Using a partition to share files among multiple computers?

I have a small business with just a few employees and we currently share all of our business files which are hosted on my Macbook Pro.  These files include an Aperture library, an iPhoto library, and a bunch of just plain old files, including a fairly large Filemaker database. I like having these files on my computer so that I can access them quickly (without lag), and this is particularly important for the database and the photo libraries.  And since I am often working 'after hours' its easy for me to be on the move (even if its just a move to my couch!) and still have quick and easy access to the work files.
However, we're having some major problems with file permissions. Sometimes (and seemingly randomly) employees can't open files because they don't have permission' and often I need to reset the permissions on files my employees create in order to open them myself.  iPhoto needs to "repair" the photo library just about any time a different user opens it up.  It looks like we just lost a couple hours worth of work yyesterday tagging photos in iPhoto since they mysterously dissapeared when I opened iPhoto this morning.
So we need a solution that will get us around this permissions nightmare.  I read one suggestion about putting iPhoto/Aperture libraries on an external HD and sharing them that way, however, totting a hard drive around might get akward, especially if I am working after hours, and I Don't know that it solves our issue with the rest of our work files.  At this point I would be willing to invest in a Mac Mini server if that would solve some problems, but that would probably leave me with slower access to the files than I currently enjoy.
So the thought came to me, why don't I partition my hard drive and use half of it for all the work files?  Could I set it up so permissions are ignored on that partitions as is reccommened for the external HD solution?  Are there other solutions, or pitfalls with this solution that I'm not considering?

ArisaemaDracontium wrote:
I'd like to use the method described in the following link.  Can I do this with a partition instead of an external drive?:
Yes.  
Can I partition my drive without whiping it entirely and then having to restore everything?
Probably.  See #3 in Using Disk Utility.
Also, the "Alternative Method" mentions using a disk image.  My experience with disk images is limited to those temporary "disks" used when installing new software that are erased when put in the trash or the computer restarts.  Is there such thing as a perminent disk image?
Yes.  You can create and keep them anywhere.  They're kind of like a disk-within-a-disk.  They have their own format, directories, etc.  For example, some folks use encrypted disk images for their sensitive files.
There are a few considerations:
Only one user can access it at a time, so if you use Fast User Switching and one user has it open, others won't be able to use it.
You'll need to put it in each user's Login Items so it will be mounted at login, per the article.
The contents will not be backed-up while it's mounted.
(But, in many cases the iPhoto Library won't be backed-up by Time Machine while the iPhoto app is open, no matter where it is.)

Similar Messages

  • Network drives fail (drives used to share databases among multiple computers)​.

    I am using databases on multiple computers to store test results for a production line. The computers share info from thier databases with each other using dsn's made with the ODBC Windows XP Admin Tool (Control Panel). This works well most of the time but occasionally one of the network drives fails - I have to disconnect and then use ODBC to make a new connection (a new dsn). Why are the network drives failing? Should I use somenthing else that is more reliable? datasocket? Shared Variable? [email protected]

    Gary MavSysInc,
    When you say that your program fails, are you referring to the same thing as your LabVIEW Application that is reterieving data? If so, what do you mean by it fails? Is there an error message? Does it Crash? What happens when it "fails"?
    Ben Sisney
    FlexRIO V&V Engineer
    National Instruments

  • Syncing the same iTunes library among multiple computers

    I have two computers, a Windows 7 laptop and a new iMac. iTunes on both computers are signed into the same Apple ID. I currently have my iTunes library on my laptop, but I would like to also have the exact same library on my iMac. For instance, if I download a new podcast to my laptop, it should be placed on my iMac as well. When I delete the podcast, it should be deleted on the iMac too. When song metadata is updated on my laptop (play count, lyrics, etc), I want it updated on the iMac automatically.
    I have not had much experience with Home Sharing, but would that do all of this automatically? I know I could manually transfer songs from one computer to the other using Home Sharing, but what about updated metadata or deleting files?
    iCloud has made this situation more interesting. I know iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match will keep music files in sync among various devices (including metadata?), but what about podcasts or movies or files not purchased via iTunes? I know there are plenty of details that are yet to be released concerning iCloud, but do you think it will solve this problem entirely, or will manual labor be required to obtain the exact same library among multiple computers?
    I have considered only using my iMac to maintain my library, since it is always on and I could use Home Sharing to listen to music on my laptop since they are on the same Wifi network. However, I feel it would be best to keep the same library on two computers for when I take my laptop on vacation away from my home network.
    What would you suggest for this situation?
    Thanks!

