ARCHIVED: In Mac OS, how do I set up File Sharing between two or more computers on an AppleTalk network?

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

Note: This information does not apply to Mac OS X.

These instructions assume your Mac OS computer is already connected to an AppleTalk network. LocalTalk and Ethernet are two AppleTalk networking methods, although Ethernet is currently favored because it is faster. If you wish to set up only two computers with File Sharing, you need a LocalTalk cable to connect the serial ports, or a special Ethernet crossover cable to connect the Ethernet ports.

Note: AppleTalk and IPX routing are no longer available on the Indiana University network.

At Indiana University, to share files between two or more Mac OS computers, see the instructions in ARCHIVED: In Mac OS 9, how do I use File Sharing over TCP/IP? You must use Mac OS 9 or later.

Setting up File Sharing in Mac OS

  1. Make sure that AppleTalk is active. If you are using Open Transport, open the AppleTalk control panel. If AppleTalk is not active, you will see the following message:
    "AppleTalk is currently inactive. Changes won't take effect until AppleTalk is made active again. Make AppleTalk active when closing the control panel?"

    Click Yes.

    In Classic Networking, to check to see if AppleTalk is on, from the Apple menu, select Chooser. In the lower right, make sure the radio button for Active is selected. If it isn't, select it and restart your computer.

  2. In the AppleTalk control panel, select the port by which the computers are networked. If you are using Ethernet, from the pull-down menu next to "Connect via:", select Ethernet.

    If you are using LocalTalk, select the serial port to which the cable is attached (i.e., the modem port or the printer port).

    Note: If you are using Classic Networking, change your port settings in the Network control panel.

  3. Open the File Sharing control panel on the computer that will be sharing files. If you haven't done so already, specify an owner name and password for your computer. In older versions of the operating system, the computer's network identity and password are set in the Sharing Setup control panel.

    Note: If you leave the password field blank, you could potentially leave your computer open to unauthorized users on the network if they know your computer's owner name.

  4. Under "File Sharing off", click Start.

Connecting and logging in

To log into a Mac OS computer once File Sharing is active:

  1. From the Apple menu, select Chooser. In the resulting Chooser window, click the AppleShare icon.
  2. If your network is divided into AppleTalk zones, locate the zone the computer you want to connect to is in, and click it.
  3. In the right side of the Chooser window, you should see the computer you are logging into listed by its name. Click the name once to select it, and then click OK.
  4. In the dialog box that appears, log in with the name and password for that computer and click Connect.
  5. If multiple shared volumes are available, select the ones you want to mount and click OK.

Once you've connected, the shared disk will appear as a mounted network volume on your desktop. You may then copy files between the two computers.

Setting up access for other users

File Sharing automatically creates two users when it is turned on: owner and guest. The owner of the computer has full access to all files, folders, and volumes over a network once File Sharing is active. The guest account does not require a password, but will not have any access to the computer until the owner authorizes it. To create additional users and groups, and to grant them access to certain volumes:

  1. In the File Sharing control panel, click the Users and Groups tab. In Mac OS 8.5 and earlier, open the Users and Groups control panel.
  2. From the File menu, select New User. Enter a name and password for the user. Check the box for Allow user to change password if you would like to give a user this option.

    To create a new group, click the New Group button, or, from the File menu, select New Group. A new window will appear in which you can create a name for your new group. To add a user to the group, drag the user icon into this window. Double-clicking a group icon will list the members of the group.

  3. Select a folder or other volume you would like to share on a network by clicking it once. Then, from the File menu, select Get Info and then select Sharing.... In Mac OS 8.1 and earlier, from the File menu, select Sharing....
  4. Check the box next to Share this item and its contents. Next, set the access privileges you would like to give networked users or groups of users. These include read and write, read-only, and write-only.

Note: If you are setting up sharing for a folder inside a higher level folder or volume that is already shared, you may choose whether the folder inherits the enclosing folder's permissions. However, if an enclosed folder is already shared, you will not be able to share the folder that encloses it.

This is document airy in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 12:46:44.