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Serving
and Sharing Files for Macintosh
Serving Files via TCP/IP
This document describes how to share files on your local computer
(also called serving files) with other Macintosh users using TCP/IP.
It is worth noting that is not necessary to perform these steps to access
files on other computers. For information on accessing files on other computers,
see Connecting
to AppleShare File Servers Using TCP/IP.
To enable file serving via TCP/IP, you must be running MacOS 9 or X.
Note that you can access files on other Macs via TCP/IP if you are running
MacOS 8 or later. But to serve files to others, you must be running
MacOS 9 or later.
A word about security
Enabling file sharing over TCP/IP allows you to share files across the entire
Internet. Unlike AppleTalk file sharing, which would be limited to Stanford,
TCP/IP file sharing will make your shared files available world-wide.
It is important to follow some simple security measures:
- Don't share the entire hard disk. Share only a single folder or a
small number of folders. For example, you might create a folder called
"Transfer." Keep the rest of your documents that you don't want to share
out of this folder. OS X will do this by default, sharing the "Public"
folder in your home directory.
- Under OS 9, create usernames and passwords for connecting users that
are not easy to guess. For example, don't create a password that is
the same as the username, don't use a blank username, etc.
MacOS X
Turning on File Sharing in OS X allows anyone (including those without a
password) to access items located in the "Public" folder in your home directory.
The Public folder has "read only" permissions for remote users. That is,
remote users can copy files located in this folder, but cannot make changes.
Within the "Public" folder, there is an additional folder called "Drop
Box." Others, even those without a password, may drop documents into this
folder. However, they and other remote users are not allowed to look into
this Drop Box folder. This allows remote users to copy files to your computer
without fear that other remote users might be able to access them.
To turn on File Serving under OS X:
- Open the "System Preferences" item in the Dock. Select the "Sharing"
control panel.
- In the "Sharing" control panel, select the tab labeled "File &
Web." Click the "Start" button located under the text "File Sharing
Off."
Note: It is also possible to enable FTP access to your computer on this
pane. This is not recommended because FTP uses clear-text passwords that
can be easily "sniffed."
MacOS 9
To share files under MacOS 9, you must perform the following steps: create
an account on your machine for the user who wants access, turn file sharing
on, and set the desired folders to be shared.
Creating user accounts
- Open the File Sharing control panel. Click the "Users and Groups"
tab.
- Click the "New User" button to create a new user. Create a new username
and password. As mentioned above, make sure the password is not easily
guessed.
Turning File Sharing On
- If not already open, open the File Sharing control panel and select
the "Start/Stop" tab.
- In the middle pane of the "Start/Stop" control, check the box entitled
"Enable File Sharing clients to connect using TCP/IP," then click the
File Sharing "Start" button. (Note: it is not necessary to click the
"Start" button in the bottom part of the window to enable Program Linking.)
Sharing the Contents of a Folder
- Identify a folder that you want other users to be able to access.
Click on this folder, go to the File menu, and select "Get Info."
- On the Get Info window, there will be a pop-up menu. Click this menu
and select the item entitled "Sharing."
- Click the button "Share this item and its contents."
- For permissions, leave yourself as the owner with Read and Write permissions.
Give users or a group of users appropriate permissions to this folder.
In general, you want to give users "Read" permission rather than "Read/Write"
so that other users cannot make changes to the folder (e.g., accidentally
delete a file). You can create a drop box like the one created under
OS X by giving users "Write" permission only. It is recommended
that you give no permission to "Everyone," as this allows
anyone on the Internet access to the folder without a password.
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