Can't connect OSX 10.3 & OS9 clients to same Win2k Share

[Jeff Roseman]

Our existing OS9 clients have no problem connecting to our Win2k SP4
server using AFP. However we have some new OSX machines that do don't
connect properly. When browsing the file share they see everything,
but when you click on some folders and most files, the file just
disappears (this only happens with file sthat show no icon). We also
get an error 50 when trying to connect to the share using SMB. OSx
clients are running the latest UAM for OSX.

What are we missing or doing wrong?

 

[William Smith]

Our existing OS9 clients have no problem connecting to our Win2k SP4
server using AFP. However we have some new OSX machines that do don't
connect properly. When browsing the file share they see everything,
but when you click on some folders and most files, the file just
disappears (this only happens with file sthat show no icon). We also
get an error 50 when trying to connect to the share using SMB. OSx
clients are running the latest UAM for OSX.

What are we missing or doing wrong?

Hi Jeff!

First, the UAM will only apply to AFP connections that you make. It will
not come into play when connecting via SMB.

To maintain interoperability with your Mac OS 9 machines I would suggest
you use AFP and not SMB. Mac OS X's version of SMB will split the Mac
files into two files to preserve data and resource information but Mac
OS 9 clients won't be able to read the two files as one from the server.

Mac OS X is unfortunately very poor in reading Windows Server volumes
because its version of the AFP protocol is 3.x and Windows Server still
uses AFP 2.2. These two protocols are not completely incompatible but
not very compatible.

One solution for you is to use Group Logic's ExtremeZ-IP
<http://www.grouplogic.com/products/extreme/overview.cfm> on your
server, which uses the AFP 3.x protocol. However this is an expensive
solution.

Hope this helps! bill

 

[Guest]

William,

That makes sense. Does it explain the strange symptom when
using AFP that we can browse the files, but when we click
on them they disappear from the view. Or might this be
something else?

Is it an option to connect via OS9, copy the file locally,
switch to OSX to change it and then switch back to OS9 to
update the server copy. Definately not as good, but
workable?

Are there any other client side solutions, like the old
DAVE software?

Jeff

-----Original Message-----

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeff!

First, the UAM will only apply to AFP connections that you make. It will
not come into play when connecting via SMB.

To maintain interoperability with your Mac OS 9 machines I would suggest
you use AFP and not SMB. Mac OS X's version of SMB will split the Mac
files into two files to preserve data and resource information but Mac
OS 9 clients won't be able to read the two files as one from the server.

Mac OS X is unfortunately very poor in reading Windows Server volumes
because its version of the AFP protocol is 3.x and Windows Server still
uses AFP 2.2. These two protocols are not completely incompatible but
not very compatible.

One solution for you is to use Group Logic's ExtremeZ-IP
<http://www.grouplogic.com/products/extreme/overview.cfm> on your
server, which uses the AFP 3.x protocol. However this is an expensive
solution.

Hope this helps! bill

 

[Guest]

What about Windows 2003 Server would that help?

Hi Jeff!

First, the UAM will only apply to AFP connections that you make. It will
not come into play when connecting via SMB.

To maintain interoperability with your Mac OS 9 machines I would suggest
you use AFP and not SMB. Mac OS X's version of SMB will split the Mac
files into two files to preserve data and resource information but Mac
OS 9 clients won't be able to read the two files as one from the server.

Mac OS X is unfortunately very poor in reading Windows Server volumes
because its version of the AFP protocol is 3.x and Windows Server still
uses AFP 2.2. These two protocols are not completely incompatible but
not very compatible.

One solution for you is to use Group Logic's ExtremeZ-IP
<http://www.grouplogic.com/products/extreme/overview.cfm> on your
server, which uses the AFP 3.x protocol. However this is an expensive
solution.

Hope this helps! bill

 

[William Smith]

What about Windows 2003 Server would that help?

Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't made a Windows server version yet that
goes beyond AFP 2.2.

bill

 

[William Smith]

That makes sense. Does it explain the strange symptom when
using AFP that we can browse the files, but when we click
on them they disappear from the view. Or might this be
something else?

Is it an option to connect via OS9, copy the file locally,
switch to OSX to change it and then switch back to OS9 to
update the server copy. Definately not as good, but
workable?

Are there any other client side solutions, like the old
DAVE software?

Hi Jeff!

All I've seen with Mac OS X and Windows servers is just very slow
drawing performance when viewing server volumes with large amounts of
files. Everything seemed to be bogged down and almost unusable.

Dave from Thursby <http://www.thursby.com> is an SMB alternative for
your Mac. The ExtremeZ-IP software for the Windows server is an AFP
alternative, but it's very expensive. I don't have practical experience
with this software yet but I hope to be able to speak authoritatively in
a few months. Thursby and Group Logic both offer free trials if you're
interested <http://www.thursby.com/evaluations/dave.html> and
<http://www.grouplogic.com/products/extreme/freetrial.cfm>.

bill