    sorry about the slight irrelevence of this post on this thread....i saw this much older post you had in my explorations and it is almost to a "T" my issue currently and i was wondering if you ever came to a conclusion or had any tips or resolution paths i could explore. your original message:
         I have 2 computers I'd like to set up Home Sharing on. One is Windows XP and the other is Windows 7.
         I set it all up but then the libraries never show up. Nothing happens.
         The computers are on the same network and I can successfully share files and a printer. Both computers are      authorized using the same account. Both are signed into that account.
         I don't know why it's not working. Can you please help?
              Thanks!!
    is EXACTLY my problem with the only variable being that both of my computers run 7. furthermore, you went on to say you were experiencing issues with the "remote" app. that was the initial objective for me in my system that got me here with a deeper problem with home share. i want to home share my itunes library and control it from my iPod touch 4g. is that such an unreasonable request?!?!? lol. i'm incredibly frustrated and was hoping that since you had such specifically similar circumstances....have you found a solution? PLEASE HELP!!! thank you so much for your time.

  • Share files over multiple sites

    Hello everybody,
    Is there a way to use a single file from multiple sites without having to maintain them twice?
    For example I want to use the same PHP-functions in two projects (include file).
    Is there a Dreamweaver-technique which allows me to use and upload a file, that is outside of the site-root-directory.
    Librarys? Templates?
    greeting

    Is there a Dreamweaver-technique
    Firstly, this has nothing to do with Dreamweaver, so no, there isn't a DW technique. This depends on your webserver and operating system.
    The solution also depends on what kind of file you are trying to share, and if the websites are on the save server. HTML/CSS can't normally access files outside the web root, so, for instance, you can't normally share a CSS file between websites (but there is a workaround using aliases). PHP files don't have this limitation, as long as they are on the same server.
    I took a quick look at the Google hosted libraries. It looks like it is all javascript. Javascript doesn't have the same limitation that PHP has. For instance, Lots of people reference a remote copy of jQuery in their web pages.
    There is a method of sharing files across servers that involves configuring the receiving server to accept the remote file. I experimented with this some years ago but can't find any info on it now. Sorry, I can't even remember what the technique was called.  It wasn't easy to get it to work with all browsers as they have different security policies.

  • Share files amongs different users of the computer

    I imported pictures to iPhoto for my wife's sign on account on my Mac. is there any way i can open those photos when i am signed on as myself without redownloading all the files to my account as well?
    Thanks for the advice!
    Kev

    iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users

  • Cloud Computing / Sharing files among multiple Macs

    Greetings,
    I'll start by saying that I briefly searched for my answer on the board with no luck. So sorry if it's out there but I couldn't find it.
    To get to the point, I have two main macs (desktop & laptop) that I use interchangeably. I would like to be able to access the same files with both computers and more importantly, stay in sync with those files. Example, I work on my FileMaker Pro database on my Mac Pro, then when it's time to leave for the office, I have to copy the file over to my MacBook (if I remember to do that). Which means that I always have two files out there at the same time. This has been ok to deal for one file but I'm finding more and more apps that I'd like to share the files with (Things, Quicken, Filemaker, iBank, OmniFocus...etc).
    I do have a MobileMe account (prev .mac) but not sure if I can do it with that or iDisk. I would love it to work as seamlessly as my Mail, Address Book, and iCal syncs with MobileMe. What Mac or 3rd party options do I have for this feature/service? And can someone explain how it would work? Meaning, when I launch an app like iBank, would my app be working on the file in the "cloud"? or would the service/app push the file down to my computer for me to work on it locally and then push it back up when I close the app?
    Hope my question was clear but here it is again;
    What service or application will allow me to share files between my Macs?
    Thanks!

