iPC-Mac-Net FileShare
User Manual

HTML Edition: 5.5.2.0
Release date: 19 January 2006



Basic Operation

Notices

Overview
  • Introduction
  • Cross-platform file transfers on a LAN
  • Conveniently transfer files via the Internet
  • Cross-platform Internet downloading
  • Limitations of Internet connection sharing
  • Security considerations
    • Detailed Operation
    Appendices

    Overview

    Introduction
    PC-Mac-Net FileShare allows you to easily and securely transfer files between Windows, Macintosh and Linux (i86) computers over a local area network or over the Internet. It's also simple to set up as it uses the most popular networking standard: Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The PC-Mac-Net FileShare application must be running on all computers you wish to share files between. It only uses Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for it's operations, so you don't need other protocols such as NETBEUI, AppleTalk, etc. to successfully share files.

    In addition, you don't need file sharing enabled on your computer, nor do you use the Network Neighborhood, My Network Places, the Chooser, or any other networking functions built into your operating system to use PC-Mac-Net FileShare.


    Cross-platform file transfers on a LAN
    You can now transfer files easily between any Windows, Macintosh and Linux (i86) computers on your home, school or office network (see example local area network in Figure 1 below). PC-Mac-Net FileShare provides a bridge between different computer types without requiring complex installation and set up procedures. Just select the files and folders you wish to share on one computer and they can be requested by and transferred to another computer on the network.

    Figure 1. Example LAN connecting different computer types


    Conveniently transfer files via the Internet
    Friends can now easily, safely and conveniently transfer huge files via the Internet (see Figure 2 below), irrespective of what type of connection is used (eg. dialup modem, ADSL, cable, etc). File access is protected by highly secure 896-bit encryption, so your files are never exposed to anonymous users. Setting up a workgroup for Internet file sharing is as easy as entering a workgroup name and pressing the 'Join' button. All users with that workgroup name will then connect together for file sharing. You can protect your shared files from unauthorized access with a 'Sharing Password'.

    Figure 2. Example of connecting computers via the Internet


    Cross-platform Internet downloading
    Often one computer on a home network is set up to access the Internet, whilst the others are only connected to it via the Local Area Network (see Figure 3 below). Now you can download files using the Internet-connected computer and transfer them across the local area network to the other computers using PC-Mac-Net FileShare. This also means you can download PC files from the Internet using a Macintosh or download Macintosh files (in MacBinary or BinHex format) using a PC and then transfer them to the appropriate computer.

    Figure 3. Example of cross-platform setup with Internet connected computer


    Limitations of Internet connection sharing
    Most functions in PC-Mac-Net FileShare will work on computers connected indirectly to the Internet via an Internet connection sharing host (see diagram in Figure 4 below). In this case, you will be able to connect to a remote computer via the Internet, view it's file list and get files from it, but the remote computer won't have access to your computer. This is simply a side-effect of how Internet connection sharing works.

    All functions in PC-Mac-Net FileShare will work on the Internet connection sharing host itself when transferring files over the Internet, since it is effectively connected directly to the Internet.

    Figure 4. Example of setup with Internet connection sharing


    Security considerations
    PC-Mac-Net FileShare was designed from the ground up with security in mind. All control operations are protected by highly secure 896-bit encryption and no passwords are ever sent across the network or the Internet in clear text (unlike FTP). If the user trying to get access to your shared files doesn't know the password you have set, they cannot access anything, including the list of files you are sharing.

    Since you are sharing files with friends via the Internet, rather than with anonymous users who inherently cannot be trusted, you are much less likely get files carrying viruses, worms or trojan horses.

    The 'Pro Edition' of PC-Mac-Net FileShare also provides you with the option to encrypt file and folder data, keeping it secure during LAN and Internet transfers. This option is not available in the 'Standard Edition'. A simple workgroup messenging system is also a planned feature of the Pro Edition, which will operate like a quick email system between workgroup members. Some other advanced options are also planned for the Pro Edition, including powerful data backup functions.

    Detailed Operation

    These instructions apply to all platform versions of PC-Mac-Net FileShare, though the focus is on the Windows XP version and screenshots come from this version. If there are platform-specific differences in operation or features for Macintosh or Linux, these differences are described in the relevant sections.

    The dynamic help system built into PC-Mac-Net FileShare displays specific help information for all controls and textboxes. To get information about a particular control, move the cursor over it and help information will be displayed.

    On MacOS Classic 8.6, you need to have CarbonLib 1.6 installed on your computer to run     PC-Mac-Net FileShare. It can be downloaded from http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120047


    Setting up
    Select the Preferences panel (see Figure 5 below) and enter a Sharing Password to ensure only authorized users (ie. those people who know your password) can access your shared files and folders. You may also wish to change the default Computer Name - this is the name that other users on the network will see when they connect to your computer.

    Further information about the other controls on the preferences panel can be found in     Transferring files to your computer and Localization into other languages.


    Figure 5. The Preferences panel

    Now choose the Shared Folders panel (see Figure 6 below) and add all the files and folders on your computer you wish to share by pressing the Add Folder and Add File buttons and selecting them. Alternatively, you can add files and folders by dragging them directly from the desktop and dropping them onto the Files/Folders To Share listbox. You can remove shared items by selecting them in the listbox and then pressing the Remove button.

    Since the files and folders you selected for sharing on PC-Mac-Net FileShare are always listed in one central location (ie. on the Files/Folders To Share listbox), you always know what you are sharing. In contrast, when using Microsoft Windows file sharing, you can have shared files and shared folders scattered all over your hard disks and not know what is currently accessible to others over the network. This presents a security problem in Microsoft Windows file sharing, which is eliminated by PC-Mac-Net FileShare.

    If you wish to make any folder shown on the list writeable, check the checkbox on the left side of that folder. The icon will change into a folder containing a pencil, indicating it is writeable. These writeable folders can accept uploads, allow new folders to be created in them, and will allow files and folders in them to be renamed (Note: renaming is not available in the Linux version of PC-Mac-Net FileShare).

    Note: If a file or folder has been added to the Files/Folders To Share listbox, but is no longer available (eg. you are sharing folders on a CDROM, zip disk, floppy disk, etc. and have ejected it), it will be removed automatically from the list. When it is re-inserted, it will automatically appear again in the list.

    The File/Folder Set popup menu allows you to choose from a number of sets of file/folder lists, and will be fully implemented in a future version of the Professional Edition of PC-Mac-Net FileShare. For example, if you wanted to share only a small number of folders with a group over the Internet, whilst sharing folders widely over a home LAN, this selectivity will be possible.


    Figure 6. The Shared Folders panel


    Sharing files over the Internet
    If you wish to share files with your friends over the Internet, select Internet (Internet Workgroup) from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel (see Figure 7 below). Then enter the Workgroup Name you and your friends have chosen to use, and press the Join button. You should see a number of messages in the Connection Status textbox detailing the network operations in progress, including connections coming in from other remote users in your workgroup. Your friends' computers should appear within a few seconds in the Remote User Connection List as well as the Connect to popup menu on the Transfer Files panel.


    Figure 7. Joining an Internet workgroup

    See the Transferring files to your computer section below for details about locating and transferring files from remote computers.

    When you press the Join button, PC-Mac-Net FileShare actually contacts the Lava Software server on the Internet, which will assign you to be the 'workgroup hub' for that named workgroup (if it has not already been assigned to another user getting in before you). Users who subsequently join that named workgroup will then be automatically redirected by the Lava Software server to your computer to get information about all the other users in the workgroup. When they have this information, they will connect directly to these users. Thus, the workgroup hub is like the axle of a wheel, with the other users forming the spokes of the wheel.

    If a computer assigned as a workgroup hub goes offline, the first computer in the workgroup to poll the Lava Software server after 90 seconds has elapsed will be assigned as the new workgroup hub. Thus, a workgroup almost always has a central and dynamically assigned workgroup hub to bring all users of the workgroup together.


