How To Setup A S.O.H.O
Mac OSX File Server

SUMMARY:

File Sharing allows multiple people from their computer, to access, copy or use files stored on a central computer. When properly set up, various Apple operating systems (Mac OS 9 and up), various Microsoft operating systems (Windows 98 and up) and many flavors of UNIX can connect with each other. This article explains how to set-up basic file sharing and privileges suitable for up to 10 users using the tools built in to Mac OS X. For more than 10 users, you will need to purchase a copy of Mac OS X Server (for more information, please click here.)

INTRODUCTION:
The roots of Mac OS file sharing go back to the very first days of the platform when Apple pioneered networking by building the capabilities into the earliest models. Since that time, Apple has continually been at the forefront of both professional and personal file sharing.

Today, with OS X, each and every Mac comes pre-loaded with everything you need to build a server. With the server you can:

• Set up a list of Users and their Access Privileges
• Share the contents of a folder
• Create a Drop Box
• Share with and connect to other operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows
• Share over the Internet

 

GETTING STARTED:
You will need some computers. For the purpose of this article only, the File Server needs to be a Mac. Mac OS X File Sharing can be used by both Mac OS X and OS 9, Windows (SMB) and even UNIX systems (SSH). FTP services are also available. Further, a Server should be a very fast machine, like Apple's Quad PowerPC G5, and have at least one gigabyte of RAM. For help on determining which models and configurations will best meet your needs, a knowledgeable CRE Sales Professional is just a phone call away at (877) 266-7725. You can also read the CRE Article - "Which Mac Should I Rent?" for some helpful hints.

The highly experienced professionals working for the CRE IT Services group recommend that a File Server be a computer dedicated to the task of serving files and should not be used as a workstation. Although a rare occurrence, general use, like checking email or writing a document, can cause an application to become unresponsive which could cause the Server to crash and unexpectedly disconnect the other users. This could potentially corrupt these users’ active documents. Simply put, one bad app can ruin the bunch. Geek humor, you gotta love it.

The computers need to be networked together. They can connect using a variety of methods including Ethernet (10 Base-T) or wirelessly using an Airport (also known as WiFi or 802.11). For more information on networking, please read Creating a Small Ethernet Network. You may also share over the internet using any kind of connection.

To provide and access each other, your networked computers need IP addresses. If you can connect to the Internet, then your computer already has a valid IP address. But if your computer does not have a valid IP address, see "Mac OS: How to Get an IP Address for Connecting to the Internet" or click here for Windows.

In order to share files over the internet, make sure the Server has either an external IP address or the router is configured to port traffic to the Server. You may need to consult with your router manufacturer or a knowledgeable CRE IT Support Specialist to implement this feature.

CREATING USERS:
Take a few minutes to create a list of the people you want to access the files on the server. Regardless of their operating system, all Users must have accounts on the Mac OS X Server. There is no guest access. You must log-in to the Mac OS X computer with an administrator account to set this up.

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
   
2. From the View menu, choose Accounts.
   
3. Click the "+" button. You will be asked to Authenticate. Type in the password of an existing Administer and hit Enter.
   
4. Enter the User Name, Short Name, Password and Password Hint for the user. The user's short name is how the user will log in to the Server. The short name is always lowercase.
   
   For users of Windows 98: If you log in to Windows 98 with a username, make sure it matches your Mac OS X account's short name. If you do not log in to Windows 98 with a username, you will need to create a new Windows 98 username that matches the account short name in Mac OS X. For more information on using Windows operating systems, please see Microsoft documentation or contact Microsoft for further assistance. (If you need help with Windows XP or Vista, look at the technical forums on Microsoft.com)
   
5. If you want the User to administer the Server, check "Allow User to Administer..." Be advised that the user will have complete access to all files on the computer.
   
6. Click "Create Account" when finished.
   
7. Repeat steps 3-6 as often as necessary.
   
8. Quit System Preferences.
   

The default Mac OS X SMB workgroup name is "WORKGROUP". If you did a custom installation of Mac OS X and deselected the BSD Subsystem, you may not be able to change your workgroup name, which may prevent you from sharing. This is not an issue if you did a standard installation. If necessary, reinstall Mac OS X 10.2 with the BSD Subsystem selected. If you are sharing files between Mac and PC, make sure your workgroup names are exactly the same on both computers.

TURN ON APPLE FILE SHARING:

1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
   
2. Click the Network icon.
   
3. Choose the port you are going to share on (Built-in Ethernet or AirPort) from the Show pop-up menu.
   
4. Click the AppleTalk tab.
   
5. Click the checkbox to select Make AppleTalk Active.
   
6. Click Apply Now.
   
7. Click the Show All button in the upper left corner of the window.
   
8. Click the Sharing icon.
   
9. In the Computer Name field, type the name you wish to appear on the network for your computer.
   
10. Click Start in the Personal File Sharing.
    

TURN ON WINDOWS FILE SHARING:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
   
2. From the View menu, choose Sharing. The Bonjour Name field will be used for the Mac OS X SMB host name. This is the name that appears in the Windows Network Neighborhood.
   
