CSLab has recently finished setting-up and testing a new service (called "WebDAV" ). What it does is let you access the cslab filesystem using a web browser from anywhere (i.e. outside the department, home, using a wireless laptop at a "Hot Spot" etc.)
If you want to give it a try, fire up a web browser at home (or wherever) and point it at:
https://smb.cs.toronto.edu/smb/username/Where you replace username with your cslab username, eg I would use:
https://smb.cs.toronto.edu/smb/lloyd/
Note that it is "https" => the 's' stands for secure, if you type "http:" i.e. without the 's' it won't automatically punt you to the right url. (Don't forget the "/smb/" part either).
It will prompt you to "accept this certificate", which you should do, then for your username and password. Your browser might include a "domain" or "realm" field, just leave it blank, only a username and password is required.
You can access other shares this way also (eg "undergrad$", "graduate$", "recruiting" etc.) in place of username if you have permission to use them.
If the browser you use is not Internet Explorer (eg Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, Opera etc. ) you will see the files in a non-graphical list, just like browsing a website. You can select files and they will display the contents or open in the appropriate application if it's installed (eg. selecting document.doc will open in Word, if you have it on your home computer). This is not a way to run programs remotely, that is to say if you do not have a particular software package installed at home you will NOT be able to work with the file(s).
[ Talk to me about which packages we use that you can install at home, if you need them. Software packages is another howto topic, but hasn't been written yet. ]
With the browsers mentioned you cannot upload files, i.e. it is fine if you just need to grab a file you forgot to bring home on floppy or a USB drive. In order to do two way transfer you will need to use Internet Explorer or Konqueror.
Initially you will see the files in a text mode, just like above, but if you click on the text at the top of the displayed page that says "smb://..." instead of "https://..." it will switch to a graphical mode called the "Web Folders" view. In Web Folders mode you can drag and drop files to and from your home machine, i.e. you can upload files. The downside is that files do not open when you select (double click) them: you must drag them to your local system and open them from there. (If you try this at work, you will say "Yes I can." but when you get home you'll find I'm right. Double clicking only works when you are inside the firewall.)
You will probably find that this method will meet your needs for remote file access.
There is another method, which is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection. Details about VPN connections are at http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~lloyd/howtoDCS/office/workfromhome/vpn.html
There is very little difference between using WebDAV and using a VPN connection, and for the thing most people want (i.e. "How can I run Word/Powerpoint/Excel at home without installing it on my home machine?") neither WebDAV nor the VPN is what you want.