    Solving Internet connection problems
    Most Internet workgroup connection problems in PC-Mac-Net FileShare are caused by firewalls and NAT devices, such as routers and proxy servers.

    Firewalls
    Firewalls prevent other computers on the Internet from connecting to your computer without your authorization, by blocking all network ports except the standard ports used by web browsing (port 80), email (port 25), FTP (port 21), etc. They generally also prevent outgoing connections on non-standard ports, to stop malware (eg. spyware, viruses, worms, etc.) which has found its way onto your computer from doing nasty things, such as allowing the remote control of your computer.

    However, the problem with blocking all non-standard ports using a firewall is that many online programs, particularly games, use specific non-standard ports for their operation. For example, World of Warcraft requires ports 3724, 6112 and 6881-6999 to be open. Counter-Strike requires port 27015 to be open. If these ports are closed, the software will not work correctly. Thus, users must configure their firewall to be able to play these games.

    Similarly, PC-Mac-Net FileShare requires port 3300 to be open on your firewall for both incoming and outgoing TCP connections.

    On Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed, a basic firewall is included and switched on by default. To check this on your computer, open the Network Connections control panel, double-click the network device connecting your computer to the Internet (usually an Ethernet network card) and press the Properties button. Then select the Advanced panel - you should see a Windows Firewall groupbox similar to Figure 8 below. Click the Settings... button and you will see if the firewall is on.


    Figure 8. Checking for a Windows XP firewall

    Unfortunately, on Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you can only switch the entire firewall on or off - you can't enable individual ports. With the firewall on, you'll have a more secure computer which won't support non-standard online programs; with the firewall off, you'll have an insecure computer which supports non-standard online programs. Though this is a lot better than older versions of Windows (which have no built-in firewall at all), you really need both security and online program support. Thus, you should purchase a firewall program, or download and install a free firewall program, such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonealarm.com).

    After installing ZoneAlarm, you can make PC-Mac-Net FileShare work correctly by clicking the Allow button on the dialogs displayed by ZoneAlarm when you run PC-Mac-Net FileShare for the first time (see Figure 9 below). You should probably also click the Remember this setting checkbox, to save you having to click the Allow button every time.


    Figure 9. Allowing PC-Mac-Net FileShare to send and receive Internet data

    On MacOS X and Linux, the built-in firewall allows you to enable individual ports. On MacOS X, the firewall settings can be found on the Sharing control panel. Click the Firewall panel, click the New... button and enter the information required for  PC-Mac-Net FileShare (see Figure 10 below).


    Figure 10. The MacOS X firewall setup

    If you have only a software firewall (ie. not one built into a hardware router or proxy server) and can't get PC-Mac-Net FileShare working over the Internet, try completely disabling your firewall temporarily and then doing the firewall test (described below in     Diagnosing network problems). It it works, you're on the right track and it's a matter of configuring the firewall settings. If it doesn't work, it's probably not the firewall causing the problem.

    Proxy servers
    Proxy servers funnel Internet traffic from various computers on a home or office network to the computer on the network which is directly connected to the Internet via a dialup or broadband modem.

    Proxy servers generally have a built-in firewall, since all Internet traffic comes directly through the proxy server. This built-in firewall usually allows you to enable individual ports. PC-Mac-Net FileShare requires port 3300 to be open on your firewall for both incoming and outgoing TCP connections.

    On Windows, for example, you may be using WinProxy (www.winproxy.com). To enable port 3300 in WinProxy, select Advanced Settings from the File menu, and then click the Firewall panel. Press the New Application button and enter the port information for PC-Mac-Net FileShare (the incoming port information is shown below in Figure 11).


    Figure 11. Configuring the WinProxy firewall

    Routers
    Wired or wireless routers generally connect directly to a broadband modem via a USB or Ethernet connection, and funnel traffic from various computers on the home or office network to the Internet. They also contain a firewall to secure the network from other computers on the Internet.

    Some routers can be set to allow ports to 'pass through' to a computer connected to the router, thus allowing that computer to act as a file server (PC-Mac-Net FileShare acts as a file server when authorized users get files from your computer over the Internet). Some less expensive routers do not offer this 'pass through' capability. Please read your router documentation for specific information about setting up this 'pass through' capability.

    For example, on the D-Link DI-624 wireless router, you can set up a 'Virtual Server' (as shown in Figure 12 below). On this brand of router, the 'Virtual Server' feature performs the 'pass through' function.


    Figure 12. Setting up a D-Link router for 'pass-through'

    Diagnosing network problems
    If you have problems connecting to other users on the Internet, you can diagnose the network using the Network Monitor. To bring up the Network Monitor, press the Diagnostics... button in the Advanced groupbox on the Network panel. The dialog shown below in Figure 13 will be displayed.


    Figure 13. The Network Monitor dialog

    To test if a firewall is stopping you connecting correctly to other Internet users, press the Firewall Test button. A request will be sent out to the Lava Software Internet server, which will respond by making a test TCP connection to your computer on port 3300 (the default base port number). If the test is successful (as shown in the test message sample in Figure 12 above), your computer can act as a file server ie. users on the Internet can get files from your computer.

    If the firewall test fails, either you have a firewall preventing access from the Internet, or your network topology (how the network is connected together) is causing the problem. Please read the sections above on firewalls, proxy servers and routers for more information about what you can do to fix this type of problem.

    With the network diagnostic tests, you can check TCP and UDP connectivity to a remote computer, either on a LAN or on the Internet. Simply enter the remote computer's IP address in the IP Address: textbox and click the TCP Test or UDP Test buttons. You can find out the IP address of a remote computer by pressing the Adapter Scan button on the PC-Mac-Net FileShare program running on that remote computer.

    If you have a router in your network, the IP addresses displayed may only be LAN IP addresses - these type of IP addresses usually are similar to '192.168.xxx.xxx' or '10.0.xxx.xxx'. These are useful for setting up tests for connectivity across a LAN, but are useless for testing connectivity across the Internet. For information about setting up routers so that you can use PC-Mac-Net FileShare across the Internet, please refer to the Routers section above.

    When a computer is connected directly to the Internet (ie. with no router in the way, and a modem plugged directly into the computer), you should get an IP address displayed which is assigned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and which identifies you uniquely on the Internet. You can then do valid network diagnostic tests across the Internet which can be helpful in getting PC-Mac-Net FileShare working. All dialup modems offer this type of direct Internet connection, so a dialup modem can come in handy for testing your Internet setup.

    Sometimes ISPs (Internet Service Providers) block ports to help prevent the propagation of worms, viruses and other malware (this is a serious problem on Windows computers). If you have tried everything to get PC-Mac-Net FileShare working over the Internet, including disabling all your firewalls temporarily (as described in the Firewalls section above), contact your ISP and ensure they are not blocking ports.

    Sharing files over a LAN
    When sharing files over a LAN, there are a number of workgroup setup options available.

    The fastest way to set up a LAN workgroup (eg. a simple home network) is to select Auto-Discovery from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel. All computers on the LAN should then be discovered quickly and automatically. If you have multiple network adapters (eg. Ethernet cards) in your computer, you should select the one connected directly to your LAN. No further setup is required. See Figure 14 below.


    Figure 14. Selecting auto-discovery

    If you are in an office or school and wish to set up a number of fixed workgroups, select Workgroup Hub from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel (see Figure 15 below). Allocate one computer in each workgroup (one with a fixed IP address and which is switched on all the time) to act as a workgroup hub by checking it's Act as Workgroup Hub checkbox. For all other computers in this particular workgroup, enter the workgroup hub's IP address and sharing password and press the Join button. Once the IP address and password are entered, whenever PC-Mac-Net FileShare is launched, the user will automaticaly connect to the workgroup hub and subsequently with all users active in the workgroup.


