d

Mac OS X: The Complete Documentation

• This category contains 16 Papers
• The last paper was added on 2007-03-26 (YYYY-MM-DD)

Backup Your Mac With rsync

Published on 2005-01-26, by Matthew Phillips, ©Matthew Phillips.

This document describes how to setup a system for automatically backing up a Mac (OS X 10.2 or later) to an external drive using freely available software. This applies to any kind of external drive including FireWire, USB and network drives. It does not apply to CD-R or DVD-R media. It also does not apply if you want to implement an incremental backup system.

Compiling GD on Mac OS X HOWTO

Published on 2005-05-16, by Matías Giovannini, ©Matías Giovannini.

This document explains (in the prescriptive, somewhat haughty tone characteristic of other HOWTOS) in a step-by-step fashion the procedure for compiling and installing GD 2.0.33 (the latest version as of 2005-04-20) from sources on Panther (Mac OS X 10.3). However, this HOWTO also assumes a more-than-passing acquaintance with the Mac OS X Terminal application and the UNIX command line.

Connecting Mac OS X to Windows PCs

Published on 2002-11-19, by Wei-Meng Lee and Brian Jepson, ©O'Reilly Media, Inc..

Mac users often have to share files with Windows machines, both at work and home. Occasionally, using portable media such as a ZIP disk or a USB portable storage does the job nicely, but for daily use a cross-platform network is more robust. Apple has incorporated technologies into Mac OS X that allow easy file sharing among platforms. And with the release of Mac OS X 10.2, networking became even easier. In this article, we'll discuss how you can share files between your Mac and Windows machines and explore how Windows applications can be run on Mac OS X. All the examples in this article have been tested with version 10.2.1 of the operating system.

Install RsyncX

Published on 2004, by I am 23, ©I am 23.

Rsync is a program that will syncronize two filesystems, either locally or between two machines. It is fast and efficient, and will only copy files that have changed. It will even try to only copy portions of files that have changed to further speed up copying. It's a great way to keep a live backup of a system for fault tolerance, and the good news is that it works fine with OSX.

RsyncX is a port of rsync that can handle HFS resource forks. While this is not a huge deal since OSXS doesn't use much in the way of resource forks, you may have some classic files laying around that do. Just to be safe, you might as well use RsyncX.

Integrating Mac OS X in an NIS network

Published on 2005-04-20, by Marcel Bresink, ©Marcel Bresink.

This document provides information about how to integrate Mac OS X version 10.2.5 or later in an NIS network. Among other features, it becomes possible to login to Mac OS X based on NIS user account information and to use distributed NFS file systems including automounts.

Mac OS X Server - Command-Line Administration

Published on 2004, by Apple Computer, Inc., ©Apple Computer, Inc..

To access a UNIX shell command prompt, you open the Terminal application. In Terminal, you can use the ssh command to log in to other servers. You can use the man command to view online documentation for most common commands.

Mac OS X Server - File Services Administration

Published on 2004, by Apple Computer, Inc., ©Apple Computer, Inc..

File services let clients of the Mac OS X Server access shared files, applications, and other resources over a network.

Mac OS X Server includes file services based on four common protocols:

• AFP service uses the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) to share resources with clients who use Macintosh or Macintosh-compatible computers.
• Windows service uses the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to share resources with and provide name resolution for clients who use Windows or Windowscompatible computers.
• FTP service uses the File Transfer Protocol to share files with anyone using FTP client software.
• • NFS service uses the Network File System to share files and folders with users (typically UNIX users) who have NFS client software.

You can use the following Mac OS X Server applications to set up and manage file services:

• Server Admin Use to turn on and configure individual file services for each protocol
• Workgroup Manager Use to create share points and set access privileges

You can also perform most setup and management tasks by typing commands at a command prompt in Terminal. For more information, see the file services chapter of the command-line administration guide.

Mac OS X Server - Getting Started

Published on 2003, by Apple Computer, Inc., ©Apple Computer, Inc..

