Can't use file, print, itunes sharing between macs

[Matt Stevenson]

I've posted this on a few web based support sites (macfixit.com, etc)
but no luck getting answers. Any ideas on this??

Here's the specs:

Computers:
Powermac G4 Dual 500 Mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6
Tibook 400mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6
iBook 900mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6

Router:
Linksys BEFW11S4 version 4 (with firmware 1.45.3) with 128bit WEP
- Using 192.168 DHCP IP addresses for all macs

Symptom:
All internet access works perfectly, no issues with web, ftp, ssh, etc.
Whenever I try to connect the macs to other macs, for example, sharing
my iTunes playlists, sharing my HP Deskjet 5500 printer, sharing my
public folder or SMB folders, or using iChat Voice chats (text chats
work fine) they all make the INITIAL connection (ichat voice request
pops up, iTunes shows the shared playlists, the network printer shows
up) but then I can't actually make the connection, it just sits there
forever. I never see the actual itunes shared playlists, and I can't
print to the shared printer, and the voice chat requests just show me
not "responding". Keep in mind this is all behind the router between
192.168.x.x assigned addresses trying to talk to each other.
I'm not sure where to start here, I thought it could be the Linksys
router, I have nothing special changed from the defaults, and all my
issues are behind the router (yes, it's using wireless, and getting the
IP from the router). Any ideas?


I've also tried sharing using the "personal file sharing" service in OS
X, I get the login prompt, can login and pick my share, it even mounts
on my desktop, but when I try to actually open it, it sits forever just
like all the other services. This is all using Airport over the Linksys
BEFW11S4 v4. Has anyone done what I'm trying to do and had it work?

[Jim Alexander]

In article <stevenma-564DEC.00342410082003@news.comcast.giganews.com>,
Matt Stevenson <stevenma@shu.edu> wrote:
]I've posted this on a few web based support sites (macfixit.com, etc)
]but no luck getting answers. Any ideas on this??
]
]Here's the specs:
]
]Computers:
]Powermac G4 Dual 500 Mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6
]Tibook 400mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6
]iBook 900mhz w/ Airport wireless card, OS X 10.2.6
]
]Router:
]Linksys BEFW11S4 version 4 (with firmware 1.45.3) with 128bit WEP
]- Using 192.168 DHCP IP addresses for all macs
]
]Symptom:
]All internet access works perfectly, no issues with web, ftp, ssh, etc.
]Whenever I try to connect the macs to other macs, for example, sharing
]my iTunes playlists, sharing my HP Deskjet 5500 printer, sharing my
]public folder or SMB folders, or using iChat Voice chats (text chats
]work fine) they all make the INITIAL connection (ichat voice request
]pops up, iTunes shows the shared playlists, the network printer shows
]up) but then I can't actually make the connection, it just sits there
]forever. I never see the actual itunes shared playlists, and I can't
]print to the shared printer, and the voice chat requests just show me
]not "responding". Keep in mind this is all behind the router between
]192.168.x.x assigned addresses trying to talk to each other.
]I'm not sure where to start here, I thought it could be the Linksys
]router, I have nothing special changed from the defaults, and all my
]issues are behind the router (yes, it's using wireless, and getting the
]IP from the router). Any ideas?
]
]
]I've also tried sharing using the "personal file sharing" service in OS
]X, I get the login prompt, can login and pick my share, it even mounts
]on my desktop, but when I try to actually open it, it sits forever just
]like all the other services. This is all using Airport over the Linksys
]BEFW11S4 v4. Has anyone done what I'm trying to do and had it work?

I can't help you other than to add that I am also seeing this problem.
If you've come across a good solution since you made this posting, I'd
certainly like to hear about it.

I also see exactly the same problem using a Netgear MR814v2, so this problem
isn't unique to the Linksys box. Through various experimentation, I've
found that if I disable WEP, all of these sharing operations work just
fine with both the Netgear and Linksys routers. Turning off WEP, though,
is hardly an ideal solution, as I'm sure you'll agree.

I can also say that if I use one of my Macs as a wireless router, everything
works just fine as well, even with WEP enabled, so I suspect a real Airport
Base Station would also work. It seems that these Apple sharing protocols
expose bugs or limitations in the 802.11b implementation of multiple
3rd-party vendors.

--

________ Jim Alexander __________________ [email]jalex@gradient.cis.upenn.edu[/email] _______
I have yet to see a problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it
in the right way, did not become still more complicated. -- Poul Anderson