    Figure 15. Using a workgroup hub

    If you are in an office, school or university, each computer can access the Internet, and you wish to allow for any number of dynamic named workgroups, select Internet (LAN workgroup) from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu on the Preferences panel (see Figure 16 below). Then enter a Workgroup Name and select the LAN Network Adapter which is used for LAN access. When you press the Join button, the computer will connect to the Lava Software Internet server and dynamically connect all users in your named LAN workgroup. This process works through firewalls, since only the setting up of the named LAN workgroup is done via the Internet - all subsequent network activity between file sharing users is done on the LAN, which is usually behind the firewall.

    For example, if all students in a particular University dormitory wanted to form a workgroup and share files, they might select a name like 'ucla-dorm1'. All users who join this named LAN workgroup will then be able to connect together and share files.


    Figure 16. Using the Internet to set up a dynamic or dispersed LAN workgroup

    You can also set up a workgroup manually, if all computers have fixed IP addresses. To do this, select Set Manually from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu. Then, for each workgroup member, enter their fixed IP address into the IP Address textbox and press the Add button. You can also enter IP address ranges by making the last three characters of an IP address "xxx". eg. 192.168.244.xxx (in this case, IP addresses 192.168.244.0 to 192.168.244.254 will be scanned). This may be useful for LANs which have dynamically allocated IP addresses (eg. DHCP).

    Alternatively, you can get the 'Workgroup IP Addresses' list from another user on the network. Start by selecting Get From Other User from the Workgroup Setup Method popup menu. Then enter their IP address into the User IP Address textbox, enter their password into the User Password textbox and press the Get button. Their list will then be transferred and placed in the Workgroup IP Addresses listbox. This makes it very easy to set up and maintain workgroups containing a number of users.

    Solving LAN connection problems
    If you have problems connecting to other users on the LAN, you can now diagnose problems using the Network Monitor. To bring up the Network Monitor, press the Diagnostics... button in the Advanced groupbox on the Network panel. The dialog shown in Figure 7 will be displayed.

    Press the Adapter Scan button to display all Network Adapters installed in your computer. This gives you information about their allocated IP addresses, subnet masks and MAC addresses.

    To test TCP connectivity to another computer running PC-Mac-Net FileShare, enter the target computer's IP address (use the Adapter Scan button on the target computer to find out it's possible IP addresses) and press the TCP Test button. A TCP connection request will be made to the target computer and the results displayed.

    If a connection could not be made, the most likely reason is that you entered the IP address of the target computer incorrectly. Go to the target computer, press the Adapter Scan button to check the IP addresses of all the Network Adapters it contains. If you're not sure which Network Adapter is connecting your LAN computers together, try the different IP addresses displayed by the scan until you find one that works.

    You may unknowingly have a firewall active on your LAN (firewalls prevent incoming and outgoing network traffic on particular ports, to enhance computer security). If it's a firewall problem, enable the default base port (3300) for both outgoing and incoming TCP and UDP using your computer's Network or TCP/IP Control Panel and try again. See further information about Firewalls above.

    A less likely problem is that you accidently entered different subnet masks on computers on your LAN. The most common subnet mask in home and small office networks is '255.255.255.0'. You can change the subnet mask on a computer on the Network or TCP/IP Control Panel.

    A rare scenario is that there is a Network Address Translation (NAT) device, such as a bridge, in your LAN. You should talk to your network administrator about what may be done to change the network topology to fix this.

    To test UDP connectivity to another computer running PC-Mac-Net FileShare, enter the target computer's IP address (use the Adapter Scan button on the target computer to find out it's IP address) and press the UDP Test button. A UDP connection request will be made to the target computer and the results displayed.

    Important note: UDP connections are used for the auto-discovery feature in PC-Mac-Net FileShare.

    Transferring files to your computer
    When you launch PC-Mac-Net FileShare, you should see other computers running PC-Mac-Net FileShare listed in the Connect to popup menu on the Transfer Files panel after a few seconds. They will also be shown in the Remote User Connection List listbox on the Network panel, and you can see their IP address, their computer name and what they are doing.

    Select a computer from the Connect to popup menu to view it's shared files (see Figure 17 below). You may need to enter a Sharing Password to gain access to files on this computer (once entered, the password will be stored and automatically used for subsequent operations).


    Figure 17. The Transfer Files panel

    All folders are marked with a yellow folder icon, and all files with a grey file icon. In addition, applications (programs) are shown with an orange diamond, and packages as an orange folder. On MacOS, you can check the Use Custom File/Folder Icons checkbox on the Preferences panel. In this case, the correct custom Finder icons will be displayed in the Local File List, though this does slow the refresh time of the list.

    All actions available on items in the local file list and remote file list are accessible using the context sensitive menus displayed when you right-click the item.

    On the local file list, actions include 'Get Info', 'Get Info (With MD5 Signature)', 'Upload', 'Sync', 'Open With Default Application', 'Delete' and 'Reveal On Desktop'. Of course, actions such as 'Upload' will only be available if the remote file list displays a writeable folder. See Figure 18 below.


    Figure 18. The local file list contextual menu

    On the remote file list, actions include 'Get Info', 'Get Info (With MD5 Signature)', 'Download' and 'Delete'. Of course, actions such as 'Delete' will only be available if the remote file list displays a writeable folder. See Figure 19 below.


    Figure 19. The remote file list contextual menu

    Files and folders can also be dragged between the local file list and remote file list to initiate a transfer. If you drag files and folders from the remote file list onto the local file list, those items will be downloaded. If you drag files and folders from the local file list onto the remote file list, those items will be uploaded.

    If you hold down the Shift key whilst clicking the Download or Upload buttons, overwrite is automatically chosen (normally, an alert will be displayed if there are existing files and folders at the destination location). In this way, you can conveniently force an overwrite transfer.

    Folder navigation
    To move into a folder on the remote computer, double-click it in the Remote File List listbox and the contents of the folder will be displayed. To move up the folder hierarchy, select an item from the Remote Folder Navigation popup menu. At the top level of this popup menu, you will find the root list of files and folders shared by this remote user.

    To move into a folder on the local computer, double-click it in the Local File List listbox and the contents of the folder will be displayed. To move up the folder hierarchy, select an item from the Local Folder Navigation popup menu. At the top level of this popup menu, you will find the name of your computer and the various hard disks, DVD drives, etc. located on it. If you insert a CD, DVD or other media, these should be displayed in a few seconds at this top level.

    The Local Folder Navigation and Remote Folder Navigation popup menus clearly show each of the folders in the path to the folder being displayed, so you can navigate around quickly and consistently.

    Note: Some folders on Linux cannot be accessed. Usually these are folders for which you do not have access permission, according to internal Linux OS settings. It's best to only navigate through folders in your home account.

    Bookmarks
    This easy navigation is further enhanced by the bookmarking system built into PC-Mac-Net FileShare. When you are located in a folder you wish to bookmark, select Add Bookmark from the bookmark menu displayed when you press the Bookmark buttons above the local and remote file lists. To quickly go to this location in the future, simply select it from the bookmark menu. To remove a bookmark, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard whilst selecting the bookmark, or go to the bookmark and select Remove Bookmark using the Bookmark button.

    If you bookmark a folder in the Local File List located on ejectable media (eg. CDROM, zip disk, USB flash drive, etc.) and eject the media, the bookmarks will automatically be removed from the local bookmark list. When the media is re-inserted, the bookmarks relating to that media will again become available.

    Bookmarks to locations in the Remote File List are linked to the user selected in the Connect to popup menu when the bookmark was added. Thus, you will only see bookmarks relevant to each particular user.

    Creating folders
    To create a new folder on the local or remote file lists, press the Create Folder button above the list you wish to create the folder in. A new 'untitled' folder will be created and highlighed in the list, so you can easily name it as you wish. If you can't create a folder in the particular folder displayed in the local or remote files lists (ie. the Create Folder button is disabled), it means it's not valid to create it there.

    Folders can only be created in the remote file list if the containing folder (ie. the folder whose contents is displayed in the remote file list) is writeable. Setting a remote shared folder to 'writeable' can only be done on the remote computer, in the Shared Folders panel.

