Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Networking (Apple) Businesses Apple Hardware

Six Tips for Homemade "Dot Mac" Servers 30

lisam writes "Alan Graham has an article on O'Reilly's MacDevCenter offering tips for homemade dot mac servers. Tips include creating a central file server, how to set up a central repository for iTunes, sharing images, collaborating with WebDAV, etc."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Six Tips for Homemade "Dot Mac" Servers

Comments Filter:
  • Previous article (Score:4, Informative)

    by Draoi ( 99421 ) <draiocht@@@mac...com> on Thursday February 06, 2003 @02:18PM (#5243394)
    This came up on /. before (tho' not the O'Reilly link). Read all about it here [slashdot.org]
    • Re:Previous article (Score:5, Informative)

      by Greedo ( 304385 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @03:53PM (#5244676) Homepage Journal
      Yes, the previous article is (IMHO) much more informative, as it tells you how to set up a fake .MAC server.

      The current article tells you what you can do with it ... kinda. The language is rather obtuse in some sections, and all of those tips rely on the server being an OS X machine. What if I want my central server to run Linux? BSD?

      The useful articles are this one [drijf.net] which explains how to set up a fake .Mac server, and use Apple's Backup with it, and this one [confusticate.com] about making an iSync server.

      • *ack!* (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Draoi ( 99421 ) <draiocht@@@mac...com> on Thursday February 06, 2003 @04:31PM (#5244839)
        Not good. Reading the drijf.net [drijf.net] article reveals that iTools backs up in the clear across the 'net. Furthermore, authentication can be spoofed as backup doesn't check the authentication of the server cert. Scary ...

        Thanks for the links, BTW!

        • Re:*ack!* (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Greedo ( 304385 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @04:58PM (#5245107) Homepage Journal
          • You are right, the server cert could be anything ... I use the Snakeoil one myself
          • iTools uses MD5 to "encrypt" your password, so that's relatively safe
          • I haven't used ethereal or anything to see if the actual backup data is encrypted (beyond SSL)


          Still, I'd rather my backups were going to a server that I control, than one I don't.

          Oh ... and faking an iCal server is pretty easy too. I'll write it up if you are interested.
          • Re:*ack!* (Score:3, Informative)

            You don't need to fake an iCal server, you just set up WebDAV on whatever web server you have lying around. iCal doesn't care if you use .Mac or an in-house WebDAV sevrer.
  • by dotgod ( 567913 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @02:30PM (#5243547)
    Don't put it in the oven [slashdot.org].
  • by PetWolverine ( 638111 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @02:42PM (#5243699) Journal
    Hmm, this smells suspiciously of fair use! The RIAA had better stomp on it quickly! I expect the author of the article will get into trouble with O'Reilly for getting them into legal trouble with the RIAA.

    Just because you bought that music doesn't mean you have the right to listen to it! Err...listen to it in more than one location, I mean.

    Speaking of central music servers, refer to my .sig for good things.
  • Does somebody have instructions for setting up a Linux box as a .mac server replica?

    Who can afford more than one Mac?? ;-)

    My old P90 is readily waiting to double as a .mac server, so please dont let it down!
  • Dude!

    I thought that said "Sex Tips for Homemade Dot Mac Servers"!
  • by fredopalus ( 601353 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @11:32PM (#5248039) Homepage
    you may also want to check out Setting up a Site Server with Jaguar [macdevcenter.com]
  • by Anonymous Coward
    to give people who have already setup a "Homemade Dot Mac" server (previous articles) some additional ideas of what they can use it for. Prior to OS X I had no idea how useful running Apache could be...and I couldn't believe how easy it wat to get started. OS X never ceases to amaze me...everything I throw at it...it is capable of doing. You start with Apache and next thing you know you can't stop trying new things!
  • by Anonymous Coward
    Now that Rendezvous is out, Apple needs to do something like is described in the "Six Great Tips for Homemade Dot Mac Servers", except better and easier. I know this can be done with OS X Server today, but it is NOT easy.

    The step I am referring to is the "Central File Server" option. Letting you log in from any machine to use your own home directory is (obviously) good as Sun and Apollo etc showed years ago. What is needed is to make it TRIVIAL to set up so that those houses that have 2 or more machines (this will be more and more common) can access it. The items in the tutorial are good, but should be easier. For example:
    1. You would plug in your machine to the power and either via wire or airport it would discover the machines and users (and find one if it was already designated a "master" aka server) machine.
    2. Then you would authenticate yourself to the server and access your home directory files - e.g. iTunes, iPhoto etc.
    3. You could use the "auto-login" feature once it was authenticated etc.

    Using NetInfo and OS X Server you can do it, but neither my mom nor my cousin could do it and that is the audience you want!

    • It should also be just as trivial to set up a server machine and the rest as client machines, where the home folders between the two are constantly sync'd. Network down? It's ok, you've got it stored on your pc. Take that laptop with you? no prob.

      Backup and portability goodness.

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens. -- Bengamin Disraeli

Working...