Chapter 21 - Working With Macintosh-Accessible Volumes

A computer running Windows NT Server with Services for Macintosh (SFM) can store files so that both PC and Macintosh users can gain access to them. PC users (including users of the MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT Workstation, and Windows NT Server systems) look for shared files in a shared directory on the computer running Windows NT Server. Macintosh users look for shared files in the same directory; however, they see the directory as a volume, with familiar folders and files.

A Macintosh user shares a file with PC users by storing that file in a Macintosh-accessible volume on the computer running Windows NT Server. Likewise, a Macintosh user can mount a Macintosh-accessible volume on the desktop to use files stored in shared directories by PC users.

This chapter explains how to create a Macintosh-accessible volume so that files can be shared between Macintosh and PC clients.

Creating Volumes

All Macintosh-accessible volumes must be created on an NTFS partition or on a CDFS volume. If you specify a CDFS volume, the Macintosh-accessible volume will provide read-only access. (In this case, CDFS volume refers to a hard disk volume.)

Creating a Macintosh-Accessible Volume

Similar to creating a share (shared directory) for PC users, you can designate a directory as a Macintosh-accessible volume. If the directory is to be accessed by PC clients as well as Macintosh clients, make sure you share the directory using the Share As command on the Disk menu and designate it as a Macintosh-accessible volume. (Refer to the Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide for more information on creating shares.) If you don't need to share the files with PC users, you can create a volume on a directory—that is, it doesn't have to be a shared directory.

Note You cannot give a directory Macintosh-accessible volume status if it is a subdirectory of another directory that has Macintosh-accessible volume status. Refer to Chapter 16, "How Services for Macintosh Works," for more information.

You designate a directory as a Macintosh-accessible volume using the Create Volume command on the MacFile menu. From the Create Volume dialog box, you can quickly create the volume by accepting the default settings, or you can change the options.

To create a Macintosh-accessible volume 

1. From File Manager, select the directory that you want to designate as a Macintosh-accessible volume. 

2. From the MacFile menu, choose Create Volume. 

   The Create Macintosh-Accessible Volume dialog box appears. 

    

   The default setting for each option follows: 

    

   Using the default name and path has some advantages when a directory will be available as a share to PC users and as a volume for Macintosh users. Ease of communication between the two clients is simplified if the directory is referred to by the same name. 

3. To accept the default options, click OK. Otherwise, continue to the next step. 

4. In the Volume Name box, type a volume name that Macintosh users will see when they log on. 

5. In the various boxes, specify a new path, password, security options, and user limits. 

   These options are described later in this chapter, in "Modifying a Macintosh-Accessible Volume." 

6. Click Permissions to set directory permissions for Macintosh users. 

   The Macintosh-accessible volume automatically inherits the permissions of the corresponding directory, although you may change these. For further explanation of permissions, see "Setting Permissions for Volumes and Folders," later in this chapter. 

7. Click OK. 

Creating a Macintosh-Accessible Volume on a CDFS Volume

To create a Macintosh-accessible volume on a CDFS volume, you follow the same procedure you used to create one on an NTFS-partitioned drive. The only difference is that the CDFS disk is read-only. So, SFM will interpret all security options as See Files and See Folders (read-only).

Creating Folders in a Volume

From the computer running Windows NT Server, you can create subdirectories for a Macintosh-accessible volume or folders for Macintosh clients. The procedure for doing so is no different than the procedure for creating other directories or folders on the respective systems.

On the computer running Windows NT Server, the folders appear in the File Manager's directory tree as subdirectories of the directory. To create another subdirectory, you select the directory in which it will appear, and choose Create Directory from the File menu.

On the Macintosh, you create folders using the New Folder command on the File menu. You view and use folders in the Macintosh-accessible volume just as you would any other volume—by using the View menu to see the folders organized by Name, Date, Icon, Size, and so forth.

You cannot, however, designate the subdirectory or folder as another Macintosh-accessible volume when the directory is already designated as a Macintosh-accessible volume. For a quick review, see the illustration in the section "Configuring Macintosh-Accessible Volumes" in Chapter 16.

Setting Permissions for Volumes and Folders

Just as you set permissions on shared directories to control which PC users have access to the share, you control who can use Macintosh-accessible volumes by setting permissions. Permissions also control what kind of access is granted to users. For example, permissions dictate which users can make changes to a folder and which ones can read the content of the folder but not alter it in any way. Permissions for volumes and folders can be set in a number of ways.

From File Manager, you can set Windows NT-style permissions with the Permissions command on the Security menu. (You set permissions on a Macintosh-accessible volume or folder, just as you would on a shared directory.) Or you can use Macintosh-style permissions, available in the Macintosh View Of Directory Permissions dialog box. From File Manager, you can find this dialog boxes in three ways — when you choose Permissions, Create Volumes, or View/Modify Volumes from the MacFile menu.

