Author Topic: router connection (Read 7268 times)

george · « **on:** September 15, 2003, 03:19:58 PM »

am using Netgear DG814 (excellent gismo) my setup is one G3 + G4 + PC + PC laptop, I can transfer files between the two macs and would like to be able to do the same between the macs the PC and the laptop. Can someone enlighten me?
George.

ljocampo · « **Reply #1 on:** September 15, 2003, 05:17:31 PM »

George:

What you need is PC MacLan to get the PC side talking and sharing with a Mac.

Diana · « **Reply #2 on:** September 15, 2003, 07:33:12 PM »

Hi George,

If at least one of those Macs is running OSX then there might be a couple of ways you can go.

OSX has Samba and I believe you can set the Mac to be the samba server and set up the other machines with Samba clients. If the PCs are running WinXP, then there are samba clients already installed. I mention Samba first because now we can get it out of the way..

It really is cool when it works but it can be a bear if you've never done it before.

So, the other option is:..(again if one of the Macs is OSX), you can turn on the FTP server that comes installed on Mac-OSX. Designate a public folder on the mac and build folders inside it. I would create a folder with the name of each machine on your network. Each machines' files will go in its respective folder. Then use an FTP client from each of the other machines to "talk/transfer" files between them and the Mac. In this scenario, all files will have to go to the "central" mac, the one running the FTP server, but each of the other machines can talk to it.

possible example: G4 = FTP server

move file from PC to G3 by placing that file on the G4 from the PC, and retrieving it from the G4 with the G3. Going the other way 'round should work too.

Your PCs should be able to talk to each other through their native protocols so you shouldn't have to move PC files this way unless you're running a mix of OSs..win98/winxp/win2000. If the G3 and G4 have different Mac systems, then FTP may also be the easiest to transfer files between them.

We have several machines here. I use Linux on a desktop, Hubby uses WinXP, I have a winXP laptop, two kids use a win98 machine and one kid uses a G4-OSX. I FTP files to the mac from _any_ machine. The Mac can FTP files to the central Linux server that is also running FTP. Both winXP machines talk to each other natively, but they also FTP to the central linux machine, (or the mac), and the win98 machine can FTP to the central linux server, the mac, and it talks to itself..*grin.

If I need to get a file from my Linux desktop to Hubby, I send it to the central linux server and hollar across the 6 foot span of distance between us for him to go get it from the central server.

*grin..not the cleanest way of doing things, but we trade files only rarely and FTP is already available, and it talks to ALL systems without trouble.

IF you decide to try the FTP route, make very, very sure that it isn't accessible to the wild,wild,web. If you have a router holding your internet connection open, then make sure all FTP access is denied from the outside world. Make sure port 21 is closed.

The FTP method may sound confusing, but it really is pretty straight forward. Ask if you have questions.

george · « **Reply #3 on:** September 16, 2003, 06:22:52 AM »

ljocampo, thanks for the link, afraid that $189 PCMacLAN is a bit too steep for the exchanging of the odd file or two.
Diana, both Macs are running OS 10.2.2 and the PC's are running XP Pro, with my (very) limited Mac skills I will certaintly look at your suggestion.
George.

kps · « **Reply #4 on:** September 16, 2003, 07:21:00 AM »

I have two Macs, running 10.2.6 and a Dell running XP Pro... all on a WiFi LAN through a D-Link router.

All three machines share the internet connection and have file sharing turned on. The Macs can connect to the PC simply by using the Finder GO menu's -- Connect To Server... Where you'd enter "smb://xxx.xxx.x.xxx" , where the x's are the IP address of the PC machine on your local LAN. That's the beauty of Samba on the Mac.

The XP machine is a different story...

I, like you, only need to share files between the PC on rare occasions. I ran the networking wizard in XP several times, but never got it to connect to the Macs properly. I know I overlooked something, but due to my limited knowledge with XP, I didn't persue it further. As long as I can use the Macs to connect to the PC, it doesn't matter to me that I can't connect from the PC.

Good luck with your set up...and please post if you get XP to play nice from its end.

george · « **Reply #5 on:** September 16, 2003, 03:30:45 PM »

Hi kps I appear to be making some sort of connection from my G4 to the pc but all I get is an Atlas type icon (named sharedocs) on the desktop which when activated brings up a Mac type window with three items, two mac type folders, one named 'My Music' and the other is named 'My Pictures' and the third item is 'doc-looking' item named 'desktop.ini'
The contents of the folders is meagre a couple tunes that will not play and a couple pics that do display beautifully.
and that about it.
George.

kps · « **Reply #6 on:** September 16, 2003, 06:59:22 PM »

hi George, I believe those are the default "shared" folders in XP...the OS comes with those. I can't check for sure as I lent the Dell to my sister.