    Renaming files and folders
    To rename a file or folder in the local or remote file lists, simply click on it and edit it directly (see Figure 18 below). When you have finished editing the name, click somewhere else in the listbox for the name to be set. If you decide not to keep the name you are currently entering, hit the Esc key on the keyboard and the changes will be cancelled. If you can't change a name in the list, it means you can't change the name in the list - it may be a folder which is not set to writeable in the remote file list, or a read-only folder on your local hard disk, for example.

    Files and folders can only be renamed in the remote file list if the containing folder (ie. the folder whose contents is displayed in the remote file list) is writeable. Setting a remote shared folder to 'writeable' can only be done on the remote computer, in the Shared Folders panel.


    Figure 18. Renaming a remote file

    Deleting files and folders
    To delete a file or folder, select it in either the local file list or remote file list and press the Delete or Backspace key on the keyboard. If you have the Display Delete Confirmation Alert checkbox checked on the Preferences panel, the confirmation alert shown below in Figure 19 is displayed before the deletion is made.

    Files and folders can only be deleted from the remote file list if the containing folder (ie. the folder whose contents is displayed in the remote file list) is writeable. Setting a remote shared folder to 'writeable' can only be done on the remote computer, in the Shared Folders panel.


    Figure 19. The delete confirmation alert

    Downloading files
    When you wish to download a file displayed in the remote file list, simply double-click it (or highlight it and press the Download button - the left-pointing arrow) to begin transferring it to your computer. After the file transfer is complete, your local file list will be refreshed automatically and the transferred file displayed in it. A number of files and/or folders can be selected at one time on the remote file list, which will be downloaded when you subsequently press the Download button.

    During a transfer, the average transfer speed as well as the instantaneous transfer speed is displayed. The time remaining estimation is calculated using the instantaneous transfer speed.

    You can stop a transfer at any time by pressing the Stop button, and later resume it. After resuming, PC-Mac-Net FileShare will determine which files already exist on your computer and then display the overwrite dialog (shown in Figure 20 below).


    Figure 20. The overwrite dialog

    If you press the Overwrite button, any existing files shown in the Local File List will be overwritten with the transferred files.

    Pressing Continue will make the transfer continue from where it left off. The Transferred text (on the bottom right side of the Transfer Files panel) shows information about progress, including the amount of new file data transferred, the amount of new file data that needs to be transferred, and the total amount of file data selected. For example, '3.010 gb of 7.050 gb (8.763 gb)' means that 3.010 gb of file data has been transferred of a total of 7.050 gb. The amount of file data selected was 8.763 gb. Thus, the continue on the transfer occurred after 8.763 gb - 7.050 gb = 1.713 gb had already been transferred.

    If you are getting a large group of files over the Internet from a remote computer (especially via a dialup modem), then the continue function could save you a lot of time. With PC-Mac-Net FileShare, you just need to reconnect and continue the transfer if the modem connection drops out unexpectedly (as they sometimes do) and transfers are not fully completed.

    If you are transferring a lot of folders and files over a LAN with PC-Mac-Net FileShare, the continue function can be very helpful if there are file access problems. In contrast, if a problem occurs when transferring files and folders using built-in Microsoft Windows file sharing, the transfer is terminated abruptly and you have to start again from the beginning.

    In addition, very large files, such as digital home movies, can be reliably transferred over the Internet (even via dialup modem), making it easy for you to share digital movies, photo collections, etc. with your family and friends.

    The Update button should be used if you only want to transfer newer files between computers, overwriting older files. This can also be used as a simple one-way data backup function by making a copy of a set of files on another computer.

    Note: Holding down the Shift key whilst you click the Download button will force an overwrite and     bypass the overwrite dialog.

    Uploading files
    When you wish to upload a file displayed in the local file list, simply double-click it (or highlight it and press the Upload button - the right-pointing arrow) to begin sending it to the remote computer. After the file transfer is complete, the remote file list will be refreshed automatically and the transferred file displayed in it. A number of files and/or folders can be selected at one time on the local file list, which will be uploaded when you subsequently press the Upload button.

    Files and folders can only be uploaded to 'writeable' folders in the remote file list. If the Upload button has a red cross through it, the selected remote folder is not writeable and you cannot upload to it. Setting a remote shared folder to 'writeable' can only be done on the remote computer, in the Shared Folders panel.

    Note: Holding down the Shift key whilst you click the Upload button will force an overwrite and bypass the overwrite dialog.
     
    Synchronizing to a remote folder
    To synchronize two folders with the same name in the local and remote file lists, select the folder in the Local File List and press the Synchronize button (see Figure 20 below). Any files not in both locations will be transferred, and files with newer modification dates will be transferred, until both folders contain the same set of files and folders. For example, this function is particularly good if you wish to work on a set of files at both home and work. You can be at either location, yet be working on the latest set of files. This has the added benefit of maintaining a remote backup of your files as well, in case something happens to one of your computers eg. your laptop is lost, stolen, etc.

    Local folders can only be synchronized to 'writeable' folders in the remote file list. If the Sync button has a red cross through it, the selected remote folder is not writeable and you cannot synchronize to it. Setting a remote shared folder to 'writeable' can only be done on the remote computer, in the Shared Folders panel.

    Note: You can't synchronize with root shared folders ie. folders at the very top level of the remote file list. You can only synchronize with folders contained within root shared folders. For example, in the setup shown in Figure 21 below, we have already navigated into the writeable 'Chemistry' folder and can now synchronize any local folder to it.


    Figure 21. Synchronizing a local with a remote folder

    Getting detailed file and folder information
    To get detailed information about an item in the local file list or remote file list, right-click that item and choose Get Info or Get Info (With MD5 Signature) from the contextual menu. See the example File Information dialog shown before in Figure 22. You can also select multiple items (up to 3 at a time) and get information about all of them at once.



    Figure 22. The File Information dialog

    The File Information dialog shows various information about the file or folder. Unusual information includes the sizes of the data and resource forks, the type, the creator, and the MD5 signature. These are labelled Data, Resource, Type, Creator and MD5 respectively.

    Only some MacOS files have resource forks - pure Windows and Linux files do not (they only have a data fork). However, since you can transfer both data forks and MacOS resource forks to Windows and Linux computers with PC-Mac-Net FileShare (by checking the Transfer MacOS Resource Forks checkbox on the Preferences panel), you may see a non-zero resource fork size. The Type and Creator values (which are generally equivalent to a file name extension on Windows and Linux eg. ".pdf") only exist on MacOS.

    The MD5 signature is a very, very unique value generated by a special algorithm using the contents of the file. If even a single bit or byte of a file changes, the MD5 signature created will be completely different. This special ability makes it a superb way to check whether two files are identical - the files are identical only if their MD5 signatures match. This is particular useful if files are located at two different locations, and you want to check that they are the same.

    A particularly powerful feature in PC-Mac-Net FileShare is the ability to generate an MD5 signature from the contents of a folder. In this case, all the files in the folder and it's subfolders will be scanned and a cumulative MD5 signature created from them. This makes it possible to check that the contents of two folders match exactly.

    Since MD5 signatures can be generated from items in both the local file list and remote file list, you can check that a file or folder was transferred correctly (ie. there was no file corruption). This is particularly useful if you sometimes get modem dropouts, powerouts, you can't fully complete a transfer from one location and need to resume it at another, etc. Also, if you are located in New York and are transferring a folder of important documents to London, knowing that all documents were transferred correctly is very helpful.

    Note: MD5 signatures are usually 16 bytes in length, resulting in a 32 character hexadecimal value. The MD5 signature displayed in the File Information dialog is calculated to 32 characters, but trimmed to 8 characters to make it easier for users to visually compare two values.

    Using the File Information dialog, you can also change the permissions of a file or folder. After making changes, press the Apply button for the changes to be set.

