INTRODUCTION
The easiest way to turn your Mac computer into a file sharing server is to use the file sharing tools that come with MacOS and Mac OSX operating systems. Once your computer is set up for sharing, it is called a "host" that makes resources accessible to other computers or "clients" on your network.
To familiarize yourself with the your computer's sharing options, check out Sharing preferences in System Preferences by going to:
> System Preferences > Sharing
From the Sharing window, your Mac can make a variety of shared resources available to client computers on your network using different computing protocols created for specific purposes. These protocols help computers exchange data and information, giving users the power to connect and control their computing environments and the files hosted on those computers. Here are a few examples of what you can share in the Sharing settings:
Screen sharing – Allows users to see your computer screen and control your desktop using the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) protocol.
File sharing –Provide access to files you choose to share with other users using the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) or Server Message Block (SMB, SAMBA or CIFS) file sharing protocols.
Remote login – Allow clients to control your computer remotely using the command line via the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol.
Remote management – Share your computer screen and control of your desktop using the Remote Desktop (RDP) protocol (similar to VNC).
You can also share your internet service, your DVD/CD optical disc drive, any connected printers, or send and receive data via bluetooth in the Sharing settings. For now, we will start by setting up File Sharing.
FILE SHARING INSTRUCTIONS
Once Mac File Sharing is up and running, you will be able to share specific files, folders, and internal or external hard drives, with clients and impose limitations on permissions and access. You can open up your host computer to anyone on your network, or "Guest" users, or you can restrict access by making users log in with a user name and password. To set up File Sharing, follow the steps below:
1. Turn on File Sharing Services: Open > System Preferences > Sharing and click the "File Sharing" checkbox to turn File Sharing on.
By default, your computer shares its "Public" folder using both the AFP and SMB file sharing protocols. This will make your data accessible to most Mac and Windows clients on your network. Your host Computer Name will have the same name as your current user by default, but feel free to change it to whatever you want. This is how your host will be identified to clients. The Computer Name pictured in this example is "beta".
2. Select Files/Folders: Now that File Sharing is turned on, decide which files, folders, or drives you would like to share and drag and drop those files into the "Shared Folders:" window. In the example pictured on the right, an external drive called "Share-Me" is selected for sharing.
3. Set Permissions: If you would like to restrict permissions and only allow certain users to read (view) or write (add or change) data on your host server, change the drop-down "Read & Write" settings in the right-hand "Users:" column.
Now that File sharing is turned on, let's see what it looks like to users who are attempting to connect to your host.
4. Connect to your host server from a client: Using a client computer that is connected to your network, open the Finder application and choose Go > Connect to Server... (or just use the keyboard shortcut "⌘K". This will bring up the "Connect to Server window", where you can type in your server's file sharing address.
6. Specify your host server using Finder:
Alternatively, you can connect to a host server by choosing it directly in left-hand column of the Finder "Shared" menu . This method is really quick and easy, especially if you don't know the name of the host you are connecting to.
Go to: Finder > Shared > All...
Select your server in the middle column as pictured in the image to the right.
Choose "Connect As..." to access File Sharing
Again, if your host requires clients to log in with their user name and password, a menu prompt will pop up and ask for those credentials. If you've set up Guest Sharing, your user can instead log in as a Guest. →
5. Specify the host server using a Server Address:
In the "Connect to Server" window, type in the Server Address. Start with the three-letter abbreviation for the File Sharing protocol you will be using (we will use Apple File Sharing protocol or "AFP") and the computer's name, followed by ".local". In our example, we will use:
afp://betal.local
If your host requires clients to log in with their user name and password, a menu prompt will pop up and ask for those credentials. If you've set up Guest Sharing, your user can instead log in as a Guest. ↓
7. Turn on Guest Sharing:
Lastly, if you are sure your network is secure and you trust connected clients, consider enabling Guest Sharing, which allows users to connect to your host server without a user name and password. To turn on Guest Sharing on your host computer ...
Go to > System Preferences > Users & Groups
Click the lock icon at the lower left-hand corner of the Users & Groups preferences pane and type in your admin credentials
Select "Guest User" in the left-hand column under "Other Users"
Click the "Allow guests to connect to shared folders" checkbox to enable Guest Sharing
Reboot your host computer to make sure this change takes effect.
RAD!
If data you would like to host and share from your NAS fits on the Mac Mini's hard drive or a couple of external hard drives for just a couple of users, you are all set! If you'd like to share lots and lots of data (over about 10 or 20TB) to multiple simultaneous users, check out Part 3 of this guide, which explores options for hosting high volume data using array enclosures and discusses performance optimization.