This section explains how to set Macintosh-style permissions on Macintosh-accessible volumes and folders, using the Macintosh View of Directory Permissions dialog box. Information on setting Windows NT-style permissions is covered in the Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide.* *For a more detailed discussion of Macintosh-style permissions and how they relate to Windows NT permissions, refer to Chapter 16, "How Services for Macintosh Works."

Note Macintosh files inherit the permissions set on folders; you cannot set permissions on files directly.

To set Macintosh-style permissions on a Macintosh-accessible volume or folder 

1. Using File Manager, select the directory you've designated as a Macintosh-accessible volume or a subdirectory that represents a folder in the volume. 

2. From the MacFile menu, choose Permissions. 

   Or, from the View/Modify Macintosh-Accessible Volumes dialog box, click Permissions. 

   The Macintosh View Of Directory Permissions dialog box appears. 

    

3. For Owner, Primary Group, or Everyone, choose the See Files, See Folders, or Make Changes permissions check boxes. 

4. Use the following table to help you decide which permissions to set. 

    

5. Beneath the permissions, select the appropriate check boxes, which are described in the following table. 

    

Changing the Owner or Primary Group

While setting permissions on a directory, you can change the owner and primary group to which the permissions apply. The owner is the same as the one you see when choosing Permissions from the Security menu in File Manager. The primary group, however, is unique to Macintosh clients. The owner's primary group is the group the owner works with most, and it should be the group with which the owner has the most resource needs in common. When an owner creates a folder on a computer running Windows NT Server, the owner's primary group is set as the group associated with the folder. The owner (or administrator) can change the primary group associated with the folder from either the computer running Windows NT Server or the Macintosh.

To change the owner of the directory 

1. From the MacFile menu in File Manager, choose Permissions. 

   The Macintosh View Directory Permissions dialog box appears. 

2. Choose the button to the right of the Owner list box. 

   The Owner dialog box appears. 

3. From the Names list, select a new owner and click Add. 

   You can also browse for members of the selected domain (including trusted domains), and search the list of domain users for a specific user you want to select as owner. 

4. Click OK.

To change the primary group of the directory 

1. From the Macintosh View Of Directory Permissions dialog box, choose the button to the right of the Primary Group list box. The Primary Group dialog box appears. 

2. In the Names list, select a group, and click Add. 

   You can also browse for groups in the selected domain (including trusted domains) and search the list of domain groups for a specific primary group. 

Note In the Owners and Primary Group dialog boxes, you can also specify global groups as an owner and owners as primary groups.

To change the primary group of an owner (rather than a directory), refer to the User Manager for Domains.

Modifying a Macintosh-Accessible Volume

You can change the properties of a Macintosh-accessible volume from the MacFile menu in File Manager. Properties include passwords, security options, and user limits, as well as permissions.

To modify the properties of a Macintosh-accessible volume 

1. From the MacFile menu, choose View/Modify Volumes. 

   The View/Modify Macintosh-Accessible Volumes dialog box appears. 

    

2. Select the Macintosh-accessible volume you want to change. 

3. Click Properties. 

4. In the Properties of Macintosh-Accessible Volume dialog box, make the changes to the options you want, as follows: 

   

Removing a Macintosh-Accessible Volume

If you want to make a volume unavailable to Macintosh users, you must remove it. Removing the volume does not delete the files contained in the volume, nor does it delete its status as a shared directory if it has been designated as a share for PC users. Removing only removes its status as a Macintosh-accessible volume.

To remove a Macintosh-accessible volume 

1. From File Manager, choose the MacFile menu. 

2. Choose Remove Volumes. 

3. In the Remove Macintosh-Accessible Volumes dialog box, select the volume, or volumes, you want to make inaccessible to Macintosh users. 

4. Click OK. 

   If Macintosh users are currently connected, you'll see a message that tells you who is using the volume. You can then use the Send Message command on the MacFile menu in Server Manager to send these users a warning that you intend to remove the volume. When no users are signed on, continue with the next step. 

   Caution You can continue to remove the volume if users are still using it; however, the users are likely to lose data.

5. In the confirmation box, click Yes.

If you decide later to make the directory a Macintosh-accessible volume again, simply follow the steps in "Creating a Macintosh-Accessible Volume," earlier in this chapter.

To delete the contents of the shared directory, follow the instructions for deleting files in the Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide.

Getting Help

Help is available when you are using the MacFile menu in File Manager.

To get Services for Macintosh Help in File Manager 

• From the MacFile menu, choose Help. 

You can also choose the Help button in any dialog box you see after choosing commands from the MacFile menu.

Using macfile to Work with Macintosh-Accessible Volumes

You can accomplish all of the volume configuration (and server administration) discussed in this chapter using the macfile command at the command prompt. The macfile command allows administrators to automate SFM volume, directory, file and server management by using batch programs.

For syntax of the macfile command, type macfile /? at the command prompt. For a complete reference to the macfile command, choose Help from the MacFile menu in File Manager.