    Transfer logs
    A log file is created during each transfer you perform, showing which files were uploaded and downloaded, the total amount of data transferred, and other information about the transfer. These logs files are all stored as readable text files in the 'Transfer_Logs' folder in the PC-Mac-Net FileShare preferences folder. Transfer logs older than 1 week are automatically deleted, to prevent too many from accumulating.

    Note: Hold down Ctrl and Shift on the keyboard whilst clicking the Preferences on the main window and the preferences folder will be displayed on your desktop (this function is not available on the Linux version).

    Encrypting data during transfers
    If you wish to get files and folders, but keep file data secure during LAN or Internet transfer, check the Encrypt Data checkbox on the Preferences panel. File data will be encrypted by the remote computer (using very strong 896-bit encryption) just before it is sent, preventing hackers from being able to read your file data as it passes over the network. Enabling data encryption slows down the file transfer speed by around 25% over high-speed networks (slowdown is negligible on slower networks). This encrypt data function is only available in the Professional Edition of PC-Mac-Net FileShare, though the remote computer from which you are getting files can be either the Standard Edition or the Professional Edition.

    The encrypt data feature is especially useful for companies wishing to set up a simple-to-use, inexpensive, highly effective Virtual Private Network (VPN). With the continuing proliferation of wireless networking in homes and businesses, the point-to-point protection of sensitive or confidential data from snooping can be critically important. PC-Mac-Net FileShare elegantly solves this problem.

    MacOS resource forks
    MacOS files sometimes have resource forks (indicated by an asterix, '*', in the Size: column of the Local File List and Remote File List listboxes), in addition to the normal data fork. Resource forks store additional information, such as icons, pictures, text, etc. Windows and Linux files traditionally only have a data fork. If you wish to fully download MacOS files with resource forks onto Windows or Linux computers, check the Transfer MacOS Resource Forks checkbox on the Preferences panel. If you leave this checkbox unchecked, downloading any MacOS files with resource forks to Windows or Linux computers will not include their resource forks, possibly corrupting the file.

    Each resource fork file name is the same as its data fork file name, except that a '._' prefix is added. The '._' prefix is used to ensure compatibility to other cross-platform file server applications. You may need to view hidden files to see these '._' prefix files on Windows and Linux. On Fedora 4 Linux, for example, check the Show Hidden Files menu item in the View menu on the desktop.

    Note: When you upload files from MacOS to Windows or Linux and the Macintosh files contain resource forks, these resource forks are also transferred to the Windows or Linux computer, irrespective of the setting of the Transfer MacOS Resource Forks checkbox on the Windows or Linux computer. Thus, you can correctly and safely backup all your Macintosh files to a Windows or Linux computer.

    Chatting with remote users
    If you are connected to a remote user, you can start a chat session instantly with them by pressing the Chat button on the top right side of the Transfer Files panel. This allows you to send messages to the remote user, asking them to share particular files with you, telling them about the great new song they just heard, etc. An example chat session is shown below in Figure 22.


    Figure 22. The Chat window

    To send a message to the user, type it into the textbox and press the Send Message button (or press 'Enter' on the keyboard). The message will be displayed automatically in your chat window when the remote user has successfully received it. You username will appear in blue in the chat session, and the remote user's will appear in green.

    To send text in your local clipboard to the remote user (such as web page URL, email address, etc), copy it to your clipboard and then press the Send Clipboard button. The remote user's Copy Clipboard button will become enabled when they have successfully received the clipboard text, and they can then copy and paste it into their web browser or other location. The clipboard is displayed in the chat window in red, to differentiate it from the chat text.

    Note: The Linux version does not support colored text in the chat text area. Clipboard transfers are instead marked with three asterixes at each end of the text eg. '***This is some transferred clipboard text.***'

    To get the remote user's attention, press the Send Beep button. An audible alert will sound on the remote user's computer, and you will hear it as well.


    Remote media player
    Many homes are now set up with home theatre systems which feature large screen LCD or plasma TVs and high-powered multichannel 5.1 surround sound systems. They provide a superb way to enjoy music and movies in a highly immersive environment.

    However, storing and playing music and movies usually involves having racks of CDs and DVDs, finding and loading disks that you wish to play, and putting them away after use. Children can     also put fingerprints and scratches on disks (affecting their playback quality), and accidently put them away in the wrong place (or not at all). It would be much better to use a hard disk to store the music and movie files, and then play these media directly from that hard disk.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare provides the functionality to convert existing computer hardware (eg. an old Windows or Linux PC) into a media center and file server. Simply install PC-Mac-Net FileShare on the designated media computer and place it near a TV and sound system for easy video and audio connection. Then use another computer, such as a laptop, to remotely control the playback of music and movies. Typical applications include piping movies to childrens’ rooms, playing movies and music on the TV in the lounge, and managing music for a party.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare works over wired and wireless LANs, as well as over the Internet. Thus, you can set up your media computer so it is near your TV and sound system, and there are no wires snaking around your lounge room. Most people try to set up media computers in this way.

    However, you can control media playback with     PC-Mac-Net FileShare over the Internet as well, allowing you to control a movie playing at your home from your work computer or some other location. Other possibilities include uploading a new family movie to your grandmother's computer in Florida using PC-Mac-Net FileShare and then playing it for her, or remotely playing sound files (such as the sounds of people talking) as a burglar deterent. There are many potential applications.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare integrates the VLC media player (www.videolan.org) to provide its media playback functions.  This media player can play a very wide range of media formats, such as MP3, Ogg, AAC, Avi, DivX 5, MPEG4, Quicktime, WMV2, Sorenson and H264. The only media types that are not supported by VLC are those protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management) systems, such as Apple's Fairplay.

    Note: Support for the Quicktime media player on MacOS and Windows is planned for the future. Quicktime works with Apple's Fairplay DRM system, so will play this type of media as well.


    Searching for files on a remote computer
    You can search for files and folders contained in the shared folders on a remote computer by keyword or media type. This allows you to easily locate files of interest, such as movie or music files, and create playlists using them. The Media Playlists panel is shown in Figure 23 below.


    Figure 23. The Media Playlists panel

    The search functions are located on the right side of the panel. Here you can enter the part or parts of a name you wish to search for using the Search Text textbox, and select the media type using the Media Type popup menu. To start a search, press the Search button. To stop a lengthy search in progress, press the Stop Search button.

    To find files and folders whose names contain particular text, enter part of the name in the Search Text textbox and press the Search button. The remote computer will then search it's shared folders for files matching that search text, and they will be displayed in the Search Results list.

    For example, to search for a movie file called 'Gone with the wind', you could enter 'wind' and all files whose names contain 'wind' will be displayed. Alternatively, you could select Movies from the Media Type popup menu (without search text) and 'Gone with the wind' would also be found.

    Searching for folders by name is also easy to do. Select Any Folder from the Media Type popup menu and enter a part of the name of the folder. The search results will display all files contained in folders whose name matches your search criteria. This is particularly useful, for example, if you have organized your music so that a folder containing all the songs of an album are located in a folder named after the artist eg. Music -> Alanis Morissette -> Jagged Little Pill. Alternatively, you may have your movies organized in folders by genre eg. Action, Horror, Children, etc. To find all media files of a particular genre, you would simply enter the genre name, select Any Folder as the media type and start a search.

    The search results are displayed in a tree view, which allows you to see exactly where a file is located. This tree view is quite similar to the 'Explorer' view shown for files on the Windows operating system. You can expand and contract the contents of a folder by clicking the expand and contract icons shown next to each folder.

    If you wish to download files or folders you have found, look at the the folder containing the file in the tree view and then navigate to that location using the Remote File List on the Transfer Files panel.


    Setting up media playlists
    Playlists are simply lists of music or movies which you wish to play in sequence from the top down.

    You can create a new playlist by selecting New Playlist from the File menu - a new playlist will be created in the Playlists listbox with an 'Untitled' name, which you can subsequently edit inline to whatever you like. To remove a playlist, right-click it and select Remove Playlist, or highlight it and press the delete or backspace key.