    Jorge:
    You can't do that with the alias system. That'st because each user will have a totally independent library from the other users. Any edits made will be saved in that particularly users iPhoto Library folder and not be available to others.
    Tutorial #4, however, does discuss how to setup such a system.
    There is a couple of caveats to this system. Each new set of photos should be added to the source group in it's own folder, preferable dated, so that each user can check to see what's are the new files and import them into their own library. Also any user who deletes a photos from their library does not delete it from the source group. That has to be done manually. That can be good or bad depending your your point of view. That is, one user cann't delete a source file that another users wants and needs for a slideshow, etc.
    Do you Twango?

  • Share files from 2 computers connected to same router from remote location

    I can remotely (from external IP) share file from one computer connected to my router but I cannot share with other machines on my home network. Same with ARD access. Is there a way to access multiple machines across my router?

    The only easy way to do this would be to use something like Back To My Mac with a MobileMe subscription or [LogMeIn|https://www.logmein.com].
    The problem with what you're trying to do is that your entire home network only has one IP address to the outside world. How did you get it working in the first place? I'm assuming you've got a wireless router and set up port forwarding on the router to redirect traffic to a specific machine. The problem there is that file sharing uses a specific port (548), and you can only map that port to one machine at a time.
    One possibility would be to use different services for different machines. For example, you could share files normally (port 548) on one machine and via FTP (port 21) on another. Another possibility would be to enable screen sharing on the one you can access from outside your home network, then use screen sharing to make that machine log in to the other machines on the network. Of course, neither of these are ideal solutions.

  • Sharing itunes library among multiple computers?

    Hey all,
    We are a Mac family. We have an iMac and a Powerbook, and I recently bought an iBook for my wife. We'd love to be able to share our iTunes library among the computers. Is there an easy way to set this up? Any help would be greatly appreciated......
    I'm betting this has been talked about elsewhere but wasn't sure if there was a simple solution I'm missing.
    Thanks in advance.....
    jon

    It depends on what you mean exactly. If you want to simply be able to play stuff out of each other's libraries, you can turn on Sharing in the iTunes preferences. Any computers on the same network with iTunes open and with sharing turned on, will see each other's libraries (they show up in the left side column like a playlist sort of). But this method of sharing only allows you to play their stuff. You will not be able to add the songs to your own library, add the songs to your own playlist, or burn a CD of songs from their library.
    If your question was how to have a SINGLE central library serving all the computers, I don't think it can be done, at least not easily.
    Patrick

  • I thought we could share files with 5 computers?? how!

    I thought that we were allowed to download songs from 5 different accounts, or computers. How do I do this. Everytime I try it asks if I would like to replace the existing library.

    "I thought that we were allowed to download songs from 5 different accounts, or computers"
    If you purchase songs from the iTunes Music Store you can play those tracks on up to 5 authorised computers About iTunes Music Store Authorisation and Deauthorisation
    "Everytime I try it asks if I would like to replace the existing library"
    If you want to connect and use an iPod on more than one computer (For instance you have one at home and maybe a laptop or PC you use at work) you can change the update preference to "manually manage songs and playlists. By doing this, you can listen to your iPod at work where you may have iTunes but no songs on the computer. You are getting that message because it is set to automatically update and it is warning you that if you proceed it will link to a new and possibly empty iTunes library that will replace what you currently have. How to use an iPod with multiple computers
    Some additional info:
    The iPod offers three ways to transfer music from your computer. You can select one of the following update modes from the iPod Preferences menu in iTunes (Edit=>Preferences=>'iPod' tab):
    1) Automatically update all songs and playlists. This is the default mode, in which your entire music library, including playlists, is automatically synced to your iPod. If the music library on your computer exceeds the iPod storage capacity, you are prompted to select a different update method.
    2) Automatically update selected playlists only. With this option, iTunes automatically copies the playlists you have selected to the iPod when you connect it to the computer.
    3) Manually manage songs and playlists. You can also choose to transfer music to the iPod manually. This allows you to drag and drop individual songs and playlists from iTunes to the iPod.

  • Share libraries  among multiple users on the same Macbook.

