Mac Forum / General / Networking / June 2005

This is a little off topic, but have you considered using an Internet
base file storage utility to synchronize your files?   I have a similar
sort of situation where I do job-related work at multiple sites on an
iMac and an iBook.  I use my .Mac account to store the files I need to
share.  The files are automatically synchronized between each computer
when I save them.   I can work on a file with my iBook while I'm on the
road, and it's waiting for me on my iBook when I get home. I'm sure
they're are other on-line storage services that would do the same thing.

Join the club  :)    I know even less about networks than you do, take
my word for it.

That said, I managed to avoid (sidestep) all the problems you seem to
be having.

I transfer GB sized files, between Macs running different OSs, and also
between PCs.   Naturally, those large files are  _not_  transfered via
the Internet, because it would take forever, unless you have broadband.

For the very large files, I just use plain old fashioned Ethernet
cables, because they are at least ten times faster than Airport.

Small files I transfer via Airport or regular Internet.

If I absolutely have to transfer a bigger file via Internet, I split it
up into smaller files before I transfer it.   That avoids the nasty
situation of having a large file transfer fail at the last moment,
wasting say 3 hours of download time.

Being you run music and photos, I assume you have fair sized files
somewhere in the 2 MB to 500 MB range.

Okay, enough general remarks, now down to specifics.

Consider, at least briefly, buying Timbuktu (TB2) for all your
computers, at $100 a crack.   I will wait a few moments while you
recover from that, just in case you had a mild heart attack  :)

dum, de dum - - -

Try to avoid being tempted by the free alternatives to TB2 like VNC,
(Virtual Network Computing) - - - unless you are on the geeky side and
don't mind the drawbacks, like slower speed, more vulnerable, harder to
install/configure, more difficult to transfer files, etc., etc., etc.

Gadd, if you were running Tiger like me, running TB2 would be "better",
because of several factors:

1) You could share a  _few_  copies of TB2 among many computers,
thereby saving money.

2) The Tiger version of TB2 can run SSH, meaning that it is almost
impossible for a cracker to invade your TB2 session.
(Panther version can't  _easily_  run SSH, much more difficult
according to Netopia, the creators of Timbuktu)

Advantages of the Timbuktu (TB2) approach:
*******************************
*******************************

1) Easiest way of "networking", bar none, once you get over the initial
shock of configuring and using TB2.

2) No need for special NAS disks, although you can still use them, if
you prefer.   Transfering files via TB2 is much more secure (and
easier) than transfering them via FTP.

3) Avoids all this nasty stuff:  

You can just pick up your iMac and run out the door !!!
(see end of post for details)

4) Can  _securely_  run Tiger from any PC that has TB2, if need be.
Running Panther  _securely_  from a PC is much more difficult, although
it can be done.

By "running" OS X from a PC, I mean just that. It is almost like
sitting at the keyboard of the Mac and watching its screen.  You can
run the Macs "Terminal" application, restart the Mac, change to another
Mac partition, watch Mac QuickTime video from the PC (assuming a
broadband connection), and in short do almost anything you could do if
you were sitting in front of your Mac.
  You can't hear the sounds coming out of the Mac's speakers, and you
can't insert CDs or DVDs into the Mac's drives, unless you have an
expensive hardware item called a "jukebox" attached to your Mac.

5) Great sevice from their feedback email site:

http://www.netopia.com/support/contact_us.html

From the "Product Information", select "Feedback" and that will get you
the email form.

They have always given me prompt response to my questions.

Drawbacks of the Timbuktu approach:
**************************
**************************

1) The cost, $100 for each Mac, 4 Macs $400.

If you ran Tiger, you could get by with two copies of TB2, and merely
do a quick and easy install of the 2nd copy onto any Mac.

For example, assume you owned or had access to 100 Macs.  One copy of
TB2 goes into your G4  iBook, and the second copy of TB2 gets remotely
installed (from your iBook) into whichever one of the 100 Macs you
desire to "talk" to.

Or, if you prefer, you can install that 2nd copy into all 100 Macs
_before_  you leave your house, and that will save you the trouble of
installing the 2nd copy remotely.   In fact with Panther, this is your
only alternative, because the Panther version of TB2 does  _not_
support remote install of TB2.

All you are trying to avoid is the situation where one copy of TB2
tries to talk to another copy of TB2 with the same authentication
number, that won't work.

2) The Netopia website is extremely hard to work with.  It is way too
easy to accidentally buy the wrong version of TB2 that is not suitable
for your Macs or PCs.

3) Timbuktu can be difficult to setup and run for a first time user,
especially now when the cheap-skates do not even furnish a written user
manual, everything has to be read from the TB2 "Help" feature.
(their email feedback can help if you really get hung up)

4) No technical support section, everything handled via their email.

Procedure to Allow Yourself to "Run Out The Door" with your iBook:
**********************************************
**********************************************

You "run out the door", get 2,000 miles away, then discover there is a
file you need from your home Mac, which is not even powered on.

...or worse yet, you forgot the name of the file, and need to root
around inside your home Mac to even find that file.

There is a hardware product called  "PowerKey Pro" from an outfit
called "Sophisticated Circuits", which when attached to your home Macs
allows you to remotely turn their main power on and off, with an
ordinary phone call.

http://www.sophisticated.com/products/powerkey/pkp_650.html

It also works for peripherals attached to your computer, like printers,
scanners, hard drives, etc.

Among other things, this means that if your home computer freezes, you
can turn it off with a phone call, then turn it back on again if you
desire.

Mark-

How are the G4 iMacs connected to the local network?

You don't mention any sort of Ethernet switch or hub here.  If you don't
have one, you will need some way to connect all the Ethernet devices to
your LAN.  I assume the Airport Extreme is acting as a router (I.e. is
configured to share a single IP address using DHCP and NAT).

I couldn't find any specs on the EasyShare but I gather that it connects
via Ethernet and acquires it's IP address Via DHCP from the AirPort.  I
don't know how it appears on the network; its IP address may vary from
startup to startup, but I think it should always show up in the Finder's
Go->Connect to Server->Browse pane.  If so, select it, click "Connect",
reply to any dialogs that come up, and it should show up as a device on
your desktop.

Yeah, save that for later.

That's a possibility, but since you've already bought the EasyShare, why
not stick with it unless it proves unworkable.