Multi-Airport, Harddrive Sharing Network Solution

Okay, I apologize as I'm sure there are other topics that handle similar issues, but I couldn't find one directly related to what I'm trying to do.
I'm setting up a networking solution for my boss, and this is what he has requested:
He has two Airport Extremes (as his house is quite large; one for each story) and a 2TB hard drive. His office consists of a MacMini, and throughout the house he has three laptops the family uses.
Now this is what he'd like to do:
Is it possible to have the drive shared through both Airports, and having both airports wirelessly linked to each other on one network? He is hoping to use the drive as he family's central storage unit, and have it accessible on the same network anywhere in the house. So, we would need roaming throughout both Airports.
I realize this is a bit of a tall order, but I'm hoping it isn't as complicated as it sounds. If anyone could please help me with details on how exactly this set up is going to look, I'd really appreciated it.

Hello Matt Gossen. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Is it possible to have the drive shared through both Airports
Yes, it is possible to have hard drive shared on the network created by both AirPorts. This drive can be attached to a computer, attached to either AirPort, or a dedicated NAS device.
and having both airports wirelessly linked to each other on one network?
Yes, this is also possible. This would be done by using one AirPort to extend the wireless range of the other. The potential issue would be the ability to configure this network due to either/both the distance between the routers and any obstacles (walls, ceilings, floors, etc.) between them.
Ideally, you would want both routers connected by Ethernet to create what is called a "roaming" network. This type of network would allow for, as an example, a laptop to walk (roam) throughout the house and be on the same network.

Similar Messages

Does anyone here use Network Solutions? (shared hosting)

I've been attempting to link to my mySQL database through the Dreamweaver interface for the purpose of writing web-based applications. I consistently get an error that indicates that some problem exists but is not specific. A colleague suggested that permission set on the mySQL server might not allow REMOTE accept to the database schema. I called Network Solutions and got a somewhat tenuous reply that perhaps their shared hosting services won't allow me to use Dreamweaver in this fashion.
Does anyone here actually use Network Solutions (in other than a VPS-mode) and is successful in connecting to their mySQL database?
(NOTE: I am able to get the phpMyAdmin application running on the Network Solutions server to connect and display the contents of the database. But the mySQL GUI applications connect and give some information but to date have not allowed me to the see the full extent of the databse information the way phpMyAdmin does.)
Any suggestions for which ISPs do allow a successful connection would be appreciated. I am told too that many folks run a local version of PHP/mySQL on their Macs (which is what I am using) and do their work locally. Has this been the predominate mode of working for most of you?

generally most people use a local testing server to do their work. the easiest way to do this on your mac is MAMP. http://www.mamp.info/en/downloads/index.html
Although macs do come ready to support php/mysql, it will make you're life much easier using mamp. simply start it up and apache php mysql are all ready to rock. test your pages in the htdocs folder and connect to mysql using the localhost connection (and make sure you pay attention to the ports... use 3306 if confusion sets in).
as for connecting remotely to a database, yes it can be done... i do it all the time with my hosting (that is not NS), and you're have to do it that way if you're working on a sql server database / asp from your mac. but for now, i'd just work locally.

How to lock a specific files on a shared network usb drive connected to an airport extreme on a mac running lion?

Is it possible to lock a specific files on a shared network usb drive connected to an airport extreme on a mac running lion?

Here is one from Pondini, who was the foremost Time Machine expert in the world.
http://pondini.org/TM/Airport.html
And another from Apple. Info near the bottom.
AirPort base stations: About USB disks
And another miscellaneous from Apple:
AirPort base stations: Time Machine hard drive compatibility

Can I? router - powerbook(ethernet)- airport express(sharing)- ibook(ethe

Can I network in this fashion? router -> powerbook(ethernet)->airport express(sharing)-> ibook(ethernet)
I have only two computers and I am trying to avoid buying a discontinued overpricd airport card
Any help would be great

peebook,
Can you explain your current setup a little more please. I think that this is what you have.
- A router (Wired or wireless? How many ports?)
- A powerbook with an Airport Extreme Card
- An old iBook (Would require an Airport Card)
- An Airport Express
If you have a multi port router, you could go from the router to the Airport Express and the iBook, and then use the Powerbook wirelessly?
Will

Can I use it for both a backup drive and shared network drive?

