Windows NT Services for Macintosh

ID: Q99765

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Windows NT Advanced Server Services for Macintosh easily and inexpensively allows Macintosh and IBM PC-compatible computers to share files and printers. Up to 255 Macintosh users can connect to each Windows NT Advanced Server server, as easily as they can connect to an AppleShare volume. PC users can connect to the server as well, which provides a mechanism to transfer files between systems. A Macintosh user can print to a PostScript printer, and many non-PostScript printers, connected to the Windows NT Advanced Server server as easily as they can print to a LaserWriter on the Macintosh network. Furthermore, any PC user can print to a LaserWriter connected to the Macintosh network.

This article discusses the following topics:


MORE INFORMATION

Transparent File Sharing

To a Macintosh user, a Windows NT Advanced Server file server looks just like an AppleShare server. To a PC user, Windows NT Advanced Server looks like any PC network server (Windows NT Advanced Server can share a CD-ROM drive as well). The server intelligently manages file names, icons, and access permissions for the different networks. For example, each Word for Windows file appears in the Macintosh environment with the corresponding Word for Macintosh icon. Windows NT Advanced Server supports launching Macintosh applications from the file server.

The Windows NT file system (NTFS) provides multistream file access that supports storing resource forks and Finder information in the same file, and supports 31 character filenames, including an on-the-fly filename translation facility for all client types. These features increase performance and aid volume management.

Furthermore, the system administrator can require Macintosh users to use Windows NT encryption when they log into a server, to provide enhanced password and network security.

Inexpensive, High Performance File and Print Server

Services for Macintosh allow you to convert any computer running Windows NT Advanced Server, with its built-in networking, to a non-dedicated, high- performance, AppleShare-compliant file and print server. In other words, you receive great performance for less than the cost of a comparable Macintosh computer running AppleShare, and for less cost than that provided by other PC-based solutions, which require a dedicated machine and expensive networking software.

Two-way Printer Sharing

Services for Macintosh not only gives Macintosh users access to printers on the Windows NT Advanced Server domain, but it also acts as a print spooler. This means that Macintosh users can get back to work faster, before their documents have finished printing, and without using valuable hard-disk space on their local machine for spooling. Furthermore, a network administrator can control the print queue for networked LaserWriter printers just like any other printer attached to a Windows NT Advanced Server domain.

Of course, a PC user can also use the same print queues to print to any LaserWriter connected to the Macintosh network.

A Printing Miracle

The best news of all may be that the Services for Macintosh has a built in PostScript-compatible printing engine. With this engine, a Macintosh can print to any printer connected to the Windows NT Advanced Server domain as if it was a LaserWriter. You can finally get great-looking output even from some of your oldest printers and take advantage of your existing hardware investment, instead of being forced to upgrade.

Integrated Administration

The process of administering and configuring the Services for Macintosh is tightly integrated into Windows NT Advanced Server. The administrator is required to manage only one set of users and groups. You can create Macintosh-accessible volumes directly from File Manager and configure Services for Macintosh in the Control Panel. The system automatically translates NTFS file and directory permissions into corresponding Macintosh permissions.

Windows NT Advanced Server supports multiple physical network topologies: TokenRing (TokenTalk), Ethernet (EtherTalk), and "serial" (LocalTalk).

Easy Upgrade

Users of LAN Manager Services for Macintosh version 1.0 can smoothly upgrade to Services for Macintosh version 3.1. The upgrade converts existing OS/2-based volumes, leaving permissions intact.

System Requirements

System 6.0.8 or later (clients) AFP 2.1-compliant

Additional query words: sfm prodnt 3.10 3.5x 


Keywords          : kbinterop ntmac NTSrv 
Version           : 3.1 3.50 3.51 4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: January 13, 1999