" graphic near the bottom of most AACS IntraNet pages to get back to the "AACS Internal Web Resources Gateway" section of the IntraNet "Home Page".
FORWARD Naturally, this button goes the opposite direction of the "Back" button. You use the "FORWARD" button when you've been through a number of HTML pages and you want to re-visit them (in the same order in which you backed out of them).
HOME Clicking on this button will take you back to the AACS IntraNet "Home Page". This can be very useful if you've gone several levels deep into the IntraNet's resources and you don't want to have to back your way out through several pages. Clicking on HOME will save time (yours and telephone time!) and expedite your moving around the server's resources.
RELOAD Use the RELOAD button to replace the file in your browser's "cache." Netscape Navigator stores "copies" in both a Random Access Memory cache and a Disk cache the files it has visited. This allows a speedy "reloading" of those pages the next time they are visited -- assuming they're still cached. The space set aside for caching files is limited and it can be re-set according to your computer's limitations of your personal needs.
PRINT You can print out on your local printer copies of pages you visit and data you access on the AACS IntraNet.

NOTE -- On the screen which appears after you click on the Netscape print button you can select Properties (Setup in Windows 3.1) on that print-dialog box, then check the Landscape radio button (assuming you want a landscape-printout for a given page/file) on the next screen; select OK and print. "Portrait" orientation is the default mode for printouts. Also, you can select the Netscape print-dialog box's lower-righthand radio button, type 1 in the "to:" box, and print out only the page with the above data chart. And, you will notice, you can indicate in the print-dialog box the number of copies you want printed or you can check "print to file" and "copy" the file on your computer's hard disk.
The functions intended for the next two buttons are not available to you:

IMAGES This button is grayed out and unavailable.
OPEN While this button is functional it serves no useful purpose to you.
FIND With the tool represented by the FIND button you can enter a "string" (word or combination thereof, symbol, or other) and search the current page for that string. With the "Direction" radio buttons you can instruct the search tool to search "down" (most usually) "up"depending on where you are presently in the document. You can also limit you search by clicking the "Match case" box. In this case, you would, for example, search for, say, Web versus web.
STOP This button should be used to stop the transmission and loading of a file (page). It can be used to stop the transmission of a very large file or one that appears to have difficulty in loading.
NETSCAPE This button has no use unless you are connected to the Internet. When connected to the internet, clicking this button will take you to home.netscape.com, Netscape's home page on the World Wide Web.

Netscape Navigator Tools Netscape provides optional use of three user "bars:

Toolbar These are reviewed above and should be left showing on your browser.
Location Bar This bar tells you the server name and the file name currently showing on your browser. Except perhaps as a curiosity item, it is totally unnecessary to you.
Directory Buttons Bar For the present, these buttons are useless on our intranet.

Inasmuch as these buttons take away from the browser's file/page viewing area and two of them -- Location and Directory Buttons -- serve no useful purpose it is better not to have them on screen. Users can choose whether to show them or not by clicking on Options (on the menu bar across the top of the screen) and unchecking those items on the Options drop-down menu. (If the items show a check mark to their left they will appear on screen.)
Here's another useful item on the Options drow-down menu:

General Preferences You will quickly note that every time you "visit" a "link" that link changes color to remind you that you have already been there. All AACS browsers are initially set to "expire" the Visited Links indicatons after one day. (You can re-set the timing if you so desire.) But there may be reasons or occasions when you may -- during a session -- or following after another user -- want to restore these links to their original state. You can do that by clicking on General Preferences on the Options drop-down menu and locating the EXPIRE NOW button in the lower right-hand quadrant of that dialog box. Click on it. Another box will be presented with OK or Cancel options. Click on OK and all of your visited links will return to their original color (usually blue).

GroupWise WebAccess E-mail

Agency-wide electronic mail (e-mail) is one of the most impressive features of the AACS IntraNet system. It is presently available to all currently set-up users, but we can also establish an informational access to additional users without e-mail. (The reason we might want to do that is because each "post office box" requires a license and fee paid to the software company, in this case Novell, the supplier and owner of GroupWise and GroupWise WebAccess.
To access the GroupWise e-mail system, you must already be logged into the AACS IntraNet system. Then simply go to the "AACS Internal Web Resources Gateway" E-mail button (link) on the AACS IntraNet's "Home" screen. Double-click on the Interoffice E-mail link, then the E-mail Access link on the next "Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Access" page, and GroupWise WebAccess will be invoked. Click on the English button -- we're looking for a way to eliminate that screen -- and a GroupWise WebAccess login screen will appear. Enter your GroupWise user name in the top box, type in your password (which we provide you for your sole personal, private, and secret use), click on the LOGIN button, and the GroupWise WebAccess Main Menu will appear.
The GroupWise WebAccess Main Menu "page" consists of a series of icon buttons which assess its functions and a large image-map graphic of a desk and work area in which the various functions can be invoked by pointing and clicking on the area represented by items on the desk -- for example...

The ? Book to access GroupWise's "Main Menu" options
The Notepad to send mail to another GroupWise user
The Note Stand to read un-read mail
The Calendar to review or update your calendar
The In Box to review mail/messages received and retained
The Out Box to check on the status of messages you've sent
The Folders Stand to review mail you've sorted into "folders"
The Globe to set up your GroupWise "global preferences"
One beautiful feature of the Novell GroupWise "system" is this: Staff can check their mail, send messages, update their calendars, or perform any other GroupWise function ANYWHERE IN THE SYSTEM! So no matter where you're based or where you go (and quite literally so if you have a laptop computer with AACS IntraNet dial-up software installed), you can access and use the AACS GroupWise system simply by entering your GroupWise user name and password when you invoke the e-mail access on the AACS IntraNet. It works this way because the "e-mail" is actually independent from the rest of the IntraNet system -- and unlike its resident informational resources it is available to a limited number of licensed users
GroupWise WebAccess interfaces with the GroupWise system which has been operating for some time in the AACS Central Office. Central Office users should not use the GroupWise WebAccess while in the Central Office; they should continue to use their regular GroupWise to send and receive mail (to or from any location served by GroupWise or GroupWise WebAccess) or perform any other GroupWise function.
A GroupWise Users Directory is located on the "Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Access" page.

Internet Access: It's coming!

Limited access to the Internet, the World Wide Web, and Internet E-mail will be added to the system in the near future. We have not yet selected the Internet Service Provider nor worked through the dial-up-via-the-IntraNet technical issues. Our technical references say it can be done and we will provide the service on a first-come, first serve basis to AACS IntraNet users as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience.

"Mirrored" Version of the AACS' World Wide Web Site

The AACS has had a presence posted on the Internet's World Wide Web since March 1996. The actual AACS Web site is posted at http://www.audubon-area.com. If you have access to the World Wide Web through any Internet Service Provider such as AmericaOnline, MindSpring, LDDS, Prodigy, or any number of others, you can simply "point" their browser (that is, insert the above Web address) in its Location: line or box.
For the convenience of AACS IntraNet users, we include a copy of the AACS World Wide Web site on the AACS' internal "web." Every AACS IntraNet page includes a "link" to access the AACS' Web pages mirrored on the internal system.
We want AACS staff and other IntraNet users to see what we tell the world about the AACS, its services and impact, and its associates.

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Last updated on June 30, 2005 ||