    Once you have selected a playlist in the Playlists listbox, you can add and arrange media files in it. To add media files, use the search functions on the right side of the Media Playlists panel to find them, then highlight them and press the Add Media button. The files will then be added to the Media Files list. You can drag around files shown in the     Media Files list to change their play order, and remove them by right-clicking them and selecting Remote Media File or highlighting them and pressing the delete or backspace key.

    You can edit any playlists which aren't currently playing.

    On most computer systems with reasonable performance, you can also transfer files to and from the remote computer during playback. Thus, you can upload a new set of music files or a new movie in the background whilst playback is occurring, and add them to existing or new playlists. Building new playlists with new media files during playback over LANs or the Internet is a very powerful feature in PC-Mac-Net FileShare.

    To create an instant playlist from the results of a search, simply select some items, right-click     the search results and select 'Create Instant Playlist'. A playlist will be created, named after the first item selected. You can then play the playlist as usual. This feature is particularly convenient if you wish to play a movie immediately after locating it on the remote computer.

    Note: You can show and hide media extensions eg. '.mp3', '.avi', etc. using the Show/Hide Media File Extensions menu item of the File menu.


    Controlling media playback
    Media playback is controlled using the set of controls on the bottom left of the Media Playlists panel. With these controls, you can view and change the play position of the music or movie currently playing, adjust the volume, rewind and fast forward the play position, and stop playback (see Figure 24 below).

    Note: Make sure the Allow Remote Media Control checkbox on the Preferences panel is checked on any computers you want to remotely control.

    The three time values shown on the top of this area are     the amount of time required to finish playing the current music track, the current play position, and the length of the music track respectively.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare contains an innovative new control system which consists of composite play/pause, rewind and fast forward controls, called Progressive Media ControlTM. The center part of the control contains the Play button. Pressing the Play button will start media playback, and the Pause button will then appear, replacing the Play button. Pressing the Pause button will pause playback. Pressing it again will continue play.


    Figure 24. The Progressive Media ControlTM

    The rewind and fast forward controls are progressive - they actually provide a continuum of rate control from very fine to very fast in both directions. You use fine control when you are close to the position in the movie you're interested in, and very fast movement when you need to move to a new position some way away (of course, you can also drag the Position Slider directly to make coarse changes to play position).

    For example, if you hold the Rewind button down at the outer end, the rewind rate of the media currently being played is very fast. As you drag the mouse pointer towards the center, the rewind rate slows down progressively until you have very fine control over rewind. If you rewind past the position you wanted, just drag further across to the Fast Forward control and the position will slowly increase instead. Dragging to the outer end of the Fast Forward button will make the fast forward rate very fast.

    Thus, during playback of media files, you can drag across the entire     Progressive Media ControlTM to set the exact playback position you want.

    Note: When rewinding and fast forwarding media (particularly movies), using slow rewind and slow fast forward rates can cause scenes to appear to be replayed repeatedly. However, if you hold the control down longer, it will move to new scenes as it should. This is simply a characteristic of how some types of compressed movies are encoded (ie. using periodic keyframes).

    When playing music, a music playback screen is displayed on the remote computer (see Figure 25 below). The large graphic at the top shows whether the current song is playing or paused, and the progress bar at the bottom shows graphically the current play position. The amount of time required to finish playing the music track, the current play position, and the length of the music track are shown at the bottom of the screen. In the center is displayed the track title, artist and album.


    Figure 25. The Music Playback screen

    To stop playback at any time, press the Stop Playback button. The media player will also be closed, showing the Ready For Action... backdrop (shown below in Figure 26).


    Figure 26. The Ready For Action screen


    To control media playback on multiple remote computers, simply select the computer you wish to control from the Connect to popup menu. If media is currently playing on the selected remote computer, the correct playlist, media name and media position will be displayed on the Media Playlists panel. You can then set playback position, fast forward, rewind, change the playlist or media being played    , search for media, create new playlists, set the volume, etc. as usual. These settings will be automatically saved if you subsequently choose a different remote computer to control.

    Thus, you could set up media computers at different locations in your home, and play different movies and/or music on each. For example, you could play a family movie in the children's room, whilst playing soothing music in the living area. Or you could remotely control the music played at a pool party in your backyard (or even next door, if you have a wireless LAN!) from your study.

    In addition, you could control movie or music playback of one or more remote computers over the Internet.


    Media file compatibility
    Some media file formats are not fully supported by the VLC media player. This limits some features of     PC-Mac-Net FileShare when playing these files.

    DivX 5: If a movie encoded in DivX5 format is played, the seek, rewind and fast forward functions will not work correctly. In addition, the position of a paused movie will not be saved correctly between launches of PC-Mac-Net FileShare (the movie will always start playing at the beginning again). The duration of the movie is also incorrect, and is assumed to be 3 hours in length. This issue is due to limited DivX5 support in the VLC v0.8.4 media player.

    MP4: When music and sound files encoded in MP4 format     (which use the m4a file extension) are played, album and artist information is not displayed on the media backdrop.


    The VLC media player
    PC-Mac-Net FileShare integrates the VLC media player (www.videolan.org) to provide its media playback functions.  This media player can play a very wide range of media formats, such as MP3, Ogg, AAC, Avi, DivX 5, MPEG4, Quicktime, WMV2, Sorenson and H264. The only media types that are not supported by VLC are those protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management) systems, such as Apple's Fairplay.

    The VLC source code can be found at:     http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-sources.html


    Note to Windows users
    Windows users generally have to be more mindful of viruses, spyware, and other malware than MacOS and Linux users, to ensure their computers work reliably and consistently. To ensure protection from malware, Windows users generally run anti-virus and anti-spyware programs in the background while they use their Windows computer to do useful tasks.

    The problem with many anti-virus and anti-spyware programs on Windows is that they slow down the effective computer speed, and introduce unusual and unpredictable delays when performing operations such as creating or modifying files (particularly large files eg. 700MB Divx movies), moving data over networks, launching applications, etc.

    Tests have shown that opening large files     can effectively lock up a Windows computer for a short time as anti-virus software scans the file to ensure if it has not been infected. Folders full of movie files can cause substantial lockup times when scanned by PC-Mac-Net FileShare as it gets information about these files for inclusion in the local file list.

    Anti-spyware software (including Microsoft's own anti-spyware product) can noticably delay the launch of movies opened by     PC-Mac-Net FileShare using the VLC media player.

    Unfortunately, there is no way to get around this problem without disabling anti-virus or anti-spyware products (which is not recommended). However, if you wish to test if these products are causing delays, you can disable them for a short time until the tests are complete.


    Note to MacOS Classic users
    There is no MacOS Classic version of the VLC media player available, nor is one planned in the future. However, Quicktime support will be incorporated in a future version of     PC-Mac-Net FileShare, and this may make it possible to use your old MacOS Classic computer as a music center.

    It is already possible to use a MacOS Classic computer to control media playback on multiple remote computers.


    Note to Linux Users
    VLC is bundled with PC-Mac-Net FileShare for MacOS and Windows. However, there are many Linux distributions and it would not be practical to bundle all the different versions with     PC-Mac-Net FileShare for Linux. Thus, you will need to install VLC on your particular Linux distribution. You can download the latest builds from www.videolan.org.

    The only requirement for     PC-Mac-Net FileShare is that you place the 'vlc' executable file inside a folder named 'vlc' inside the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application's folder. PC-Mac-Net FileShare looks for the executable there when it needs to use VLC's services.

    On some Linux distributions (eg. Ubuntu), VLC is available by simply using the 'add software' function. Of course, you will then need to copy the executable file from the /usr/bin/ folder (or wherever you /bin/ folder is) into the 'vlc' folder described above.

    You will probably need to install a library which     PC-Mac-Net FileShare depends on, called libstdc++5. If you are running Ubuntu, you should find that the following command line will install the correct library by downloading it from the Internet:

             sudo apt-get install libstdc++5

    For other Linux distributions, you should visit the     libstdc++5 resource page for the correct version for your system.

