long@mcntsh.enet.dec.com (Rich Long) (01/19/91)
Recently I posted asking how to network two Macintoshes together to exchange
files. I received many responses, and thank you very much to all who
responded. I love the Net!
Here is a summary of what I received.
The preferred hardware method to connect the machines is with Phonenet, a
product of Farallon. It is a device that plugs into the printer port, and
allows the use of regular phone cable (4-conductor) to connect the machines.
One supplier mentioned is Micro-Computer Cable Company in Romulus, MI. They
sell PhoneNet "look alikes" for $20 a piece. Their phone # is (313) 941-6500.
(It is an alternative to the Localtalk connectors from Apple, which do not
use phone cable.)
Note: it the machines were close enough, some people recommended a straight
serial cable (Mac/Imagewriter). Others said there would be "electrical
problems".
Software methods vary. One option is Public Folder, from Claris (free, and
available in the usual places). Public Folder is accessed through the
Chooser. I'm told it allows you to make one folder available as a monolithic
entity. Therefore, if you want to copy one file, you must copy the whole tree
rooted by the public folder (small letters intentional).
Oscar is another alternative. It implements a sort of instant in/out box. It
is available in the same places where Public Folder can be found. Files
placed into Oscar's "out box" are instantly copied to the "in box" on the
receiving node (this is what I was looking for, I think).
A commercial alternative is TOPS. It apparently implements real file sharing,
and remote volume mounting, etc. It was highly recommended, but probably
overkill for what I want. It must be purchased for each machine. The current
version, 3.0, includes InBox, which allows you to send Email back and forth
over the network.
SingleShare (Shareware) was also mentioned. It apparently works like
Appleshare but does not require a dedicated machine as server.
A final option is "peer to peer appleshare" from Information Presentation
Techologies at (818) 347-7791. I have no more information on that.
Thanks again, everyone.
Rich
Richard C. Long * long@mcntsh.enet.dec.com
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