Network setup for Mac OS X
Last revision September 19, 2012
TCP/IP Configuration
TCP/IP is the network protocol used on the Internet for email, web, file sharing, and other services.
The default TCP/IP configuration in Mac OS X works correctly with Stanford's network self-registration system. If you have made manual modifications to your Mac OS X networking setup for other sites, you should review the instructions for configuring your TCP/IP networking for Mac OS X on the Essential Stanford Software site.
NEVER turn on the Internet Sharing feature in the Sharing System Preference panel. This misnamed feature is not file sharing. Instead, it turns your computer into a router that tries to capture all traffic on the local network. This causes a major disruption of connectivity for others on the network. NEVER TURN ON INTERNET SHARING.
Your Mac OS X system offers traditional Unix network services, such as remote (ssh) login, sftp (file transfer), remote desktop display and control, and web page serving. These services are accessed from the Sharing System Preference, and are disabled by default on a new system. Before enabling any of these services, read this web page on Macintosh security concerns.
Please note that many network services that can be enabled on a Mac OS X computer may be blocked or limited by the Earth Sciences network firewall rules.
If you want to learn more about the Unix "engine" running your Mac OS X system, you can browse the Unix/Linux pages on pangea's web site or the recommended book Mac OS X: The Missing Manual by David Pogue, O'Reilly & Associates.
AppleTalk Configuration
AppleTalk was Apple's proprietary networking protocol used for file sharing, printing, and other services, developed in the early days of Macintosh computers. It has been completely replaced by TCP/IP based services on Mac OS X and is not supported at all on the Stanford network.