Getting Started with SpeedShare
Table of Contents
What is SpeedShare?
SpeedShare lets you share files over the Internet. It makes it possible
to connect to the Internet and see files, get info, and copy files in a
manner very much like the Finder. In fact, files can be copied or moved
to and from Finder windows.
Works like the Finder
The same commands that you use in the Finder work in SpeedShare: Open, Close,
Get Info, Duplicate. Most "commands" in SpeedShare are just dragging
files from one place to another, just like the Finder. Although SpeedShare
windows are not Finder windows, files can be moved or copied between them
by a click and a drag.
File transfers without complexity
SpeedShare takes the complexity out of Internet file transfers, without
sacrificing the rich nature of Macintosh files. Creation and modification
dates are preserved for files, both while viewing them and as they are copied.
Icons for files and folders appear in "Get Info" windows. And
the same commands that you use in the Finder work in SpeedShare, too.
On-the-fly compression
When SpeedShare transfers files, they are compressed transparently, "on-the-fly".
This means that portions of a file are sent as they are compressed. Once
a file is received, it is decompressed and converted to its normal form.
Transparent compression means that you don't have to know or care about
compressing your files, or how they will be decompressed on the receiving
end. Because it's done automatically, you don't have to spend time running
compression programs.
Copy open files on a remote Mac
SpeedShare copies files like the Finder, and unlike AppleShare, it copies
remote files even if they are open. Open files are not compressed, however,
so there is still an advantage to keeping them closed.
Use any dialup Internet connection
One of the strengths of SpeedShare is that you don't need a permanent connection
to the Internet, for the client ... or the server. This means that as long
as your Mac is connected to the Internet at the same time as another Mac
running the SpeedShare server, you can see the files on the server Mac,
and copy files to or from the server Mac at will.
This is accomplished with the help of the Qdea Worldwide Rendezvous. Without
going into the details here, it acts like a
telephone directory, keeping track of the Internet address of each server,
so that you can connect to SpeedShare Servers on the Internet.
Return to the Table of Contents
Setting up a SpeedShare Server
Setting up a SpeedShare Server involves adding registered users, setting
access privileges, and starting the server.
If this is your first time using SpeedShare Server, double-click the SpeedShare
Server icon to open it. It doesn't matter initially whether you're connected
to the Internet, because some things need to be set first.
SpeedShare Server Icon
Initial setup of the SpeedShare server is done in the First Time Setup window.
Enter the server name, the owner name, and the owner password, then start the server.
Once you've started the server, use the Preferences to configure the server.
To see the Preferences, use the Edit menu to choose Preferences.
There are several pages in the Preferences window. You can navigate to a
particular page by using the popup menu, or by using the arrow buttons,
or the arrow keys on the keyboard.
Losing your Internet connection
Keep in mind that many Internet service providers disconnect customers who
haven't sent or received anything for a period of time. SpeedShare Server
avoids this problem when it uses the Qdea Rendezvous by periodically checking in
with the Rendezvous every few minutes. This should keep your Internet
connection from being terminated due to inactivity.
If you lose your connection to the Internet, you will see an error message and
an entry in the Log window. The server will be stopped. To start the server again,
re-connect to the Internet, then use the File menu to choose
Start Server.
If you use Open Transport PPP for connecting to the Internet, you can have SpeedShare
Server automatically reconnect. Go to the PPP page in the Preferences window,
then check the Reconnect PPP if the connection is lost box.
Using SpeedShare Server on a Local Area Network
SpeedShare Server will work on any network which supports TCP/IP, not just
the Internet. This includes all Ethernet networks and most Wide-Area Networks (WANs).
If your Macintosh can
connect to any web server, or any Internet email server, you can use SpeedShare
on that network. If you're not sure, ask your network administrator if your
Mac can use TCP/IP on your network.
Return to the Table of Contents
Connecting to a SpeedShare Server
Once your SpeedShare Server is up and running, it's time to connect to it.
There are several things that are needed to connect to a SpeedShare Server:
- The server's name
- The user name
- The user password
- (Sometimes) the server's TCP/IP address
To initiate a connection to a SpeedShare Server, make sure that you're connected
to the Internet. Then double-click the SpeedShare icon.
- Once SpeedShare is open, use the Edit menu to choose Connections.
- To create a new connection, click New.
- Enter the Server Name, the User Name, and the Password.
Normally, you will connect to the SpeedShare server using the Qdea
Rendezvous. The Rendezvous makes connections between servers and clients by
name. It's easier to use the Rendezvous - all you need to know is the name of the server.
If you want to connect using a fixed TCP/IP address, click TCP/IP Address
and enter the address. TCP/IP addresses look like this: 56.129.247.86, where
each number is between 0 and 255. The TCP/IP address of a SpeedShare Server
is entered in the Log of the server each time it starts up.
Return to the Table of Contents
How SpeedShare works
By now you've probably gathered that SpeedShare needs something running
on both computers that communicate. One Mac acts as a server,
providing information about its files to the other Mac, called a client.
The application running on the server Mac is called SpeedShare Server, and
the application running on the client Mac is called SpeedShare.
When a folder is opened on the client Mac, it requests the contents of the
folder from the server. Once the folder contents is received, the client
Mac displays the information in its window.
SpeedShare Server and SpeedShare can run on the same Mac so that connections
can be made to other Macs, while others connect to it.
You may not be aware that there is a third application called Copy Engine.
The Copy Engine provides the network connection and file transfer services
to the SpeedShare application.
The reason that the Copy Engine is a separate application is so that other
applications can use the same file transfer services. For example, a revision
of Synchronize!, Qdea's file synchronization and backup utility, will use
SpeedShare to make it possible to transfer files automatically, in either
or both directions.
Return to the Table of Contents
Qdea News by email
To receive news about SpeedShare and other Qdea products by email,
such as of the availability of free updates and upgrades,
send email to support@Qdea.com
and ask for Qdea News.
We will not provide your email address to any other company - we
know you don't want unsolicited email any more than we do!
Return to the Table of Contents
Feedback and Technical Support
We're very interested in your feedback on SpeedShare. Please tell us about any problems
that you find, what you like in the product, and most importantly, what you don't
like or what you find missing.
To tell us about your experiences with SpeedShare, send email to
support@Qdea.com.
Return to the Table of Contents
Last updated January 3, 1998