    If     PC-Mac-Net FileShare doesn't launch after about 20 seconds on your Linux computer (the startup time depends on your setup), you should try running PC-Mac-Net FileShare from the command line. In that way, you can see if there are any error messages returned by the operating system.


    Building your own remotely controlled media center
    Many homes are now set up with home theatre systems which feature large screen LCD or plasma TVs and high-powered multichannel 5.1 surround sound systems. They provide a superb way to enjoy music and movies in a highly immersive environment.

    However, storing and playing music and movies usually involves having racks of CDs and DVDs, finding and loading disks that you wish to play, and putting them away after use. Children can     also put fingerprints and scratches on disks (affecting their playback quality), and accidently put them away in the wrong place (or not at all). It would be much better to use a hard disk to store the music and movie files, and then play these media directly from that hard disk.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare provides the functionality to convert existing computer hardware (eg. an old Windows or Linux PC) into a media center and file server. Simply install PC-Mac-Net FileShare on the designated media computer and place it near a TV and sound system for easy video and audio connection. Then use another computer, such as a laptop, to remotely control the playback of music and movies. Typical applications include piping movies to childrens’ rooms, playing movies and music on the TV in the lounge, and managing music for a party.

    PC-Mac-Net FileShare works over wired and wireless LANs, as well as over the Internet. Thus, you can set up your media computer so it is near your TV and sound system, and there are no wires snaking around your lounge room. Most people try to set up media computers in this way.


    Choosing a suitable computer
    Personal computers have been available for over a decade now, and many users upgrade every few years to newer and faster machines. The question is, what useful purpose can those old computers be put to? Most often, they are passed down to other less discriminating users in the household, given away to friends or relatives, or dumped. PC-Mac-Net FileShare provides a way to use these old computers by converting them into a media center suitable for playing music and movies.

    Most old computers can play music, but you generally need a faster computer (> 1GHz in speed) Windows or Linux PC to play video well. With Macs, an 800MHz G3 appears to be sufficient. The best approach to finding out what your old computer is capable of is to install the Lite Edition of PC-Mac-Net FileShare on it, along with some music and movie files, and then try playing them using the remote media controls built into PC-Mac-Net FileShare. If the computer plays music well, then it could make a good music center. If it also plays movies well (ie. without stuttering, freezing or dropouts), then you have a fully fledged media center on your hands.

    Of course, you may also be able to partially refurbish an old PC so it can play music and movies properly, by purchasing and installing a budget sound card and/or video card for it. Sound cards with 5.1 channel output can be purchased for as little as USD15.00, and video cards with TV out capabilities can be had for as little as USD40.00. You'll also need an Ethernet card or wireless network adaptor in the old PC to connect to your home network, allowing media playback to be controlled remotely.

    If you want to set up your computer as a dedicated media center, you won't need to connect a mouse or keyboard (see the example setups below for further information about how to do this). Of course, the TV output at the back of the computer will be connected directly to your TV, so you won't need a monitor either.

    Rather than recycling an old PC, you could build a new media computer using budget PC components from a local PC store, or purchase a complete low-end system from a catalogue - only the computer box is required as PC-Mac-Net FileShare works on computers without a monitor (assuming it has a TV output), keyboard or mouse. Since a version of PC-Mac-Net FileShare is also available for Linux, there is great flexibility when choosing a budget packaged PC to use as a powerful media center.

    If you are technically capable, you may save more money by installing and using a free operating system, such as Linux. There are many easy-to-install distributions of Linux available for download from the Internet, such as Ubuntu. Ubuntu installs easily, detects most computer hardware, and has a simple installation system for additional software which works via download over the Internet. A version of Linux called Xebian is also available for the XBox games console.


    Example Windows setup
    If you want to make your computer a dedicated media center (ie. no mouse or keyboard connected to it), you need to set it up so that it boots and runs PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically when it's switched on. The following description assumes that you are relatively familiar with the BIOS built into PCs, navigating around the Windows desktop, and creating shortcuts.

    The first task is to set the BIOS so it continues even though it finds no keyboard connected. This is often selectable in the 'Main' BIOS menu, which will be displayed when you press the 'Delete' key during computer startup. You need to set the     'All but Keyboard' (or similar) option for 'Halt On'.

    Once you get through to booting into Windows, you need to ensure that a username and password is not requested when it starts up (obviously, without a keyboard attached, you can't type in any information). When you do a fresh installation of Windows (which is recommended if you are creating a media center PC), Windows will boot without asking for a username or password. However, you can change the user logon settings in the Windows control panels, if your Windows PC has been used in the past and has multiple user accounts already on it.

    Assuming you now have a Windows PC which you can switch on and which will then boot fully into Windows without user intervention, you now need to install     PC-Mac-Net FileShare, create a shortcut to the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application, and place that shortcut in the Windows 'Startup' folder. To create a shortcut, right-click the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application (it should be in C:\Program Files\PC-Mac-Net FileShare\) and select 'Create Shortcut' from the displayed contextual menu.

    The 'Startup' folder can be found in different locations, depending on the type of Windows you are running. On Windows XP, you'll find the 'Startup' folder inside the 'Programs' folder, inside the 'Start Menu' folder, inside the users folder, inside the 'Documents and Settings' folder.

    For example, if your account name was 'Michael' and you only had one hard drive (ie. drive C:), the location of the 'Startup' folder would be:

    C:\Documents and Settings\Michael\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

    Finally, make sure that PC-Mac-Net FileShare is set up correctly. By default, it should have the Workgroup Setup Method on the Network panel set to Auto-Discovery (with this setting, it should automatically connect to all computers on your LAN running     PC-Mac-Net FileShare). In addition, ensure the Allow Remote Media Control checkbox is checked and that you know the Sharing Password set on it. Also, set up a writeable shared folder to contain the movies and music you want to remotely control (by default, a shared folder on the desktop called 'Shared Folder' is created, but you need to check the Writeable checkbox next to it on the Shared Folders panel - this will allow you to upload movies and music to it from a remote computer).

    It's also a good idea to disable any screensavers (these are often switched on by default).

    If everything is set up correctly, you'll find that when the PC is switched on, it boots into Windows and runs     PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically. You should then have immediate control of the PC from another computer.


    Example MacOS setup
    The Mac Mini is an excellent choice for a media center, as it is very compact and offers high-resolution video output for widescreen TVs. However, any type of Mac would be suitable, as long as it runs MacOS X.

    If you want to make your computer a dedicated media center (ie. no mouse or keyboard connected to it), you need to set it up so that it boots and runs PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically when it's switched on. On MacOS computers, no keyboard or mouse needs to be connected for it to boot up correctly, so you don't need to take any special action to achieve this.

    Once you get through to booting into MacOS X, you need to ensure that a username and password is not requested when it starts up (obviously, without a keyboard attached, you can't type in any information). To do this, go to the Accounts control panel, select the main Admin account and click the Login Options selector. You should see a checkbox which allows you to set your Mac to automatically log in as a particular user. Check this checkbox.

    Assuming you now have a Mac which you can switch on and which will then boot fully into MacOS without user intervention, you now need to install     PC-Mac-Net FileShare and add the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application to the login items list on the account you selected above for automatic login. To do this, go to the Accounts control panel, select the main Admin account, select the Login Items panel and add PC-Mac-Net FileShare to the list using the Add button at the bottom of the panel. Then check the checkbox next to the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application in the list.

    Finally, make sure that PC-Mac-Net FileShare is set up correctly. By default, it should have the Workgroup Setup Method on the Network panel set to Auto-Discovery (with this setting, it should automatically connect to all computers on your LAN running     PC-Mac-Net FileShare). In addition, ensure the Allow Remote Media Control checkbox is checked and that you know the Sharing Password set on it. Also, set up a writeable shared folder to contain the movies and music you want to remotely control (by default, a shared folder on the desktop called 'Shared Folder' is created, but you need to check the Writeable checkbox next to it on the Shared Folders panel - this will allow you to upload movies and music to it from a remote computer).

