Setting Up AirPort
I am just now leaving the world of PC for that of Mac. I am planning on setting up a network with two hard-wired iMacs and one iBook via an AirPort Base Station. I presently have a Linksys Cable/DSL Router with a 10/100 4-port switch. I plan on using Mac OS X.
1. Will this router work as the “hub” in your diagram?
2. There is a firewall on this router. Will that cause a problem with the firewall on the AirPort?
3. Will the firewall on the AirPort inhibit file sharing and/or printer sharing with the other two computers?
4. The router is already configured through my PC and works fine when my iMac is plugged into a LAN port and the PC is disconnected. Is there a need to change any settings since I will no longer be using the PC?
—Dave
1. Yes, a router is a hub (or, in this case, a switch, which is better).
2. My understanding is that as long as both are set for DHCP networking, it should be no problem. You have the added benefit of a double-firewall! If the thought of having both devices concerns you, you should consider selling your existing router and picking up Linksys’ Router + Wireless Access Point. You can use that as a transmitter instead of the Base Station. I wrote an article about the encryption methods, but there is info there as well that should explain why using one might be a good idea in your case.
3. To get file sharing going through the firewall, you’ll need to forward port 548 to the local IP of the machine doing the hosting. I think printer sharing also uses this port, but I don’t know that for a fact.
4. The router couldn’t care less what machines are attached to it nor which machine was used to configure it. It may, however, be a good idea to remove any port forwarding to a local IP address if that address was assigned to a machine you aren’t using on your network any more. —Lee Bennett
I Hate When That Happens
I used to work for the cable company which became my provider. When I ordered my installation I worked in a support area of a University for server administrators, computer lab people, and some of the brightest Mac users on the planet.
When I put in the order I told the woman I would be just getting hooked up and that I would set up the machine myself. When she learned it was a Mac she said they would send a special Mac person to help me.
The “contract” installer tried to split my line (as I already had cable TV) and then ran some RG59 up to my study. Modem out of the box and my G3 already having Ethernet and I thought I was ready to go.
The Mac expert arrived with the installer (separate vehicles) and told me to watch the young man closely. As I know a thing or two about installing cable from when I worked there I saw the young man install the splitter and then go up to add the modem. Close inspection showed he put the splitter in backward.
When I showed him how my TV was no longer providing me with cable channels he was determined not to take any blame for it. My Mac specialist suggested I let the young man go away and he would fix things up.
Actually he and I talked Macintosh and shared some tea for about two hours while waiting for some staff technicians who showed up later on. I knew one of the guys and we grinned together as I showed him the reversed split. They called it in as a tweak of the pole amplifiers and then they fixed my cable and split. In minutes I was connected and logging in for registration while my Mac expert looked on approvingly.
At the time I was node number one on my area’s switch and speeds regularly exceeded 256KB per sec. Now I share it with my neighbor across the alley and speeds are still in the 200s most times.
Phone support for small outages and hitches (when I was trying to connect the Mac OS X Mail program using their online instructions) has been cordial but not helpful.
I sympathize with Jeff and others who waited weeks and suffered the outrage of contracted installers. My billing has been totally straight up. I got the whole install for $50 and because I did my own config there was no additional charge. I don’t own the modem but I don’t rent it either.
It kind of makes me appreciate the federal regulator in Canada (CRTTC) who keeps these companies honest about their service.
—Dave
Burning Your Own Music CDs
Where would I find directions to convert MIDI files (songs) to audio CDs?
—Carl F De Luca MD
You can use a variety of sound converting utilities to convert a MIDI file to an AIFF file (audio CD format). I use SoundApp 2.7.3 by Norman Franke. SoundApp is free and gives you a lot of control over the MIDI-to-AIFF conversion process.
You can also use iTunes to convert MIDI files to AIFF. iTunes considers a MIDI file to be a QuickTime movie, but don’t let that worry you; the conversion works fine. You use iTunes preferences settings to “import” with AIFF encoding. I recommend using a custom configuration. Set the bit rate to 44.1 kHz. Most MIDI files are mono. You can set bit rate to Auto. Bring your MIDI files into iTunes, select them all, then choose “Convert to AIFF…” from the Advanced menu. —Gregory Tetrault
Reading a Mac Plus Hard Drive with a Performa
I read the articles on your nice page, and I also tried out some ways of networking as you described them. But there is still one question that I have and I couldn’t find the answer to either on your page nor on other ones. I hope you can help me perhaps.
I own an old Macintosh Plus with a 20 MB SCSI disk and 1 MB RAM. I also have a Performa 630 with 24 MB of RAM and a 250 MB HD. I tried to backup my files of my old Mac Plus by simply connecting the SCSI disk to the external drive interface of the Performa Mac. But System 7.5 always tried to initialize my SCSI disk.
After I’ve tried a few programs I found on the Performa (such as Silverlining) I saw that the device driver of my old disk is too old and I should update it. But I just don’t want to run the risk of deleting files or making the HD unusable for my old Mac Plus.
I would be very grateful if you could help me, because on the Internet I read that all Mac Plusses get a failure in the power-supply. So I want to backup at least all the files before it breaks down one day.
—[GDL] Vegeta
You are on the right track—you should update the driver on your Mac Plus hard drive, so that your newer Performa can read the drive. Updating the driver to 7.5.3 with HD SC Setup 7.5.3 ought to fix all the problems while retaining backwards OS compatibility. HD SC Setup is available free from Apple. —Evan Trent
Click ’N Design 3D
I’m surprised that you didn’t come across a known, but undocumented bug—curved text does not print on a PostScript laser printer (not sure about inkjets). Stomper’s tech support confirmed this, but didn’t indicate when this bug will be fixed.
—Corbin Harris
This isn’t unusual. Most people who use a program like Click ‘N Design 3D will be printing labels on an inkjet printer. Creating PostScript code for 3D stylized text would require a big addition to the program, and probably would not generate a sufficient return on investment. (Remember, this program can be downloaded for only $15.) —Gregory Tetrault
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