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Mac2Windows
Beefing Up Windows Networking in OS X
- 2002.10.07 - Tip Jar
If you're one of the many people who are using to use a Mac connected to a Windows network, OS X has been a big step forward. Starting with OS X 10.1, built-in SMB (a.k.a. Samba or CIFS - not a social disease, but an acronym for Common Internet File System) support has made it possible to connect to shared Windows computers without any extra software.
The trick (it's not well-documented by Apple): Open the Finder's Go menu, click on Connect to Server. OS X 10.2 lets you browse your Windows network just like a native Mac network. OS X 10.1.x requires you to know a little bit - you need to know the Windows computer's network name and the share name of the drive or folder you want to connect to, and enter it in the form:
smb://computer_name/share_name
So to connect to my Compaq notebook's download folder, I type:
smb://Compaq/download
I'm prompted for username and password, and quickly an icon for the shared drive (or folder) appears on my desktop, letting me use standard Mac navigation to open documents, copy files back and forth, and more.
It works as advertised. It is, however, somewhat limited. You can only connect to a single Windows share at a time, and your Mac doesn't appear in the Windows systems Network Neighborhood. Theoretically, you can print to shared Windows printers, but it's a real pain to set up.
Third-party software can extend these features. A longtime favourite is Dave, with its new OS X 10.2-capable version 4 out. Dave includes versions for the classic Mac OS as well as OS X, lets users connect to multiple Windows shares at once, adds the Mac to the Windows Network Neighborhood, and includes limited abilities to print on both Mac and Windows networked printers. Pricing of US$149 (US$49 for upgrades) is too rich for many users blood, however.
Enter Sharity, from Object Development, an Austrian shareware product for Mac OS X and other Unix systems.
Pricing varies both according to the type of user and the number
of Windows shares connected. An 
unlimited
business license is US$199 (with reduced prices for multiple
licenses), or US$99 to connect a single client to a single server.
More users will be interested in the home license (available for OS
X, Linux, and FreeBSD). In this case, US$59 buys the right to
connect up to two clients to an unlimited number of Windows
servers.
There are also several varieties of free licenses. There's a free demo that limits users to access three levels deep in the server's folder hierarchy, connecting up to two clients to up to two servers.
The free Sharity single license for home users and hobbyists lets users install onto a single Mac client and connect to a single Windows server. Finally, there are free licenses for students and for educational institutions.
Installation of the 1.7 MB download, while not difficult, is not as straightforward as it could be; users have to manually copy a Sharity folder into the StartupItems in the root's Library folder (not your personal user's Library folder or the System/Library!), then copy the Sharity application to the destination of your choice. Add the Sharity application as a Login item in System Preferences, and restart. (All these instructions are in the Readme file - you do make a point of reading these, don't you?) To uninstall it, reverse these steps.
The first time it runs, you'll be asked for network parameters; aside from the Windows workgroup name, the default settings took care of everything else on properly with my home network.
Once installed, a CIFS icon appears on the OS X desktop and in the top level Finder windows; opening it displays a list of Windows servers, similar to the Windows Network Neighborhood. A Sharity icon also appears in the Dock; opening it lets you tweak Sharity's configuration - something that wasn't necessary on my system
Sharity offers a couple of improvements over the Windows networking built-into OS X. First, if you're using 10.1.x, it offers the ability to browse the Windows network. And while Jaguar (OS X 10.2) adds the ability to browse Windows networks, it does it in slow motion. Sharity is able to do it in real-time.
And it lets you connect to more than one Windows share at a time (though the free hobbyist version limits you to a single server).
Unlike the more expensive Dave, Sharity doesn't have any options to connect to Windows shared printers, and it doesn't let you access your Mac from Windows. For that, Object Development recommends the Samba server package from <http://xamba.sourceforge.net/sambax/> (I haven't tried it; I would appreciate hearing from any readers with experience with it).
It's worthwhile for any OS X 10.1.x users connecting to Windows servers, and the added speed and flexibility will appeal to many Jaguar users as well. One of the two free home versions may be all that many will need.
10.1 users may want also want to check out the modest, 190 KB
download of SMB Browse from <http://shukwit.com/main.php> -
a free utility to add SMB browsing to OS X 10.1. I couldn't get it
to work at all under Jaguar, but it appears to be a simple
application to use in place of the Finder's Go/Connect to Server
menu. 
Alan Zisman is Mac-using teacher and technology writer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many of his articles are available on his website, www.zisman.ca. If you find Alan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Columns by Alan Zisman
- QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, 11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
- Another Hard Drive Disaster Ends Happily (Thanks to Time Machine), 10.29. This time it was the MacBook's drive that failed. Thanks to automated Time Machine backup, recovery was easy, although far from fast.
- Preview in Snow Leopard Supports Scanners and Screen Shots, 10.19. The newest version of Preview can even use a remote scanner, creates compact PDFs, and includes three screen capture options.
- Creative's Vado Pocket Camcorders Now Work with Macs, 09.16. Until now, Creative's Vado camcorders didn't play nice with Macs. With the release of Vado Central for Mac, that has finally changed.
- More in the Mac 2 Windows index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
- Group of the Day: LisaList supports Lisa users.
- November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Quad-Core CPU Makes Sense in MacBook Pro, OS X 10.6 Causing Overheating, Overseas Power, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.06. Also Late 2009 MacBook reviewed, how to add RAM to new MacBook, 18.4in Acer notebook used Intel i7, and SanDisk SSD chosen for Sony VAIO X.
- Dumping Macs for Google Apps, SSD in iMac, Late 2009 iMac Performance Problems, and More, Mac News Review, 11.06. /newsrev/09mnr/1106.html
- WiFi Paranoia, iMac-O-Lantern, Magic Mouse Does Click, Free Clipboard Managers, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.05. Also strange time stamps, problem with ColorIt on Intel Mac, and the story behind OS X 10.5.4 install discs.
- IDE Is Dead; Long Live SATA!, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 11.04. SATA has displaced parallel ATA. While IDE hard drives haven't disappeared, the best deals are in SATA hard drives.
- QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.03. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 8-core. $2,299; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.26 8-core, $2,799; 2.93, $4,999.
- Best iPhone Deals, 11.03. New 8 GB iPhone 3G, $$99; refurb 16 GB 3GS, $149; new, $199; 32 GB, $299.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.03. Used 867 MHz SperDrive, $348; 1 GHz, $499; 1.33 Combo, $298; SD, $559; 1.5 Combo, $448; SuperDrive, $589.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $49; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used 400 MHz, $50; 733 MHz, $69; 933 MHz, $209; 1.25 GHz dual, $299.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.02. Used 2.0 GHz, $800; 2.2, $900; 2.4, $1,000; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,949; 3.06, $2,169; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 10.30. Used 1.33 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.42, $389; 1.5, $419; 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $350; Core 2, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $770; Server, $990.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 10.30. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $225; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1 GHz, $349; 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $498.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals, 10.30. System 6.0.8 floppies, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5, $20; 7.5 CD, $4; 7.6 $13; 8.1, $11; 8.5, $20; 8.6, $90; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $30.
- More deals in our archive.