    I want to share the IPhoto library between two users (A and B) of the same New Mac Book (Oct 08') that would be located in the Users/Shared folder.
    I tried to follow the steps described in article HT1198 of the Mac Support dated Oct. 8th, 08' (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198) but it deals only with the issue of sharing a library that is located on an external HD.
    I did the following:
    1. Logged under A account and moved my empty library to the Users/Shared Folder.
    2. Right clicked on above-mentioned library to grant Write & Read privileges to account B
    3. Opened IPhoto whilst pressing Opt. and selected above-mentioned library (in Users/Shared folder).
    4. Logged out of A and logged in as B.
    5. Opened IPhoto whilst pressing Opt. and selected above-mentioned library (in Users/Shared folder).
    6. Quickly the following error message showed up (and kept on showing up):
    'An error occurred while trying to save you photo library. Some recent changes may be lost...'
    All changes made to the library under account B where indeed not saved and did not appear when I accessed IPhoto under my account A.
    Please note that when I Chose File > Get info on my external HD and/or Shared folder and/or IPhoto library, I could not find the 'Ownership & Permissions' menu nor the 'Ignore Ownership on this volume'. Only a 'Sharing and Permissions' was available with no other option/detail.
    I just switched to Mac last week and I have tried to solve that issue (that seems easy to solve) repeatedly in vain. It is hard to get help in English here in Japan. Any help will be highly appreciated.
    Thanks.
    Julien

    Julien
    Sharing the iPhoto Library from the Shared Folder is not supported on 10.5 and involves a trip to the Terminal. *I strongly suggest that if you're not confident in the Terminal that you use some other version of sharing.*
    There are two ways to share, depending on what you mean by 'share'.
    If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
    Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
    If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. then:
    Quit iPhoto in both accounts
    Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. You could also use a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.
    In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
    However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
    Finally: If you’re comfortable in the Terminal, and understand File Permissions, ACL’s etc., some folks have reported success using the process outlined here . (Note this page refers to 10.4, but it should also work on 10.5). If you’re not comfortable with the terminal, and don’t know an ACL from the ACLU, then you’re best doing something else... Oh, and the warning about simultaneous users still applies.
    Regards
    TD

  • Sharing a set of music files among multiple Apple IDs (without copying!)

    In my family, we have 4 people, all with their own Apple IDs, and all with their own PCs, iTunes libraries, etc.
    I also have an extensive set of music in my iTunes library which is ripped from the family CD collection. I'd like to share that with everyone, preferably without everyone having to keep their own copy (it's about 40GB of data). Home sharing on my iTunes only seems to let me see the music on my iPod (i.e. against my Apple ID). Actually, given that I do have some songs purchased specifically against my Apple ID, I may need to share them separately from those anyway (I've never looked into the details of what I'm allowed to do as far as sharing content I've purchased - it's never been relevant until now).
    Home NAS devices apparently have "iTunes Server" facilities - I assume they let you do something like this? But is there any way of doing the same with a plain old PC?
    Paul

    ArisaemaDracontium wrote:
    I'd like to use the method described in the following link.  Can I do this with a partition instead of an external drive?:
    Yes.  
    Can I partition my drive without whiping it entirely and then having to restore everything?
    Probably.  See #3 in Using Disk Utility.
    Also, the "Alternative Method" mentions using a disk image.  My experience with disk images is limited to those temporary "disks" used when installing new software that are erased when put in the trash or the computer restarts.  Is there such thing as a perminent disk image?
    Yes.  You can create and keep them anywhere.  They're kind of like a disk-within-a-disk.  They have their own format, directories, etc.  For example, some folks use encrypted disk images for their sensitive files.
    There are a few considerations:
    Only one user can access it at a time, so if you use Fast User Switching and one user has it open, others won't be able to use it.
    You'll need to put it in each user's Login Items so it will be mounted at login, per the article.
    The contents will not be backed-up while it's mounted.
    (But, in many cases the iPhoto Library won't be backed-up by Time Machine while the iPhoto app is open, no matter where it is.)

  • Can you use the Time Capsule as a wireless drive to share music on multiple computers

    Does anyone know whether you can use the time capsule almost as a nextwork drive of sorts (i.e. to share Music etc amongst a few computers)?