    It's also a good idea to disable any screensavers (these are often switched on by default).

    If everything is set up correctly, you'll find that when the Mac is switched on, it boots into MacOS X and runs     PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically. You should then have immediate control of the PC from another computer.


    Example Linux setup
    There are many easy-to-install distributions of Linux available for download from the Internet, such as Ubuntu. Ubuntu installs easily, detects most computer hardware, and has a simple installation system for additional software which works via download over the Internet. The following discussion assumes that you are using the Ubuntu Linux distribution.

    If you want to make your computer a dedicated media center (ie. no mouse or keyboard connected to it), you need to set it up so that it boots and runs PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically when it's switched on. The following description assumes that you are relatively familiar with the BIOS built into PCs, and creating shortcuts.

    The first task is to set the BIOS so it continues even though it finds no keyboard connected. This is often selectable in the 'Main' BIOS menu, which will be displayed when you press the 'Delete' key during computer startup. You need to set the     'All but Keyboard' (or similar) option for 'Halt On'.

    Once you get through to booting into Ubuntu Linux, you need to ensure that a username and password is not requested when it starts up (obviously, without a keyboard attached, you can't type in any information). After logging in, select Login Screen Setup from the Administration item of the System menu. On this control panel, select Login a user automatically on first bootup and close the control panel.

    Assuming you now have a     Ubuntu Linux PC which you can switch on and which will then boot fully into Ubuntu Linux without user intervention, you now need to install PC-Mac-Net FileShare, and make it so that PC-Mac-Net FileShare is started automatically.

    To make     PC-Mac-Net FileShare start automatically, select Sessions from the Preferences item of the System menu. On this control panel, move to the Startup Programs panel, press the Add button and navigate to and select the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application.

    Important Note: the file path to the     PC-Mac-Net FileShare application can contain no spaces, otherwise Linux won't be able to launch the application correctly (it always views a space as the end of a command line, and processes text after the space as control options). To fix this problem, replace all spaces in the path to the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application with underscores, '_'. After changing the path, make sure you update the path in the Startup Programs panel as described above.

    Finally, make sure that PC-Mac-Net FileShare is set up correctly. By default, it should have the Workgroup Setup Method on the Network panel set to Auto-Discovery (with this setting, it should automatically connect to all computers on your LAN running     PC-Mac-Net FileShare). In addition, ensure the Allow Remote Media Control checkbox is checked and that you know the Sharing Password set on it. Also, set up a writeable shared folder to contain the movies and music you want to remotely control (by default, a shared folder on the desktop called 'Shared Folder' is created, but you need to check the Writeable checkbox next to it on the Shared Folders panel - this will allow you to upload movies and music to it from a remote computer).

    It's also a good idea to disable any screensavers (these are often switched on by default).
    If everything is set up correctly, you'll find that when the PC is switched on, it boots into Ubuntu Linux and runs PC-Mac-Net FileShare automatically. You should then have immediate control of the PC from another computer.


    Macintosh file types and creators
    You can also modify the Macintosh files types and creators assigned to a file which is transferred from a Windows PC by pressing the MacOS file types button. This will bring up the MacOS file types dialog shown in Figure 27 below. Using the dialog, you can add an entry by putting in the extension of a file on the Windows PC (eg. 'pdf') and then pressing the Add file's type... button. This will allow you to select an existing file on your computer with the type and creator you want mapped to this file extension.


    Figure 27. The MacOS File Types dialog


    Localization into other languages
    PC-Mac-Net FileShare can now be easily localized into any Unicode-based language eg. German, Japanese, Hebrew, Spanish, Dutch, etc.

    The default language is English, and the localization process works by enabling you to easily enter a translation in a target language for all button names, dymanic help text, tab panel titles, etc. used by PC-Mac-Net FileShare. Once a language file has been created, it can then be selected for use (via the Preferences panel) and also distributed to other users. Language files are saved in the Languages folder in the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application folder.

    To create a new language file or edit an existing one, select Edit... from the Language popup menu in the Preferences panel. The dialog shown in Figure 28 below will be displayed.


    Figure 28. The Localize Language dialog for the French language

    To create a new language file, enter the name of the language in the top-right textbox and press the Create button. If you wish to edit an existing language file, select it from the Language popup menu. In the example dialog above, a 'French' language file has been created.

    A unique English Property Name is assigned to each translatable item to identify it. For example, 'TabPanelNews' is the name used to identify the title of the News panel.

    On the left side of the dialog, the English Property Value is displayed. This value is built into PC-Mac-Net FileShare and cannot be changed by the user. However, the Localized Property Value can be changed. This textbox is where the translated text is entered and/or edited.

    The person translating simply works through the list of English Property Names by selecting each in turn from the English Property Name popup menu and entering the translation. The translation should be made using the same style of expression, and the same length of text, as the English property value. This is because many buttons, etc. have limited room for text and must look right after the translation process is complete.

    To see which properties have not yet been translated, check the Only List Properties Not Translated checkbox. All localized properties which are different to their equivalent English properties will be eliminated from the popup menu. This helps translators work through all translations efficiently.

    Press the Save button to save your entries and/or edits to the language file.

    Issues relating to the Linux version
    The Linux (i86) version of PC-Mac-Net FileShare is a first release, and may have some stability issues on particular system configurations. There are a number of considerations you should keep in mind when using this version:

    1. Screensaver activation during transfers may cause PC-Mac-Net FileShare to lock up. Deactivate your screensaver when using PC-Mac-Net FileShare.
    2. Files with path names containing unusual or exotic characters will probably not transfer correctly. Try changing source file path names so they don't contain unusual characters.
    3. Localization into other languages is very limited on the Linux version, and may not work correctly on your particular system configuration.
    4. Up to 3 remote users can download files at the same time on the Linux version (the MacOS and Windows versions support 5 concurrent users).
    5. File sizes up to 2GB are supported.

    Please report any problems to service@lavasoftware.com and include as much detail as possible about the sequence of operations you performed which led to the problem manifesting itself, your Linux installation details, and anything else which you believe may be affecting it.

    News and updates
    The News panel (shown in Figure 29 below) displays the latest news from Lava Software, the edition and version number of the PC-Mac-Net FileShare application, and the runtime key used in the installation.

    If a news update was released since you last launched PC-Mac-Net FileShare and your computer is connected to the Internet, the News panel will be automatically selected and an alert sound will be played to inform you of the update.

    To change the runtime key of an existing installation, press the Key button and paste in the new runtime key. This may be necessary, for example, if you accidently enter the same runtime key on two computers running PC-Mac-Net FileShare on your network, or wish to convert an existing installation of PC-Mac-Net FileShare from the 'Standard Edition' to the 'Pro Edition'.


    Figure 29. The News panel


    Additional notes
    If you get a message saying that a computer is unreachable, try again. Sometimes network packets get lost (especially in congested networks) and simply trying again can result in success.

    If your Internet connection is protected by a firewall and you will be transferring files across the Internet, you may need to enable the port used by PC-Mac-Net FileShare, so that the software will work correctly on your system. The default port used is 3300, but you can use another port if you wish. You can set the base port number on the Preferences panel (quit and relaunch for the change to take effect).

    A file shown in the My Local File List listbox or the Remote File List listbox with a 'Y' marked under the 'Mac' heading is a Macintosh file with a resource fork. When transferring these types of files to another Macintosh, all file information will be transferred correctly. However, when transferring these types of files to a PC, only the data fork will be transferred (thus, the file may become corrupted). You may wish to use a MacBinary conversion program on the Macintosh to first convert the file to MacBinary format before transferring it to a PC.

    If a control is disabled, the dynamic help text associated with it will be displayed in red. Normally, it is displayed in black.