Mixed PC/Mac networks

[Glen Miyashiro]

Could someone please point me to a good how-to FAQ on how to run a mixed PC/Mac network? I would love to add a Mac to my home PC network but I am not sure how easy or how hard it will be. Sure, both platforms run TCP/IP for Internet access; that's no problem. But what about file-sharing and printer-sharing? I want all my computers to be able to use all my peripherals. Is that so much to ask?

[helen]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

What versions of Windows are you running? Also are the printer(s) directly on the network (as in they got their own IP address)?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

What versions of Windows are you running? Also are the printer(s) directly on the network (as in they got their own IP address)?

I'm running Windows XP, except for an ancient Pentium that's on Windows 98. I have a WiFi-G 10/100 router that hooks everything together, although only the notebooks are using WiFi (the desktops are wired). I've got File and Printer Sharing turned on, as well as TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks, and QoS Packet Scheduler. My two printers (one USB, one parallel-port) are connected to different desktop PCs; they are not directly on the network. Oh, and I also have a USB scanner hooked to one of the PCs as well.

[kamapuaa]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

So you just want to add a mac, and have it be able to get to the windows shares, and use the printers on the widows boxes? No problem. This is what samba is for, and OSX has pretty good samba support. The only wrinkle you might run into is if you are running osx 10.2, you have to do a little hacking on the Mac to get it to work properly. Here's a tutorial link:

http://homepage.mac.com/william_whit...o_windows.html

I think they rolled this stuff up into 10.3, so you shouldn't have to worry about it. As for getting to the shares, there's "connect to server" on one of the pull down menus - can't remember which one right now. You can also just hit apple-k.

Hope this helps.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

Cool. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

[kamapuaa]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

Cool. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

Werd. I live to serve.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

I'm still thinking about getting a Mac, haven't done it yet.

Here's a slightly different Mac/PC question. Suppose I want to have a Mac be the machine that my printer(s) are connected to on my network, and I want my PCs to be able to access those printers? Does Samba do that, too?

[kamapuaa]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

I'm sure you can massage it into doing just about anything. I've never actually tried this, as the only mac I have is a rather antiquated laptop.

I'm still thinking about getting a Mac, haven't done it yet.
Here's a slightly different Mac/PC question. Suppose I want to have a Mac be the machine that my printer(s) are connected to on my network, and I want my PCs to be able to access those printers? Does Samba do that, too?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

Hmm, I found some instructions here that look like they'll do the trick.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

It looks like Apple has already thought of this since they probably figure, correctly, that most of their new customers will probably be PC users like me. So maybe Samba won't even be necessary. I do wonder whether the switch to x86 processors will improve Mac/PC networking even more than before.

[kamapuaa]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

It looks like Apple has already thought of this since they probably figure, correctly, that most of their new customers will probably be PC users like me. So maybe Samba won't even be necessary. I do wonder whether the switch to x86 processors will improve Mac/PC networking even more than before.

Again, the networking stack is independent of the core hardware architechture. (I say again, becuse I made a silmilar post in another thread).

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Mixed PC/Mac networks

The networking stack is independent of the core hardware architechture.

Oh yeah, that rings a bell. My office's sysadmin has a poster on his wall showing all the different layers of things that make up the network. Aren't there seven or so? Hardware's down on the bottom in layer 1, and TCP/IP is almost all the way at the top.

Added: Yeah, the OSI Model. Now I remember.