Home Networking

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Home Networking

Hi there, I am interested in setting up a family network to share printers and files within my home. We currently run a iMac and a MacBook Pro off of a Airport Extreme Network. We share our documents through Dropbox. We load all of our iTunes and iPhoto picutres on to the iMac as it is permanently in the house. Our AppleTV connects to the iMac. We use a shared iCloud account to share an email account, a calendar and contacts.

It is time for us to replace both the iMac and MacBook Pro. We would like to get two MacBook Pros (one for me and one for my wife) and a ThunderBolt Display. With the new system, I would like to be able share our pictures in iPhoto (400GB) and our iTunes media (music, movies, etc - 100GB). I don't want to get really large hard drives in the new MacBook Pros but I would like to get a way for them to be stored else where and have both of the new MacBook Pros access it.

My first idea was to get a MacMini (or MacMini server) to leave at the house all the time so my AppleTV (and Airport Express for Airplaying) has something to connect to. The iTunes media could be put on the MacMini. The iPhoto stuff could also be stored there. I could set up that the iTunes would auto download to the two MacBook Pros when I purchase something new. On my MacBook Pro, I could delete music that belongs to my wife and my wife could do the same but we would have a combined library on the MacMini.

As for the iPhoto Library, we could keep only the most recent pictures from the year on the MacBook Pros and older pictures on the MacMini.

Does it make sense to get a MacMini Server?

When I get the two, possibly three computers, do I log in with the same username on all? What is the best way to share everything between the three? Any better suggestions to share documents other than Dropbox? I know iCloud does store things but my impression it is only for iWork files.

Are there any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Gen), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Jan 9, 2014 8:51 AM

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Answer 1

etresoft

Level 8

46,278 points

Jan 9, 2014 9:17 AM in response to BC_Mike

I suggest you reconsider your premise. Sharing all of those files on a network is most efficient only for storage space. For everything else it is more difficult and time consuming. Big hard drives are standard these days. Thunderbolt drives are big and very fast. AirPlay will let you direct your media from one device to another.

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Answer 2

Jan 9, 2014 9:20 AM in response to BC_Mike

You could try a MacMini Server, but eventually you may run into its storage limitations. iCloud also is limited to what you can store on it, unless you add paid space to it. You can store almost any document from any Apple application into iCloud.

Perhaps you might find a network drive useful. These are large, and expandable, some with multiple drive bays, that can be accessible to anyone who can log into your home network.

Tim

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Answer 3

Jan 9, 2014 9:39 AM in response to BC_Mike

In my opinion you do not need a server. You want to set up a peer network with shared drives. These drives could be NAS or most routers today come with usb ports for sharing drives across a peer network.

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Answer 4

BC_Mike Author

Level 1

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Jan 9, 2014 10:04 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

So would permanent computer that is always at the house (like a MacMini) be a good place to store everything and then share it all with the two MacBooks work?

How should I set the logins for each computer? Should they be all the same or diffierent?

Thanks!

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Answer 5

Jan 9, 2014 10:27 AM in response to BC_Mike

BC_Mike wrote:

So would permanent computer that is always at the house (like a MacMini) be a good place to store everything and then share it all with the two MacBooks work?

How should I set the logins for each computer? Should they be all the same or diffierent?

Thanks!

You are asking me questions for something I did not recommend. I think you don't need a server. You need a peer network. Your NAS or external drives would be connected to your router. You don't need a "permanent computer". As each of your computers connect to your peer network they will have immediate read/write access to the data files stored on your NAS or router connected drives.

Given that you don't have a server in a peer network you do not need "logins". Each computer will securely connect to the network through your router.

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