Is it possible to use the Time Capsule for both an automatic backup drive for my Mac AND use it as a shared network drive to store my large library of home videos? If so, does it require partitioning the drive and are there instructions available? Alternatively, if I store my home videos on its own network drive, will Time Capsule backup this drive too? If I don't want any external drives tethered to my mac, how would set up the 2 drive scenario, so that home video drive can be shared on the network?
To be specific, I'm looking for a networked drive solution that allows me to do the following:
1) automatically back up my Mac
2) act as the primary storage drive for 750GB of the kids home videos (to save room on Mac) [Side question - ]
3) have the ability to watch the home videos on both my family room Apple TV (is this even possible?) and my kitchen Mac Mini display (would my Mac's iMovie's library be able to include my home video content that is stored on a network drive, or does it require the content to be on the Mac hard drive?).
4) If I use a two drive solution (time capsule backup and cheaper second drive), I want to be able to have Time Capsule back up the home video content on the second drive.
5) I do not want any drive tethered to my Mac, only wirelessly connected. Would the second drive be connected to the Time Capsule? How would this be set up?
Many thanks!

christianfromshaker heights wrote:
Is it possible to use the Time Capsule for both an automatic backup drive for my Mac AND use it as a shared network drive to store my large library of home videos?
basically yes, but i wouldn't recommend it.
If so, does it require partitioning the drive and are there instructions available?
the disk in the TC can't be partitioned in the traditional way. but you can use disk utility to create a "fixed-size" sparse disk image on the TC's disk for use with other data. use the instructions here, just leave out the encryption part.
Alternatively, if I store my home videos on its own network drive, will Time Capsule backup this drive too?
no.
time machine can not back up from network drives.
To be specific, I'm looking for a networked drive solution that allows me to do the following:
1) automatically back up my Mac
2) act as the primary storage drive for 750GB of the kids home videos (to save room on Mac) [Side question - ]
consider a NAS that is time machine compatible.
3) have the ability to watch the home videos on both my family room Apple TV (is this even possible?) and my kitchen Mac Mini display (would my Mac's iMovie's library be able to include my home video content that is stored on a network drive, or does it require the content to be on the Mac hard drive?).
it's possible to stream content stored on a TC (or NAS) to TV. using home sharing, your mini would be able to access files in homeshared libraries.
it doesn't matter where the files are stored as long as iTunes knows they are there. in other words, the content needs to be in an iTunes/TV friednly format and in your iTunes library - that doesn't mean the content can't be stored on an external HD, a TC, or a NAS.
4) If I use a two drive solution (time capsule backup and cheaper second drive), I want to be able to have Time Capsule back up the home video content on the second drive.
What can Time Machine back up, and where can it put it’s backups?
5) I do not want any drive tethered to my Mac, only wirelessly connected.
IMO, your best course of action is to get a NAS. if you're interested, i can highly recommend this device by Synology.
Synology NASes play very well with Macs and have excellent backup features on board. given enough space (i have 4x2 TB drives installed) you can store your media files there, use time machine to backup your Macs to it and can use the on-board backup solution to back up the whole shebang to a USB drive connected to the NAS.

Why does my laptop no longer connect to our WPA2 shared network drive?

Our Airport Express is set up to give us access to the internet plus access to a shared network drive via a WPA2 key. Suddenly, I can no longer access the shared network drive, even though my wireless internet access is fine, and the Airport Utility is "recognizing" my computer. I am the only PC user in a house of unsympathetic Mac users who are not having any similar problems! Can anyone tell me what I should do to fix this?
Thanks very much.

I don't remember where I found this, but it did work for me.

How to create a shared network drive and enforce it with password?

Dear All,
As stated, i would like to create shared network drive within my office to my department to share file and document. I would also like to have that network drive to be enforce by password protection. I would like this solution be native to Microsoft
before i result to any 3rd party solution.
I'm deeply grateful for anyone who can provide me with an solution or suggestion. :)
Thanks so much,
Regards,
Aiphos Hoo

Hi，
If you're in a domain, then as S Guna siad, you should guarantee appropriate permissions to users.
If you're not in a domain, then you can use "Password protected sharing", but this setting doesn't have effect on computers in a homegroup
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Network and Sharing Center\Advanced sharing settings, All networks, turn on "Password protected sharing"
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/share-files-with-someone#1TC=windows-7
Yolanda Zhu
TechNet Community Support

