With the improvements on Apple’s OS X Operating Systems admins can now easily connect their systems to Windows Network.
Here I will tell you the 10 things that are necessary if you have to connect the Mac systems to a Windows Network.
1) Enable Windows Sharing on Mac:
The first step before you start configuring the Mac system on the Windows Network is that you should enable Windows Sharing on the Mac systems.
To enable Windows Sharing on a Macintosh, open System Preferences and select Sharing from within the Internet & Network section. Then, select the Windows Sharing check box.
2) The Mac’s default workgroup name may require some editing:
Windows sometime features different workgroup names like MSHome etc. Thus there is a need to change the workgroup name on your Mac.
For changing the name, all you have to do is to, open the Utilities folder, and double-click Directory Access. Click the lock and supply the Mac’s Administrator password to enable changes. Select the SMB/CIFS entry and click the Configure button. In the resulting Directory Access window, supply the workgroup name you want the Macintosh system to use and click OK.
3) New Windows users account must be created on the Mac:
Before you can use Windows and Mac on the same network you must create usernames and passwords for the new users. For doing this, open System Preferences on the Apple system and click Accounts from within the System section.
4) There are many methods to access Mac Resources:
After the Windows Users accounts have been created on the Mac they can now access the resources on the Mac. They should use the Add A Network Place Wizard or can open My Network Places, Windows Explorer and then type Apple’s IP address followed by a Valid User Account.
5) Enable printing to Windows Hosted printers:
You can print your documents on printers hosted on Windows Computers by using Mac’s Print and Fax console. To enable Windows users to print to a printer installed on the Macintosh system, simply click the Sharing button and select the check boxes for the printers you want to share.
6) File services for Mac must be installed on SBS servers when OS 9 is present:
If Apple OS 9 systems have to be supported, file services for Mac should be enabled on Small Business Server. Open Add/Remove Windows Components within Control Panel and enable File Services For Macintosh from within Other Network File And Print Services.
7) File Services for Mac requires the Microsoft UAM:
To connect using file services for Mac, Microsoft’s UAM must be installed on each Mac system.
8) Re-creating Windows Shares:
Windows Shares must be re-created for enabling File Services on Mac. Windows users can use the Windows Manage application to re-create the shares.
9) OS X 10.3 and later can join SBS networks using Samba:
Samba offers a simplified connection method but that is available only for OS X 10.3 and later users.
10) SBS .local domains may require DNS updates on their Mac:
Systems using OS X 10.3 and its earlier versions must make DNS changes to leverage Samba. The older versions use Apple’s Rendezvous to make the connection. But still the most effective method is to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.4.
Via: techrepublic.com
