Remote file storage on pangea for Macs

Last revision July 16, 2004

"File sharing" is a network service that allows one computer (called the "client") to see files, modify them and save them on all or part of the disks of another (the "server"), as if they were locally connected. The part of the disk that can be so accessed is generally called a "file share"; the Macintosh OS refers to them as "volumes".

The native file sharing protocol in MacOS is called "AppleShare". Originally designed as part of the AppleTalk network protocol suite, it was revised in 1997 under the name "AppleShare IP" to work with the TCP/IP network protocol suite, which can be routed throughout the internet and provides higher performance than the original AppleTalk version.

The new MacOS X operating system (version 10.1 or later) added native client support for accessing Windows files shares and Unix NFS file servers in addition to the traditional AppleShare servers. In MacOS X version 10.2, native support to become a Windows file server was added.

The traditional interface in the Macintosh OS for locating and connecting to file servers was the "Chooser". This program works the same in all OS versions from 6 through 9.2.2 (the last "Classic" Macintosh OS). MacOS X replaced the "Chooser" with an entirely different connection method -- the "Connect to Server" item in the Finder's "Go" menu.

You can also transfer individual files between your local Macintosh disk and pangea's disks using programs that support the encrypted sftp or scp protocols. Programs that use the older, plain-text ftp protocol (for example, Fetch) are discouraged because they send your password on the network in clear text where it can be captured by a hacker.

Pangea runs the public-domain Columbia AppleTalk Package (CAP) software to provide AppleShare file sharing services. The CAP file server software is called "AUFS" (Appleshare Unix File Server).

Macintosh computers can use either AppleTalk or AppleShare IP protocols to connect to the AUFS file server on pangea. In AppleTalk, this server is called pangea Aufs and is located in the ES-Ethernet AppleTalk zone. To connect via AppleShare IP, simply provide the computer name pangea.stanford.edu in the Server IP Address settings box. Actually, pangea Aufs will automatically switch to AppleShare IP for file transfers, as long as the client supports it, even if the initial connection was via AppleTalk. This improves performance.

Pangea also runs the public-domain Samba software that turns it into a Microsoft Windows compatible file server using the NetBIOS over TCP/IP network protocol. This connection method is supported in MacOS X (but not Classic MacOS) and is preferred in MacOS X due to better integration with Unix and Windows files and far better performance than AppleShare.

Using a file server such as pangea can be convenient for storing files that you need to access from several different computers. And the pangea disks are backed up to tape every night as a protection against file loss. But don't forget that any Macintosh files you store on pangea via the methods described here count against any guidelines or quotas being enforced for disk usage. See the Pangea Use Policies note for specific disk usage guidelines.

WARNING: Although this file sharing facility on pangea is a convenient method to move files from one computer to another, NEVER use your pangea home directory for that purpose! You will most likely fill the home directory disk, which never has much free space, and cause problems for others who share that disk. Instead, use the /scr1 file share for moving files. This is a large disk with automatic file erasure (after 15 days) that is intended for temporary files only and always has space.

WARNING: If you access your pangea home directory as a file share on your Macintosh, you will see many files in your home directory whose names start with a dot (.) character. Do not delete these files! They are used to store initialization settings for your account and for many pangea programs. Do not try to edit these files unless you have studied relevant documentation and know what you are doing. In particular, if you remove or randomly change .klogin, .cshrc, or .login, you may make your pangea account unusable.

In addition to the standard volumes seen on pangea Aufs, (or as Samba shares for MacOS X), the pangea system manager can create shared directories that many users have write access to. It you are using one of those shared directories, you are encouraged to follow the group aufs protocol in order to avoid conflicts between users.

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