Problems with internet sharing/network connection/ethernet and XBOX 360

So basically I have a sent my Mac Book Pro 13" (Snow Leopard) away to be fixed, and in return I got a loan Mac Book Pro 15" (Lion). In the two weeks my Mac book was away getting fixed I purchased an XBOX 360, because of my location I am unable to use wireless on my XBOX, so instead I connect the loan Mac Book to the XBOX 360 via network cable.
This worked fine and I could now connect to XBOX Live and be on the Mac Book at the same time.
So today my Mac Book (13") is returned, I connect everything up exactly the same also changing the settings on internet sharing making sure that it can be used to send the connection to other devices via ethernet.
But it just wont connect.
The XBOX doesnt find the connection like it did before, and it also doesnt register on the MAC Book either.
I've tried different cables, the same cable I used where it worked before.
I've tried turning of Virus protection.
Both still at both ends it is not registering a connection, I have used this Mac Book before through a network cable so I dont think there is a problem there, to my knowledge everything is the same as I did on the other Mac Book but this one does work.
Have you any advice or tips on how to get this to work?
Thanks for your time.

What I did to get my network running again (although I still haven't found out why DHCP has stopped working):
1. Open the Control Panel of the computer that's trying to connect to the network (not the computer sharing the internet connection)
2. Go to 'Network' panel, and select the AirPort connection
3. Under the 'TCP/IP' tab, change 'Configure IPv4' pull-down menu from 'Using DHCP' to 'Manually'.
4. Enter an IP address between 10.0.2.2 and 10.0.2.256 (I randomly chose 10.0.2.40), a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0, and enter 10.0.2.1 in the Router box.
5. Click "Apply now"
The computer should now be connected to the network, and able to access the internet. If not, you may need to manually enter a DNS server - put '4.2.2.1' (or an IP for a DNS server provided by your ISP) into the 'DNS Servers' box.
You need to do that process for each computer you're trying to connect to the shared network, making sure you enter a different IP Address for each.

How to deal with a shared network connection when installing 10 EX

I am in the process of setting up a Virtual PC XP environment on my Vista Business machine to load Oracle EX in the virtual environment. I am having an issue of receiving a shared network connection with my broadband wireless card within the virtual XP SP3 environment, which Internet access is required for the Oracle EX installation. I checked out a couple tech sites and could not find a solution. I might have to get an Internet access at home from TWC.
How to resolve this conflict? Thanks.
Edited by: user10368779 on Aug 27, 2009 2:09 PM

I am not sure how +"I am having an issue of receiving a shared network connection with my broadband wireless card within the virtual XP SP3 environment"+ can be resolved on an Oracle forum? There are probalby Windows experts on the forum but I would personally aim for a Windows forum.
You may want to double check if Oracle XE is even running in a Virtual PC environment before starting this exercise.
-Andyt

This past month I have been having problems connecting to my home wireless connection. Previously I had no problems whatsoever. I have tried unplugging the wireless router, turning off the wirless airport, deleting the network name from my list of server

This past month I have been having problems connecting to my home wireless connection. I have a MacBook Pro OSX Version 10.6.8. Previously I had no problems whatsoever. I have tried unplugging the wireless router, turning off the wirless airport, deleting the network name from my list of servers and trying to reconnect this way. These methods have worked temporarily, but the same problem keeps coming back. Most of the time my personal wireless connection does not even come up among the list of available networks. My fellow flatmates have PCs and both of them are able to connect to the network without problem.
The router is a d-link model DIR-615. I am not tech savy, so if any other information need to be provided in order to better understand my situation, please let me know.
Please help me!

If I open the list of networks in a window it says "connection timeout," but if I just select it from the drop down it tries for awhile and then stops with no prompt. When I try to run network diagnostics it says "sorry, we can't connect to the internet" (or some solution-free variation of that)

Does Airport Internet Sharing Support WIFI Mode G?