The guide will help you prepare your server to start serving your users and your business needs.

Mac OS X Server - Windows Services Administration

Published on 2003, by Apple Computer, Inc., ©Apple Computer, Inc..

This guide describes the services that Mac OS X Server™ can provide to Windows™ computer users and tells you how to set up your server to provide Windows™ services.

Mac OS X Server User Management

Published on 2004, by Apple Computer, ©Apple Computer, Inc..

This guide tells you how to use Workgroup Manager and Macintosh Manager to set up and manage home directories, accounts, preferences, and settings for clients.

Mac OS X Solutions Guidebook (The)

Published on 2001, by rob griffiths, ©rob griffiths.

This guide will not go into a ton of detail about kernels, API’s, Cocoa, Carbon, and other buzzwords related to OS X (although we’ll discuss it a little). There’s a ton of information on the web about OS X’s technical structure and features. Instead, we’ll concentrate on things about the system that affect its usability in daily use. However, some general background may help you understand why things can be so different in OS X as compared to OS 9.

Mac OS X Terminal Basics

Published on 2003-02-11, by Neal Parikh, ©Neal Parikh.

This FAQ is intended to be a quick primer on Mac OS X's BSD Subsystem. The BSD Subsystem is a powerful tool that gives you an immense array of new capabilities and access to a large number of new applications. If you learn to use them wisely, you can do some truly incredible things.

Remote Administration/Backup of Mac OS X Using rsync

Published on 2004-03-19, by Mike Bombich, ©Mike Bombich.

If you're looking for something to fill the role of RevRDist on Mac OS X, rsync (more specifically, Kevin Boyd's HFS+ specific modifications to rsync released as RsyncX) is probably your answer. rsync allows you to synchronize files between folders locally on a machine or on two machines on a network.

Because Mac OS X is a unix-based operating system, security cannot be taken lightly. If you plan on synchronizing any files that belong to the root user, you will need to have administrative access on the server and root access on the client (this does not mean that the root account needs to be enabled on either machine). You also will need to use SSH as a communication medium. This has advantages and disadvantages, all of which will be addressed below.

Securing Mac OS X

Published on 2004-06-22, by Stephen de Vries, ©Corsaire Limited.

Mac OS X (10.3) provides many built in security features that, when fully utilised, can greatly reduce the risk of a security incident. OS X is one of the most secure default installations when compared to other operating systems. The install follows the accepted best practice of disabling all network services unless explicitly enabled. The default security settings should suit the needs of most users in a workstation setting.

This guide is aimed at users in environments requiring stronger security controls in an operating system, making full use of the protection features offered in OS X. It would also be of use to system administrators wishing to enforce an organisation wide desktop security policy for Mac OS X.

Security Primer for Mac OS X

Published on 2004-02-20, by François Joseph de Kermadec, ©O'Reilly Media, Inc..

The recent security issues that have affected Windows™ users have led the media--and sometimes even Mac-specialized publications--to talk about the shortcomings of the Windows™ security scheme and to provide surprisingly detailed advice.

So far, Mac™ users indeed have been luckier. Mac OS X™ is relatively secure out of the box, and Apple™ has been good about providing easily installable security updates as needed.

Unfortunately, some Mac™ users forget that security is more than just applying the occasional patch. It is a continuously evolving quest that requires additional steps to make their systems more secure. Luckily, the Unix foundation of Mac OS X™, Darwin™, has provided us with powerful tools that we can leverage to help our computers remain secure in an otherwise dangerous world.

In this article, I'll take a hands-on approach to what I call security through common sense, the basic security steps that every single Mac™ user should take.

xFree86 Install Guide

Published on 2001-11-09, by Rob Griffiths, ©Rob Griffiths.

Step by step instructions for installing an X Window server and client (XFree86 / XDarwin) and an X Window graphics program (GIMP). Targeted at complete X Window novices who would like to see the system in action.