    The TC is a dumb hard drive inside an apple extreme router.. with a couple of knobs on.
    It has no media servers.. and very little flexibility.. indeed it serves files.. AFP or SMB.. and that my friend is that.
    So if you want a media server in the network..then a mini is a better proposition. At some point, with sales of ssd laptops soaring and space on these devices at a premium, Apple is long overdue on a revamp of the TC.. it is really either time to drop it or to create something a lot more powerful.. the mini might be a cheap computer but it is not really a file server.. having so little internal disk space and lacking external connectors unless you are rich enough to buy thunderbolt.

  • Using the server to share files with the clients

    Hello everybody!
    I finally managed to install properly iFolder on a server, and the client on a few computers. Unfortunately, I was suprised to see there is no functionality to upload from the server to the ifolders structure.
    I need to achieve this because the server I used is also used as a datacenter; I hoping to make the data available to each user directly on their own desktop using the mechanism integrated in the iFolder framework.
    Obviously, I would like to avoid copying back with ssh or ftp the files to one local client, and forth to the server using iFolder.
    The simplest thing would be to install a client on the server machine as well. Unfortunately, the folder monitoring function only works for graphical client, and my server does not have X installed.
    So my last resort would be to connect by ssh to the server machine, then start a non graphical web browser, connect to https://localhost/ifolder/ and share each file one by one... Really time consuming and annoying!
    Does someone have any suggestion?
    Thanks a lot for your help!
    Cheers

    Originally Posted by malcolmlewis
    On Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:36:01 GMT
    aerospeace <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > Hello everybody!
    >
    > I finally managed to install properly iFolder on a server, and the
    > client on a few computers. Unfortunately, I was suprised to see there
    > is no functionality to upload from the server to the ifolders
    > structure. I need to achieve this because the server I used is also
    > used as a datacenter; I hoping to make the data available to each
    > user directly on their own desktop using the mechanism integrated in
    > the iFolder framework.
    > Obviously, I would like to avoid copying back with ssh or ftp the
    > files to one local client, and forth to the server using iFolder.
    > The simplest thing would be to install a client on the server machine
    > as well. Unfortunately, the folder monitoring function only works for
    > graphical client, and my server does not have X installed.
    > So my last resort would be to connect by ssh to the server machine,
    > then start a non graphical web browser, connect to
    > https://localhost/ifolder/ and share each file one by one... Really
    > time consuming and annoying!
    > Does someone have any suggestion?
    > Thanks a lot for your help!
    >
    > Cheers
    >
    >
    Hi
    AFAIK if you create a common directory on the server, then use the web
    admin interface to create a shared resource, then add the users.
    Cheers Malcolm (Linux Counter #276890)
    SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.32.24-0.2-default
    up 1 day 2:19, 2 users, load average: 0.05, 0.04, 0.00
    GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - Driver Version: 260.19.29
    First, thanks a lot for your quick help. I am actually deeply impressed by the speed!
    Now, I don't know whether it is because I could not explain well my problem, or just because I can not understand your answer, but don't see what you're exactly suggesting me to do....
    1) create a common directory: Do you mean I physically create a directory (mkdir /pathtodata/)? Or I create an new folder in ifolder using the web interface?
    2) What is as "shared ressource"? I cannot find any reference to this term in the user manual. Do you just mean I share the ifolder I created in the previous step?
    3) Add the users: I imagine this is the step where I share the ressource with the user.
    Again, I am really sorry if my hesitations are stupid and the answer is obvious, but I read all the documentation and I cannot figure out the answer.
    Thanks a lot for your help

  • How do i share files between two computers using the ethernet?

    i have bought a cord that is ethernet to ethernet. i do not understand how or where to go after the two computers are seemingly connected. i have a bunch of photos on iphoto id like to transfer. thank you.

    Out of curiosity do you already have a home network? If so do both computers connect to the network? In this case just use File Sharing which is enabled in the Sharing preferences.
    File Sharing on Macs
    Mac 101- File sharing
    Tutorial- File sharing in OS X - MacFixIt

  • I am now using Adobe cloud to share files but no folder sharing???

    11-1-13
    no abilibty to share folders as of today, and client cannot make comments, as stated in a tutorial, VIA terry white
    New to this, and dissapointed in this last of "ease  of use"

    Shawn I would recommend utilizing the steps in Sign in, activation, or connection errors | CC, CS6, CS5.5 - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html to resolve the connection error which is likely preventing the software from authenticating.

Maybe you are looking for