Need access to shared Windows dir via http and OSC terminal

[russellarmand]

I have an XP Pro box and an OSX box networked via Airport.

I have a shared XP folder which OSX can access via SMB.

Likewise, I'm sharing my entire OSX home directory with XP.

Now here's the question:

How can I browse the shared XP folder from an OSX browser via http? I killed the XP firewall and when I punch in the appropriate IP the directory listing is denied. Is it as simple as constructing the entire path to the shared folder? If so, what's the path to the windows desktop? (Sorry, XP rookie here.)

Also, can I access the XP folder from OSX terminal? I tried to SSH to the appropriate IP address but the connection was refused.

Thanks!

Russell

 

[slimflem]

if you want directory browsing in a web browser, you should look into loading a simple, free ftp server for your windows machine and make your shares available from ftp. for ssh, you'll need to install an ssh server on XP. there are several ssh servers you can get, but none are installed on Windows out of the box. look into OpenSSH for ssh and check out Filezilla server for your ftp needs. Filezilla can be found on Sourceforge. good luck, it's all really easy.

but remember, XP is not a *nix system and you do not have a native, robust command line like OS X and other *nix systems (cmd.exe is not all that). your mileage may vary and there is really no reason for remote shells on Windows for most things. you should download the free Remote Desktop Client from Microsoft's site for remote access to your XP machine.

 

[slimflem]

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherproducts.aspx?pid=remotedesktopclient

 

[matticus008]

If you actually want to interact with the Windows machine via a terminal/SSH session, you'll have to install and configure SSH on your PC. Windows doesn't have this functionality built in, as the command shell isn't designed in the same fashion.

Along those lines, sharing via HTTP is something of an illusion in Windows. When you type in an IP, it will connect via SMB in most cases, because Windows relies heavily on IE to act as both a web browser and a file browser. Mac's Finder and Safari are separate applications, so this workflow option doesn't work. To get actual internet connectivity to that network share, you'll need either a web server, or more suitably, an FTP server. Windows includes IIS, which can be installed optionally and includes a web server and FTP, or you can go with one of the many open source alternatives.

 

[russellarmand]

Wow, thanks for the excellent advice. SSH is now up and running. Beautiful!

But when I meant accessing the share via HTTP, my goal isn't to view directory listings, but to view the site I'm building and serving from IIS. Sorry for the confusion.

So to rephrase my question, how can I view a website served via IIS in XP with a browser in OSX?

 

[matticus008]

So to rephrase my question, how can I view a website served via IIS in XP with a browser in OSX?

How do you view the website in Windows? Do you just type in the machine's IP into a web browser? That should work on any browser on any computer authorized to access that IP.

If you can't see an IIS page from another computer, you either have to reconfigure your directory security settings in IIS or adjust your firewall to allow the traffic. As long as you're using standard web technologies on your website, it doesn't (or shouldn't) make a difference what OS you're using. Maybe you've restricted website access to the local machine only, or IIS defaulted to that setup, which would prevent any other computer from accessing the website.