Networks

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

irntech — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:30:14 GMT

Probably a little late to the discussion, but for a simple solution (esp for only 2 people) I would suggest trying out Dropbox (www.getdropbox.com).

Free / cross-platform (mac,pc,linux) / secure (ssl/aes256) / dead simple.

Watch this for an intro: www.getdropbox.com/screencast

2gb -free

50gb - $9.99/month

100gb - $19.99/month

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

eross — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:29:19 GMT

kraleigh - I deal with similar situations at our remote branch "locations." They're sometimes just one staff member housed in donated space. We don't currently have an intranet or other internal sharing option. (Also previously, I worked with a state agency & understand fully the challenges of getting IT support therein.)

Wireless doesn't help in our case since we're across the state. Nor for you, due to distance and support issues.

The VLAN option isn't viable if you're not getting any IT support.

The new hard drives with ethernet connections (NAS devices) looked promising, since some come with a secure access-via-internet software. However, I've hesitated after checking reviews & user manuals of the consumer-grade models, which is all our budget permits. However, those would allow you to share files via the internet (if they work as advertised). I'm referring to the $200 +/- devices marketed by Maxtor and others. But they might be blocked by the IT network you flow through.

I'm in the middle of analyzing both Google Apps and Office Live Workspace. So far, no roadblocks. Either seems to cover your needs perfectly. The setup is easy, and online help is extensive.

Another option if you encounter size limits when emailing files: Consider a web conference or instant messaging (IM) option which offers file sharing. Some are free, although file-sharing capability varies with the free version. At the low prices, though....

Skype allows file sharing with their free version. You don't have to have a webcam to use Skype. You'd still be pushing files back and forth, though, as you're doing now with email.

Hope this helps. I'm off next week but will post my results with Google Apps & Office Live as soon as feasible.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

Quynh — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:40:06 GMT

Buy two wireless network adapter and use AH-HOC with WPA2+PSK. This normally works in most cases where the computer is close enough to see each other.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

GRRN — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:16:46 GMT

Gosh, I don't understand what most of you are talking about and I wish I did because I have the same problem in that I have to share files with about 8 or 10 people all over the country. No server.

I use Microsoft Office LIve. Now, I LOVE it.

It has this great plug-in which adds a small menu bar to Word, Excel, and Outlook so it's just seamless with all my Office Products. It allowed me to continue working on certain projects when my computer was in the shop so long I thought they were going to charge me for storage!! The problem is not everyone I work is able to access it equally as well I do. That defeats the purpose. I figured out one board member's OS is too old (will take care of that through Tech Soup soon!) and another team member uses Mac and thinks that's the cause of the trouble. That doesn't make sense though.

Has anyone had any luck with Google Groups? Need help on this. No tech support.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

awftech — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:30:32 GMT

here's what i do,

we have a branch office that is not large enough to justify running a network server, so i just use workgroups to link the PC's together and then i hooked up and external hard drive to one of them, shared it with everyone and viola instance shared storage.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

tkim — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:35:38 GMT

If you are still looking for some solution, you may want to take a look at google sites.

www.google.com/sites/overview.html

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

glamontagne — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:26:37 GMT

Please let us know how Office Live works for you. If you need any more help on this, perhaps Quynh would be able to better explain his advice.

best of luck to you,

Gary

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

kraleigh — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:21:59 GMT

ok! I don't even know what most of those words/acronyms mean :).

I think I am going to try MS Office Live (or whatever it is called) and see how that works for us. Can't be worse than our current method of emailing files and replacing old ones on our computers. I'll probably post on here how well it worked.

Thanks for your help!

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

Quynh — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:42:51 GMT

They might have put the two computers on the same VLAN and let you use Nat thru their routers to conserve IP addresses, if this is the case then you should be able to set up local share easily.

If the they give each computer a unique public IP, then you could build a vpn tunnel to connect the two computer up and share your files.

The way to find out if you have a public ip or a private NAT ip is to issue a command "ipconfig" in the command line.

Private NAT ip = 10.x.x.x , 172.16.x.x , 192.168.x.x

Public IP = everything else.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

djanke — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:10:17 GMT

hmmm... MS Office Live integrates with Word/Excel/Powerpoint. If you're sharing documents, try it out and let us know how well it works

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

djanke — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:06:21 GMT

Box.net seems pretty popular, and it gives you up to 1 GB of storage for free. Also, I found a (year-old) article on LifeHacker that reviews some of the popular online filesharing services. Performance would depend on your internet connection. Might not be any better than x-drive. Hard to say without trying them out.

Quynh's suggestion to use a USB drive might be the best way to go. Good old sneakernet.

You could always try adding another network card to each computer and setting up a secondary network (if you're feeling crazy). It might take a bit of work to configure everything, though.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

shipley.c — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:26:38 GMT

Hmm, this paints a nastier picture. I'd avoid wireless in this situation altogether. It has been suggested to many people before to try [ Microsoft Office Live ] - it allows you to store and share documents via the Internet with multiple people. However, I've never used it and couldn't talk to how well it might work for you. I say sign up for the free account and give it a whirl.

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

kraleigh — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:11:07 GMT

We use XP but we have not way to connect to each other at all. Our computers link directly to the internet, no network or connection between our computers at all (and we sit very far apart from eachother). The only option that has been suggested to connect our computers is to request, from the state (we are in a state building but don;t work for the state, thus, they don't support us with IT help), that they get a wireless router so we can connect to each other wirelessly. There is little chance that this will happen so we need to figure something else out.

I guess my question is- is there an online storage that works well? Is there any other option for us that we are missing?

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

Yann — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:05:50 GMT

Quynh:

Only two users? Then buy two usb thumb drives and sync them to your local shares.

Since there are only 1 GB of data between two users, this would be the cheapest and most efficient way to go.

I like that option especially if it's just needed for a few people. Plus, for additional security, you can encrypt your content on the thumb drives using free encryption software like TrueCrypt.

Yann

Re: File storage/sharing without a server

Quynh — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:20:07 GMT

Only two users? Then buy two usb thumb drives and sync them to your local shares.

Since there are only 1 GB of data between two users, this would be the cheapest and most efficient way to go.