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created 23 Oct 2000

Getting the MacOS X Public Beta to speak Windows

So last time we took a look at how the MacOS X Public Beta Public Beta connects to a MacOS or AppleShare network, and decided that although there are some rough spots, in general, it does a good job.

This time we take a look at how well the Public Beta deals with Windows networks. (Note: I'm leaving off things such as FTP in this article, just as I did in the last one. For our purposes, I'm concentrating on what are considered the 'native' protocols of the target network that MacOS X is trying to connect to.) There are two main products that allow you to connect to Windows-based networks, Samba, an open-source server that implements the Server Message Block, (SMB) protocol. Samba is maintained by the Samba Group. The easiest way to get Samba for the Public Beta is to go to http://osx.macnn.com/features/installsamba.phtml, which not only has a link to the binaries for the Public Beta, but also a nice, concise set of instructions for installing Samba on the Public Beta.

Reading the install instructions brings up one of the annoying parts of the Public Beta, which is the reliance on the command-line. There are some marvelous opportunities here for shareware/freeware developers to take a lot of these products, and wrap them in a proper GUI installer application. On the other hand, the advantages of the Unix plumbing in MacOS X really shine here as well, considering that, for free, you now have a complete Windows server, and even with the command line, the installation is pretty simple. Luckily, thanks to the hard work done by the folks at the Samba group, there is a product called SWAT, which is a Web interface to Samba, and allows you to fully configure Samba from a browser, and avoid the command line completely.

Although there are a lot of options with Samba, the online help is very complete, and well - implemented. Each option on the web admin page(s) has a help button, and the entries explain your options well. This is not to say a home user could use Samba well, even at all. Like any cross-platform server, it requires a solid understanding of things like NT domains, domain security etc. But for an average network administrator, it shouldn't be a problem. (There have been rumors that Apple is considering shipping a version of Samba with the final release of MacOS X, along with an easy - to - use GUI. I personally hope that these rumors turn out to be true, as this would give Apple an OS that can, with a minimal amount of work, fit in to essentially any network, and be completely compatible, which would be not only a nice bragging point for Apple, esp. in the SciTech arena, but also earn them the gratitude of Mac administrators everywhere.)

As a server, Samba works well. You can specify any directory you wish to be shared to Windows users, (mostly due to the fact that to specify any shares, you have to log into the web admin as root, so you can do anything you like, almost.), (dis)allow guest logins, have Samba use an existing NT domain for authentication, etc. It's a very full featured server, and as easy to configure as any other server in that class.

Unfortunately, all Samba is a server. There is a client app, but it's command line only, and is more of an SMB-ized command-line FTP program. So Samba will allow you to share resources from the Public Beta across the network, but it can't act as a client.

To do that, you need the other product for the Public Beta, Sharity, from Objective Development. Sharity is a Common Internet File System, (CIFS) client. CIFS is the latest version of the SMB protocol. Although Sharity is not free, it is available with either per-server or per-client licensing, and the prices are reasonable, ($3695 allows an unlimited number of MacOS X Macs to connect to up to 20 WIndows/SMB servers.), and Sharity is a well - put together piece of software. Although the version I played with is a beta version, it works well. The install process is a nice GUI, although the requirement to be logged into the MacOS X Public Beta box as root is annoying. Allowing you to authenticate as root from within the installer would be nice.

The configuration is GUI - based as well, and once you have set it up, it can run in the background without needing attention. It provides access to all of your Windows PCs, Macs running DAVE, or Unix boxes running Samba, via a CIFS mount point in the Networks section at the root of your MacOS X hard disk. I was never able to get a remote drive to mount correctly, but these look like interactions between a beta OS and a beta version of the product. I expect that these will disappear with time. In any event, Sharity is easy to use and administer, and, for now, provides the only graphical SMB client for the Public Beta.

So, in conclusion, if you only need to act as a server to other SMB clients, Samba is the way to go. It's free, and easy to set up and administer. If you need to act as a client to SMB servers, then Sharity is the way to go. They both get high marks for providing capabilities to the Public Beta that allow it to easily coexist on a network with Windows PCs, or a Windows - controlled network, without requiring any work from the Windows end. All in all, they make MacOS X to Windows connectivity a simple and uncomplicated experience, and once Samba gets a proper GUI installer, the experience will be even better.

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