Easy Mac OS X Lion - Kate Binder [54]
Note: Skipping It
Why all this rigmarole, you ask? The point is to keep your files as safe as you want them to be. If you want to skip the security routine, you can keep your Mac logged in with a single user account and give all users the password.
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Note: It’s Good to Share
Files you might share in a Public folder or in the Shared folder within the Users folder include databases (of recipes, addresses, or clients, for example), templates for letters or memos that everyone uses, and logo graphics.
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Put files that you want all your Mac’s users to be able to modify in the Shared folder in the Users folder.
Put files that you want all your Mac’s users to be able to read but not change in the Public folder in your home folder.
To give another user of your computer a copy of a file, put the file in that user’s Drop Box folder inside his or her Public folder.
To share a file with other Mac users on the Internet, copy it to the Public folder on your iDisk.
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Note: Flying Blind
When you drag a file into another user’s Drop Box, the Mac warns that you won’t be able to see the result of the operation. This is its way of saying that you can’t open another user’s Drop Box folder to see what’s in it.
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Chapter 12: Creating a Home Network
A network, whether wireless or composed of physical cables, connects your computer with other computers so you can share files, play network games, and all use the same printers and Internet connection. The Internet, in fact, is simply a huge network comprising many smaller networks. With Mac OS X, setting up your own network in your home or office is easy.
Creating a network has two basic components. First, you need to make the connection by either hooking up your Macs (and Windows PCs, if you like) with Ethernet cables or installing AirPort cards and an AirPort base station so they can talk to each other wirelessly. Then, you need to tell your Mac how your network is set up so the system knows which connector and language to use to communicate with the other computers it’s connected to.
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to set up your network and turn on file sharing so both Windows users and other Mac users on your network can exchange files with you. You’ll also learn how to share printers connected to your Mac with other users on your network. And you’ll find out how to share a single Internet connection among all the computers on a network, as well as how to connect to an AirPort network and get online via a wireless AirPort connection.
Setting Up and Using a Network
joining a wired Network
The first step to setting up a wired home network is this: Connect your computers with Ethernet cables (a regular one for newer Macs and a crossover cable for older Macs). If you have more than two computers, buy a hub and connect each computer to the hub; otherwise, connect your two Macs directly to each other.
Open System Preferences and click the Network button.
Choose Edit Locations from the Location pop-up menu.
Click the + button, and then enter a name for the network configuration you’re about to create and click Done.
Click the network port you want to use (usually either Ethernet or AirPort).
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Tip: An Even Easier Way
If network settings completely befuddle you, try using the Network Setup Assistant to get connected. Start up System Preferences and click Network; then click Assist Me and follow the instructions.
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Set the Configure pop-up menu to either Using DHCP or Manually (check with your network admin).
If you choose Manually in step 5, enter settings for the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Router.
Click Revert if you want to start over with the original settings.
Click Apply when you’re satisfied with the settings to put them into effect.
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Note: By the Manual
When you choose Manually in the Configure IPv4 pop-up menu, you must enter your Mac’s IP address, your router’s IP address, and the subnet mask. If all this is gibberish to you, go to Threemacs.com