You can use that root shared directory( the one with the Music, Picture folders, etc.) to do your file sharing with. That's what I use.

Diana · « **Reply #7 on:** September 16, 2003, 07:12:11 PM »

kps

thanks to your instructions above and a short search to find the KDE equivalent of the Finder, I now have SMB connections to both our winXP laptops.

I even have desktop icons representing those links.

kps · « **Reply #8 on:** September 16, 2003, 07:18:14 PM »

Hi Diana,

My pleasure. So what's the KDE eqiv? Just in case i get the itch to install linux again...

Diana · « **Reply #9 on:** September 16, 2003, 07:39:36 PM »

Hi kps,

I'm running KDE 3.1. I right click on the desktop and large option menu pops up. At the very top is "Create New >" From there a flyout lists more options. At the very bottom of that menu is "Link to Location (URL)" Clicking there gave me a box that I could use to either browser for a link or type in the URL. I typed in your smb://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. to match the remote winxps and voila!

I could then customize the icon that represents the link. I chose little hard drives and named them after the remote machines..

Just to dragout this conversation a bit, I recently switched from gnome to KDE. I used gnome for many months, but I'm liking KDE quite a lot. Different options, seems more stable. I do have to search for some of my favorite old tools now though, they aren't in the KDE menu anymore..

kps · « **Reply #10 on:** September 16, 2003, 07:57:05 PM »

Cool! Good to know it works the same (or almost the same) in linux.

Always did prefer KDE to Gnome...KDE is more Mac like.

But, Gnome is more politically correct in the linux world. Something to do with the differences in licensing.

What are you using for a window manager?

Diana · « **Reply #11 on:** September 16, 2003, 10:07:34 PM »

hmm..KDE provides its own window manager..kwin. I have a couple of others installed, but I think they're basically leftovers from previous versions of Redhat (7.2 and

Gnome used to use Sawfish, but by default now it uses one called Metacity. I have Windowmaker and TWM installed also, but I've not done more than activate them just to see what they look like..

Here is an interesting article about the differences between KDE and Gnome
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/32640.htm

go ahead, give linux another try..

Actually, consider Knoppix. It comes on CD with a huge collection of apps built in. Stick the CD in your WinXP and boot from CD. Knoppix will load and you'll be totally amazed. Fully functioning Linux without the installation. Shutdown, remove the CD, reboot from hard drive and WinXP is untouched. Knoppix will automount even your winXP drive and allow you to save config settings so that you don't have to reset them each time you boot from the CD. Knoppix is basically Debian. Check out
http://cheapbytes.com/ for Knoppix. It's very cheap.

see ya,

kps · « **Reply #12 on:** September 16, 2003, 11:51:55 PM »

Sawfish, Metacity...never heard of them. It wasn't until I read your link that i saw something familiar...Sawmill... which is now called Sawfish.

Ah, to return to LINUX, how I miss it.... (thats a screen shot of KDE on Yellowdog Championship Server 1.2 from about 2 yrs ago)

Knoppix looks interesting...no more messing with LILO type booters eh?

Diana · « **Reply #13 on:** September 17, 2003, 12:56:09 PM »

Hi kps,

(apologies to George for hijacking this thread.

)

Yes, no need for any boot loaders with Knoppix.
I even took my own advice and went to cheapbytes last night and ordered the latest version of Knoppix on CD. $4.99 plus $5.00 shipping. $10.00 total...

I use Grub as the bootloader on my desktop which dual-boots RH9 and Win98. I've never had any trouble at all from it. I haven't booted win98 since sometime last winter, but with that drive mounted, I can access any of my files. I just try to figure out what program will import them, for example, I open GnuCash and navigate to the win98 drive to collect my Quicken files...and up they come..

Obviously not all files are this easy to handle, but it seems I'm not so complicated that I can't make due with what Linux/OpenSource has provided. I've reworked all my Microsoft Office .docs and .tmpl in OpenOffice and now when printed, my reports look just like those out of MSOffice...mostly..

Here is a screenshot. I populated it with a variety of stuff, leaving off your example of the KDE Menu cause it's nearly the same except for the pretty colors and icons.

george · « **Reply #14 on:** September 17, 2003, 01:37:22 PM »

hope you two techies don't mind if I interject.....................Kps I have ended up doing as you are doing using the PC 'music and pictures' folder as a drop box.
Any further progress I'll keep you posted.
George

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Author Topic: router connection (Read 7268 times)