SpeedShare Server User Guide

Table Of Contents

Introduction


SpeedShare Server is an application that makes files on a Mac available for others to browse, move and copy over the Internet. Its features make it easy to share files on a standard dial-up Internet connection. File transfer is fast and easy, with built-in file compression.

Users connect to SpeedShare Server with a client program called SpeedShare. This program works like the Finder, making it easy to organize files and folders, get info on them, and copy them.

This is a how-to guide to setting up a SpeedShare Server. Because SpeedShare Server is designed to explain itself, you may find that the simplest way to learn about SpeedShare Server is to just open it and start to use it. For a built-in explanation of things that may not be perfectly clear, click on the icon that looks like this:


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Getting Started


Setting up a SpeedShare Server involves setting the name of the server, setting the owner name and password, and starting the server.

If this is your first time using SpeedShare Server, double-click the SpeedShare Server icon to open it. It doesn't matter initially whether you're connected to the Internet, because some things need to be set first.

SpeedShare Server Icon

Initial setup of the SpeedShare server is done in the First Time Setup window. Enter the server name, the owner name, and the owner password, then start the server.

Once you've started the server, use the Preferences to configure the server. To see the Preferences, use the Edit menu to choose Preferences.

There are several pages in the Preferences window. You can navigate to a particular page by using the popup menu, or by using the arrow buttons, or the arrow keys on the keyboard.

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Starting and stopping the server


SpeedShare Server is an application, just like a spreadsheet or a word processor. To open SpeedShare Server, double-click its icon.

Connections can be made to SpeedShare Server only when the server is started. "Starting the server" is like starting your car - you can't go anywhere if it's not running, and you can't connect to a Mac with SpeedShare Server that doesn't have the server running.

Normally, you'll want SpeedShare Server to start when the application is opened, and stop when you Quit. Sometimes, though, you may want the application open without allowing connections to the server - for example, when you're making changes to the Preferences, or when you open SpeedShare Server for the first time. You probably don't want connections made to your computer before you've had a chance to set up user names and passwords!

To start the server, use the File menu to choose Start Server.

To stop the server, use the File menu to choose Stop Server.

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Connecting to the server


Once the server is running, connections are made to the server using either the name of the server, or the server's TCP/IP address. To let another person connect to your Macintosh, give them: If your Macintosh has a permanent TCP/IP address, the address can be used directly to connect to your Mac. Remember, though, that if you connect from a different location, or you use a dialup connection to the Internet, that your TCP/IP address will change.

The Qdea Worldwide Rendezvous makes it possible for any Macintosh in the world to connect to your server by name, even though it's on a dialup connection to the Internet. Here's more information about the Rendezvous and why it's useful.

Step-by-step instructions describing how to make a connection to a SpeedShare Server can be found in the SpeedShare Client User Guide.

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Using a server on a PPP connection


One of the strengths of SpeedShare is its ability to make file sharing possible on a standard dialup Internet connection. If you use Open Transport PPP to connect to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), SpeedShare Server makes it even easier.

Use the PPP Preferences (use the Edit menu to choose Preferences)to connect PPP before starting the server, to reconnect PPP if the connection is lost, and to connect PPP and start the server between certain times - during the day when you want access to your computer at work, or late at night when your phone line isn't in use.

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SpeedShare Server Reference


This is a description of the menus and windows in SpeedShare Server. Return to the Table of Contents