Best method for sharing files between Mac & Windows

[rubaiyat]

I have a small network of Macs. 1 running OSX, 1 running OS 9.2 and 2 running OS 8.6. I also have a PC running Windows 2000 with which I would like to share work files (mostly graphics files eg PhotoShop, InDesign, Quark XPress, Illustrator and Dreamweaver but also a large collection of AAC and MP3s). They are all connected via an 8 port 10/100 Ethernet switch. The OSX Mac acts as a router to the Internet.

I would like to be able to hold files in one location (or where they were created) and access and/or edit them from either the PC, OSX Mac or OS9 Mac. The other 2 machines do administrative tasks and open anything that still comes in on floppy.

I would like to avoid the duplication of files that happens when you move them from one place to another. I'd also like common files like fonts, photos, eps, text etc to be available to all machines that can use them.

I've endeavoured to keep file names cross platform with file extensions, but since considerable material comes from 3rd parties, this is not always so.

What is the best networking solution that doesn't involve a dedicated server (although if I must I could set one machine aside) and what is the best method of making sure the files can be opened easily across platforms and OSes?

I have several large external FireWire Drives which can be used as storage (the OSX, OS9 and PC machines all have FireWire).

All advice will be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[TommyWillB]

You did not say how "small" the network is... Are you talking 5 machines or 25?

So you can host these files on your OSX Mac Internet router machine and share them by simply enabling both "Personal File Sharing" and "Windows Sharing".

Which of your needs are not handled by this?

 

[perfessor101]

PC MacLAN will allow the lone PC to access data files on the various Macs on your network. If you have over five machines you will have to have OS X Server software, preferably on a dedicated computer, because regular OS X is limited in the number of connections it will support. (I think 5 is the limit, but that could be high.) FWIW I think you will be happier in the long run using a dedicated server machine anyway.

Data files such as photos, eps, and text on the OS X Server can easily be accessed by the other machines including the PC if you have PC MacLAN installed on the PC. Fonts can be shared from OS X Server to the other OS X machines without a problem, but you will probably have to duplicate the font files on the PC and the OS 8 and 9 Macs. You will have to duplicate the fonts on all the machines if you are using regular OS X for the server. Oh yes, not all of the fonts OS X can use are compatible with OS 8 or 9 and probably the PC.

As far as the meta-data and extensions go there is no problem with either on an OS X Server, but without the extension, Windows on the PC will have absolutely no idea what to do with those files or what kind of file they are. AFIK there is no workaround for that limitation of Windows.

 

[rubaiyat]

PC MacLAN will allow the lone PC to access data files on the various Macs on your network. If you have over five machines you will have to have OS X Server software, preferably on a dedicated computer, because regular OS X is limited in the number of connections it will support. (I think 5 is the limit, but that could be high.)

Does this allow me to keep the files where they start from? I think it is important for me that I don't get multiple versions of edited files. What sort of performance hits do you get editing files over a 100mb ethernet connection for both the editing machine and the hosting machine?

 

[rubaiyat]

You did not say how "small" the network is... Are you talking 5 machines or 25?

5, I listed them.

So you can host these files on your OSX Mac Internet router machine and share them by simply enabling both "Personal File Sharing" and "Windows Sharing".

I tried that. My W2k box sees the OSX Mac but when I browse on the PC it shows a truncated version of my computer's name and I don't seem to be able to log in to it. I tried various ownerships and permissions on User>Shared folder but have no idea how to set it up for the PC.

 

[TommyWillB]

5, I listed them.

I tried that. My W2k box sees the OSX Mac but when I browse on the PC it shows a truncated version of my computer's name and I don't seem to be able to log in to it. I tried various ownerships and permissions on User>Shared folder but have no idea how to set it up for the PC.

What if you shorten your Mac's computer name?

Does anyone here know if the Mac handles SMB passwords as clear text or encrypted? If it is clear text then you might need to do a tiny registry tweak on Windows 2000 & WindowsXP to get it to send clear-text (insecure) passwords...

(This is easy enogh to reverse if it does not help... Just change the key variable back from 1 to 0...)

 

[rubaiyat]

I am a little worried that changing things (even if I knew where these were), that I am not familiar with, will only bring the house of cards crashing down around my ears.

I did some searching in Apple's knowledge base and other sites. Part of the problem seems to be OSX only allows you to share the public folder by default (unlike that older more "primitive" Apple system). I was trying to do what you used to able to do which was share the material I wanted, no matter where it was, which happens to be on another volume than the start up volume. There are some utilities which promise to get around this shortcoming.

I shouldn't get on my OSX hobby horse, but what happened to the old Apple that used to empower its users to do what they needed to do in as simple and transparent fashion as possible? Now every version, or subversion, of OSX has new, undocumented gotchas.

Apple has narrowed the gap between the Mac OS and Window's ease of use in the worst kind of way.

 

[TommyWillB]

I shouldn't get on my OSX hobby horse, but what happened to the old Apple that used to empower its users to do what they needed to do in as simple and transparent fashion as possible? Now every version, or subversion, of OSX has new, undocumented gotchas.

Remember OS X is a "multi-user" environment whereas OS 9 was a single-user environment.

This means you have full control of your "Home" but not the entire machine... You are an Admistrator user, but only root has full power.

This is just one of the trade offs. What is a bug to you is a feature to someone else. (Expecially if that someone else is a security person.)

 

[OrganLeroy]

Can someone who is familiar with both OS 10.3 and Windows XP please post a quick step-by-step on how the XP user can connect to a Mac network running OS 10.3?

Apple's help pages on this subject are both inadequate and out of date. For example, they describe options in the System Preferences-->Sharing panel that no longer appear in Panther. I've submitted feedback about this.

I have already enabled Windows Sharing in the Sharing preferences pane. I have created an account for the XP user to log in to. Can someone fill me in on the rest, including any steps the XP user needs to take in order to share files on the Mac?

And please, no pointers to 3rd party software. Panther is supposed to be able to handle this on its own. Thanks.

 

[Zammy-Sam]

it is hard to point out any detail. But let me try:
before all make sure ping between the two comps works. ping test for panther: open terminal and type: 'ping ip.from.the.pc'; on the XP pc open dos prompt and type the same command.
If both machines can ping eachother, we can take the next step:
share a folder on XP -> pick a folder of choice, rightclick the folder and pick "share". For the beginning don't restrict the permissions.
Now try to access the XP shared folder from your mac. Click on the finder or your background and press 'Apple+K'. Now type: smb://pc-name or smb://ip.of.the.pc
Since you didn't restrict any permissions, your login shouldn't care. Can you connect?

 

[OrganLeroy]

it is hard to point out any detail. But let me try...

Got it sorted out. It was a problem with the XP machine's firewall. Thanks!

 

[TommyWillB]

Got it sorted out. It was a problem with the XP machine's firewall. Thanks!

Okay... Fine... I feel much better now.

But I'd like to see rubaiyat dismount his "hobby horse":

I shouldn't get on my OSX hobby horse, but what happened to the old Apple that used to empower its users to do what they needed to do in as simple and transparent fashion as possible? Now every version, or subversion, of OSX has new, undocumented gotchas.