10 things to note when connecting Mac to Windows network

Network administration - The Macintosh is once again used in the corporate network. Now additional Windows network services and complex Apple Talk configurations can be used together. However, connecting Apple Macintosh OS X system to Windows network is not easy.

Here are some steps you need to take to share resources between Macintosh and Windows systems.
10 things to note when connecting Mac to Windows network Picture 1
1. Turn on Windows Sharing mode on Mac

When adding Macintosh OS X systems to Windows network systems, Windows Sharing must be enabled on Macintosh computers or Windows systems will not allow access to resources stored on the Macintosh. To turn on Windows Sharing on a Macintosh , open System Preferences and select Sharing in the Internet & Network section . Then check the Windows Sharing checkbox.

2. Change the default Mac workgroup name

If you are connecting a Macintoch OS X computer to a Windows workgroup, it will sometimes happen that both Macintosh and Windows computers cannot communicate with each other. This is because the Windows system distinguishes the workgroup name. For example, many Windows operating systems by default named workgroups are MSHome or Workgroup . Usually admin will change the workgroup name, so the default Apple workgroup name must also change.

To change the name of the Macintosh OS X system workgroup to match the Windows group name, visit the Applications folder in the Mac's Finder , open the Utilities folder, and double-click Directory Access . Then click on the lock and enter the password to change. Select the SMB / CIFS entry and click the Configure button. In the Directory Access window, enter the workgroup name to change for the Mac system, then click OK .

3. Create Windows user accounts on Mac

Before the user accesses resources on the Macintosh system, you need to create a local account for them on systems that handle that resource. To create an account for Windows users on Macintosh, open System Preferences on the Apple system and click Accounts in the System section.

Then, click on the lock, enter admin name and password to make changes. After providing the correct license, click on the additional symbol to create a new user account. Windows users will have to enter their username and password each time they access resources on a Macintosh PC.

4. Access Mac resources in many ways

Once configured for Macintosh systems to share resources and create access accounts, Windows users can access resources on Mac systems in different ways.

They can use Add A Network Place Wizard (go to My Network Places Network Task Add A Network Place ). Usually the best way to access is to open My Network Places , Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer and enter the Apple IP address and registered user account name.

For example, to access an Apple system with an IP address of 10.0.0.2 with an Admin account, simply use the following command form:

10.0.0.2Administrator

The Mac system will display a window for Windows users to enter their username and password. After entering the full information, the Macintosh's shared resources will be displayed in the Windows window.

5. Mac's Print and Fax application allows the use of printers on Windows.

Use the Print & Fax to install the Macintosh system to share the printer with Windows PC. The Print & Fax menu is located in the Mac's System Preferences application (below Hardware ).

To allow Windows users to use the printer to install on a Macintosh, simply click the Sharing button and check the checkboxes of the printers you want to share. You can also allow Windows users to send Faxes via the Macintosh system by checking the Let Others Send Faxes Through This Computer checkbox.

6. Install File Services For Macintosh on SBS server when using OS 9.

When switching to the Windows Small Business Server domain environment, administration is a bit difficult, especially when configuring when OS X pre-operating systems are still in use.

If Apple OS 9 needs to be supported, you should enable File Service For Macintosh on Small Business Server by going to Control Panel Add / Remove Windows Components , then clicking the Detail button and checking the option to Enable File Services For Macintosh .

7. Install Microsoft UAM when using File Services For Macintosh

To connect using File Services For Macintosh , you must install Microsoft's User Authentication Module (or UAM) on the Apple system. You can download it at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.mspx.

You can use the combined installer .pkg to install UAM on OS X. On OS 9, you must copy the MS UAM 5.0 file from the MSUAM_for_Classic folder to the AppleShare folder in the System folder of the Mac.

8. Reset Windows sharing for File Services For Macintosh

When you activate File Services For Macintosh, you need to reset your current Windows shares. You can also use the Windows Manager application to access Shared Folders and reset sharing. However, you do not need to reset the data or the folder you are sharing.

When resetting the shares for the Macintosh workstation you use, you can use Share A Folder Wizard (go to Shared Folders , right-click Shares New Share ). Note, you need to check the Name , Description and Settings checkboxes in Apple Macintosh Users for each shared reset. Then click the Finish button on the Share A Folder Wizard to authorize those shares.

9. From OS X 10.3, Samba can be used to connect SBS networks

Samba is another simple connection method specifically for Macintosh OS X 10.3 and operating systems and then connects to the Windows server domain. In these cases, users can set up several methods to connect via SMB (application-level network protocol to share data and other peripherals) of Windows to access Windows resources. from Apple PC.

However, before using Samba (capable of faster network communication than File Services For Macintosh) to connect Mac systems to Windows SBS 2003, users must change the server's Default Domain Policy . In particular, the SMB notification procedure also needs to be changed.

Creating a new GPO (without modifying the Default Domain Policy) can resolve this requirement. This GPO must cancel Microsoft Network Server and Digitally Sign Communications settings . Then, you have to run gpupdate / force on the command window to apply those changes.

10. The .local domain of SBS requires Mac to update DNS

Previously, Apple OS X operating systems encountered DNS problems when deployed on the domain SBS had a local .local domain so the OS X 10.3 system had to change many settings to support it. for Samba. The reason for this is because previous Mac operating systems used Apple's Rendezvous to use Multicast DNS services (Apple's communication discovery service) in their local .local domain.

Instead of configuring new Unicast enabled DNS settings (data transfer method to a single network address) on each Macintosh system, the best method is to update the system to OS 10.4 (if there are few use Mac operating system) or reuse File Services For Macintosh .