I am trying to connect a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet to the Internet via Internet Sharing. The N810 only supports B and G mode WIFI. I can't get a connection. Does Airport Internet Sharing Support WIFI Mode G? Do I have to configure for this?
Thanks

I am trying to connect a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet to the Internet via Internet Sharing. The N810 only supports B and G mode WIFI. I can't get a connection. Does Airport Internet Sharing Support WIFI Mode G?
Yes.
I've used my 802.11b/g/n capable MacBook to share an ethernet connection with my 802.11g ONLY iPod Touch.
Does the N810 see the network?
Does any other WiFi capable device in your home see the Internet Sharing SSID?
Did you give your Internet Sharing a password? Internet Sharing uses WEP for encryption, and the rules for creating the WEP Hex key from a text string password are different for Macs vs everyother WiFi device in the world. 1st try no password. If that works, then move on to using a simple 5 character password for 40/64 bit WEP, or a 13 simple password for 104/128 bit WEP.
Message was edited by: BobHarris

Airport creates a network automatically on startup

Hello everyone!
I've created a network before on my Mac and shared the internet connection with it. Now, even though I close the network, it keeps coming back automatically after rebooting and returning from sleep mode. That's not something I'd like happening.
Anyone got any idea how to disable this automatic network creation? The operating system is Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Airport version is AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x88).
Thanks in advance for possible answers!

Turning Internet sharing off seems to prevent the network creation at least when returning from sleep mode.
The first ever Internet sharing network I created on this Mac had no password. It is that network which keeps coming back even if I have turned Airport off.
For example if I create a new network with a password and share the Internet connection with it, then go to sleep mode and return from it, the old passwordless network is back in action. Makes no sense.

Airport extreme/express network setup

i'm sure this has been covered in general but lan equipment and requirements vary widely (plus most of my wireless experience is w/non-apple routers), so here goes. i have the following hardware
airport extreme (802.11n) running 7.5.2 (might downgrade to 7.4.x based on comments in this forum) connected to cable modem
2 airport express (v6.3) connected wirelessly to ap extreme
1 airport express (v6.3) connected via ethernet (wd powerline) to ap extreme
what i'd like:
ap extreme base to be the only SSID & DHCP server on the network.
the 2 wireless expresses to provide wider coverage in the main house.
the express connected via ethernet to provide wireless signal/access in the detached guest house (trying to run it wirelessly does not get a strong enough signal, hence the powerline ethernet), but only as an extension to the extreme base.
when a device (laptop, phone, etc.) connects, it should use the closest / strongest wireless signal, but always think there is only 1 network/connection config. and, when one moves between house and guest house, connected device will auto 'roam'.
whoever set this up, set the extreme to be running in WDS mode (WDS main). however, it complains that it is the only WDS device on the network (see next ???).
the 2 wireless expresses are set to 'Participate in WDS' (WDS remote)
in order to get the ethernet-connected express to work, i had to give it its own SSID and set it to 'Create wireless network'.
it does work, but there are 2 networks, no roaming, and error message on ap extreme base re:WDS config.
questions:
1) what mode should the extreme base use ('Create wireless network' or 'Participate in WDS network')?
2) what settings (WDS or wireless) for the wireless expresses?
3) what mode should the ethernet-connected express use ('Create wireless network', 'Participate in WDS network' or 'Join wireless network')?
4) anything special i need to know to get the roaming to work reliably?
5) any suggestion (due to missing questions :-)?
tx for any info. i could try all the permutations & combinations of config (actually, i've already tried a number of them , but tired of running up/downstairs and to/fro resetting devices, so i thought i would ask for help from people with more experience background.
mack

Hi, mackiemesser. Welcome to the forums!
So if I understand correctly, your setup looks like this:
<hr>
• Express #1, Express #2, and the Extreme should be set to "Participate in a WDS."
• The Extreme needs to be told that Expresses #1 and #2 will be WDS Remotes. (You'll have to enter their MAC addresses.)
• Expresses #1 and #2 need to be told that the Extreme will be their WDS Main. (You'll have to enter its MAC address.)
• Express #3 should indeed be set to "Create a wireless network" but should use the same SSID and password that your other wireless network uses.
• All Expresses should be configured to operate in Bridge Mode. In Manual Setup, click "Internet" in the toolbar and choose "Off (Bridge Mode)" from the "Connection Sharing" popup menu.
• The Extreme should not be in Bridge Mode. It should instead "Share a public IP."
<hr>
A few suggestions:
• Write down the MAC addresses of all your Extremes. This saves a lot of time when you're setting up the WDS.
• Sometimes after you change the WDS settings for one AirPort on the network, it confuses the other AirPorts in the WDS, and you get network problems until all of the AirPorts agree on WDS information. In this case, if you can't see an AirPort in AirPort Utility, connect that AirPort to the computer via Ethernet. In fact, it might save time to gather all your AirPorts and plug them in next to your computer for the WDS setup process so that you can easily connect via Ethernet if necessary.
• Using a WDS dramatically decreases your network performance. Every time you add a WDS Remote, you decrease your maximum network speed by 50%. Newer AirPorts support 802.11n and have a feature that allows you to extend your wireless network without as much overhead as a WDS, but all AirPorts in the wireless network that's extended must support 802.11n.