3. Check Windows Sharing (located in the Service column). Network preferences says "Windows Sharing On".
   
4. As indicated by the yellow prompts, you must click the Enable Accounts button and complete the resulting dialog. If Windows Sharing service does not stay on, make sure you have a reliable network connection.

 

MANAGING PRIVILEGES:
On creation of an account, each User is given a Home Folder within the Users Folder located on the hard drive. Whatever files are located in these individual folders are usually only accessible to the individual user. Optionally, you can create a separate folder(s) that can be assigned additional access privileges. If you wish to extend the Access Privileges of either a Home folder or a custom folder to all users, just follow these simple steps.

1. Select the folder in a Finder window.
   
2. Choose Get Info (or Show Info) from the File menu.
   
3. Click the triangle next to Ownership & Permissions to reveal the existing settings. If necessary, click the triangle next to Details to reveal more information. Click the padlock to the right of the Owner drop menu Authenticate.
   
4. Select Staff from the Group drop menu. Set the Access to Read & Write.
   
5. Click the Apply To Enclosed Items button to update the privileges.
   
6. Close the Get Info window.

 

CONNECTING TO THE SERVER:
If you are connecting from a Mac OS X computer, you can follow these simple steps.

Follow these steps for a local connection:

1. Choose Connect to Server from the Go menu.
   
2. Enter the server's IP Address. Alternately, click the Browse button and select the computer's name from the list.
   
3. Click Connect.
   

Follow these steps for an Internet-based connection:

1. Be sure you are already connected to the Internet.
   
2. Choose Connect to Server from the Go menu.
   
3. In the Address field, type the IP address of the computer to which you wish to connect.
   
4. Click Connect.
   

After a successful connection, an icon for the shared disk appears in the Computer listing of your Finder window, and on the desktop when you have selected the option for "Connected servers" to appear on the desktop in Finder Preferences.

Follow these steps if you are connecting from the Windows operating system:

Computers using a Microsoft Windows operating system connect to Windows Sharing on the Mac as they would any other Windows (SMB) sharing service. Using My Network Places:

1. On the desktop, double-click My Network Places.
   
2. Double-click Computers Near Me.
   
3. Double-click the appropriate computer in your workgroup. If you are prompted to do so, type the user name and password that is required to gain access to the computer to which you are connecting. After you type the appropriate credentials, a window opens that displays all of the shared folders and printers on the computer to which you are connecting.
   
4. Double-click the shared folder to which you want to gain access. You then see all of the subfolders and files in that shared folder. What you can do with those subfolders and files depends on the level of permission you have been granted.

Follow these steps to Connect to a Shared Folder by Using Universal Naming Convention (UNC) Format:

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type the name using UNC format, where computername is the name of the computer to which you are attempting to connect and sharename is the name of the shared folder on that computer:\\computername\sharename. For example, if you want to connect to a share that is named Data on a computer that is named Fileserver, type \\Fileserver\Data.
   
2. If you are to do so, type the user name and password that is required to gain access to the computer. After you type the appropriate credentials, a window opens that displays the contents of the share.

Follow these steps to Connect to a Shared Folder by Using a Mapped Drive:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
   
2. On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.
   
3. In the Drive box, click the drive letter that you want to use for this mapped drive. You cannot use any of the drive letters that are currently used by your computer.
   
4. In the Folder box, type the name of the share folder to which you want to connect by using Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format: \ \computername\sharename. You can also map drives to subfolders of the shared folder. Therefore, you can map the drive to a subfolder by including that information. For example: \\computername\sharename\subfolder or, you can click Browse and then, locate the computer to which you want to connect the share folder on that computer, and optionally, the subfolder in that share.

When copying files to a Windows computer, you must use Windows-legal names. If a file name contains certain characters, the file won't copy.

For users of Windows 98: If you log-in to Windows 98 with a username, make sure it matches your Mac OS X account's short name. If you do not log in to Windows 98 with a username, you will need to create a new Windows 98 username that matches the account short name in Mac OS X.

TROUBLESHOOTING:
If you need additional help, CRE's experienced technicians can assist you with sharing digital information through your local area network. You can also try these sites for additional information.

HELPFUL WEBSITES:
The source - Apple's Mac OS X Server Site

Specifically the Server Documentation

Mac OS X Server Cross-platform Issues

http://www.oreilly.com/

http://www.macfixit.com/

http://www.macintouch.com/

http://www.jsifaq.com/

This article is provided courtesy of ComputerRentals.com. Founded in 1980 in Los Angeles, California, CRE-Computer & AV Solutions is a nationwide leader of computer and laptop rentals, audiovisual rentals, plasma rentals and more for corporate and special events with services throughout the U.S. and Canada.

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