Swift Share
From Koingo Software Wiki
For a complete product description, download links, and feature outline, visit the product page. This page is for product support only.
Contents |
Enabling File Sharing
Swift Share allows you to manage server and share settings without actively running a file server. However, for clients to connect and use shares, one must enable file sharing.
Mac OS X offers who types of file sharing: Apple Personal File Sharing and Windows File Sharing through Samba. Depending on the type of clients and shares you plan to have, you may need to enable both. As Samba shares can also be accessed on Macintosh systems. Please read about the dangers of using a Samba share for Macintosh files.
Enabling Apple Personal File Sharing
- Choose "System Preferences" from the Apple menu.
- Click the Sharing icon.
- Ensure Personal File Sharing is checked.
Enabling Windows File Sharing through Samba
- Choose "System Preferences" from the Apple menu.
- Click the Sharing icon.
- Ensure Windows Sharing is checked.
- Highlight Windows Sharing and click the "Accounts..." button.
- Enable the users on this computer which are allowed to connect to this computer across the network.
- Click Done.
Creating a Share
Share points are folders on your computer that can be accessed across your local network. It is possible to assign special privileges to each share, and only give certain users and groups access.
- Click the Share Points tab on the toolbar of the main window.
- Click the add button (+) at the bottom of the list of shares.
- Specify a share name. All share names must be unique, and some special restrictions apply.1
- Press the "Choose..." button to select the folder to be shared.
- Choose that this share either be available to Macintosh clients through the Apple Personal File Server, or Windows users through the Samba file server.2
- Check Inherit parent permissions if you wish all files shared in this folder to reflect the permissions of the share folder.
- Check Inherit parent owner if you wish all files shared in this folder to reflect the owner of the share folder.
- Check Guest Access if you wish to allow guests to access this share point.3
- Click Create.
After the share is created, the file server(s) are restarted if necessary. Clients can then connect and view this share. It may sometimes be necessary for clients to disconnect and reconnect to the server before changes will take effect.
If the file servers were off during share creation, they will not be automatically started. Please see the Sharing panel of the System Preferences application (under the Apple menu) to enable Macintosh Personal File Sharing or Windows File Sharing.
1 For Macintosh shares, colons may not be used in the share name. For Windows shares the following characters may not be used: " / \ [ ] : ; = , .
2 Only Mac formatted volumes may be shared through Macintosh file sharing; however, the same is not true for Windows file sharing. Additionally, if sharing Mac files through Windows File Sharing, any resource forks will not make it through the server. Primarily, this means Macintosh applications copied through Windows File Sharing will be damaged on the receiving end.
3 Windows Shares require that a guest account be assigned in the "Windows File Sharing Setup" section. Macintosh shares require that "Allow Guest Login" be enabled in the "Apple File Sharing Setup" section.
Deleting a Share
Shares can be modified and removed at any time after creation. When a share is removed, it is taken out of scope from the server. While users will no longer be able to access the share on the network, the files will remain on this computer.
- Click the Share Points tab on the toolbar of the main window.
- Highlight one of the shares in the share list.
- Press the delete (-) button below the share list.
- Confirm the removal.
After the share is deleted, the file server(s) are restarted if necessary. Clients can no longer connect and view this share. It may sometimes be necessary for clients to disconnect and reconnect to the server before changes will take effect.
If the file servers were off during share creation, they will not be automatically started. Please see the Sharing panel of the System Preferences application (under the Apple menu) to enable Macintosh Personal File Sharing or Windows File Sharing.
Enabling Guest Access
Server guest access and share guest access are two completely separate things. Server guest access allows users to connect to the server, while share guest access allows the user to access shares on the server if they were able to connect. Both of these must be properly enabled to allow guest connections.
Enabling for Shares
- Click the Share Points tab on the toolbar of the main window.
- Highlight the share you wish to enable for guest access.
- Ensure the Guest Access checkbox is checked.
- Ensure the read and execute security checkboxes are enabled for "Everyone".
- Click the "Update Share" button.
Enabling for Macintosh File Sharing
- Click the "Macintosh Sharing Setup" tab on the toolbar of the main window.
- Ensure the Allow Guest Login checkbox is checked.
- Click the "Apply Changes" button.
Enabling for Windows Sharing
- Click the "Windows File Sharing Setup" tab on the toolbar of the main window.
- Ensure "guest" is listed in the Auth Methods field (ie. guest opendirectory).
- Ensure "guest" exists in the PassDB Backend field (ie. opendirectorysam guest).
- Ensure "Guest Account" is set to a valid user on the computer (such as "unknown").
- Ensure "Map to Guest" is set to "Bad User"
- Ensure "Security" is set to "USER"
- Click the "Apply Changes" button.
Share Privileges
The Security group of controls for each share specify specific restrictions for users accessing the share point. Read access permits users to only view and open files. Write access allows users to rename and delete files. Execute allows the user to open or search the item if it is a folder, or launch it if it is an application.
The owner of the folder should have the highest level permissions, generally all Read, Write, and Execute. The group is a list of users who all have the same access rights specified. Lastly, "everyone" refers to all other users, including guests.
Naturally, all files on your Macintosh drive have permissions like the ones you see here. In order to have these settings apply to all files and folders within this share, click both the Inherit permissions and owner checkboxes. If these boxes are left unchecked, the connecting user may be unable to access some files or folders within this share due to individual permissions.
Apple File Sharing Server Configuration
The Apple File Sharing Setup section on the main toolbar contains numerous detailed server configuration options. Roll-over each option with the mouse to have some brief descriptive text appear at the bottom of the screen.
Windows (Samba) File Sharing Server Configuration
The Windows File Sharing Setup section on the main toolbar contains numerous detailed server configuration options. Roll-over each option with the mouse to have some brief descriptive text appear at the bottom of the screen.
Dangers of using a Samba share for Macintosh files
As Samba shares can also be accessed on both Macintosh and Windows systems, it is a popular solution for network administrators. However, there is one problem. Many Macintosh applications (and rarely some files) still use what is called a "resource fork". PC file systems cannot handle these resource forks and they will be destroyed if copied to a PC system.
If a Macintosh application with a resource fork is copied through Windows File Sharing, even to a Mac, the resource fork will be destroyed at the destination. The original file, however, will remain in tact. This will often prevent the copied file from working properly.
There are many file types you can assume are safe for transfer through Windows File Sharing, such as images, movies, music, and documents for most major applications.