Best NAS/home network solution

What is the best NAS/home network solution?
Current Network:
two Arch, one desktop, one laptop
two macs, ditto
wlan router without usb port
two printers
one scanner
Current situation:
All printers and the scanner are on the Arch desktop running samba. I don't seem to be able to stream from samba, at least wiki doesn't appear to mention it.
Ideal situation:
- music and video streaming
- printing without need for desktop to be on
- central pim data storage, ideally so that I can have my pim suite open (I use kontact but am willing to change - need email, calendar, address book, RSS & newsreeder) on two machines and they don't get their knickers in a twist... Is that at all possible?
- automatic mounting
Even more ideal situation
- all of the above
- WAN streaming
Personally I don't see the wood for the trees at the mo...

toad wrote:
What is the best NAS/home network solution?
Ideal situation:
- music and video streaming
- printing without need for desktop to be on
- central pim data storage, ideally so that I can have my pim suite open (I use kontact but am willing to change - need email, calendar, address book, RSS & newsreeder) on two machines and they don't get their knickers in a twist... Is that at all possible?
- automatic mounting
Even more ideal situation
- all of the above
- WAN streaming
You already have the hardware, but the laptop may still be too power hungry or noisy. In that case a second hand eeebox something or a self built VIA C7/ VIA Nano / Intel Atom based system may be a solution (see http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=61662&p=1).
If you want as little configuring as possible take a look at amahi, Freenas (or its coming Debian-spin off OpenMediaVault). They are basically all-in-one homeserver distros. If you want to take the DIY route then I can recommend these apps:
- music and video streaming: mediatomb +djmount (upnp protocol) / FireFly (daap protocol) / mpd (audio only). Or if you just want to watch/listen to your media on your pc that is stored on your server then a share could be enough.
- print-server: not sure, cups maybe?
- central pim: : this is pretty complex to set up right. You need things like a
pop3/imap mailserver -> dovecot / qmail / postfix
groupware app (shared calendar, webmail, tasks etc) -> Zarafa / Zimbra / open-xchange.com / Sogo / Group-Office / Citadel ... )
synchronization using caldav/icalendar
mobile synch of contacts/calendar/mail via ActiveSync or syncML protocol -> funambol or z-push. Zarafa is one of the few options with a free ActiveSync connection l believe.
- automatic mounting: can be done in many ways (smb/nfs/webdav/sshfs). I have a sshfs share mounted through /etc/fstab.
- WAN streaming: can easily be done with mpd. the latest version has streaming server built in so you don't need to set up a separate Icecast streaming server.
Last edited by rwd (2010-04-07 20:40:33)

I use Airport Express to network 3 iMacs to a DSL modem. Recently, the network became undiscoverable to one of the iMacs. Suggestions for a fix?

I use Airport Express to network 3 iMacs to a DSL modem. The network has become undiscoverable to one of the computers. I have reset the base station to factory settings but this does not help. The other two computers are unaffected. All 3 computers can access the internet when connected directly to the modem. I suspect the problem might be the Airport card? Suggestions?
beaucleo

Thx for the suggestion, although I didn't have to reset the SMC to fix the problem. The problem was the handshake between the security password and the designated network. The following links gave me info for investigationg the problem.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199
http://www.ehow.com/how_6831952_test-airport-card.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXiZn64aZfg
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-invoke-and-interpret-the-apple-hardware-tests/
I would recommend these web sites to anyone who is having problems setting up and/or maintaining a wifi system.
I discovered after reading one of the web references that if I disabled nework security the problem went away. This, however, was unacceptable. Further experimentation showed that the solution to my problem was to change the name of my network while keeping the same password. I tried only changing my password but that didn't help. I still don't understand why only 1 of the 3 networked iMacs was affected.
Again, thx for your interest and reply.
beaucleo

Multi-Airport, Harddrive Sharing Network Solution

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for