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From: Nautilus on 21 Jun 2008 14:23
This morning I bought a Time Capsule, originally just to use it with
Time Machine for my iMac. But when I read the installation handbook,
I thought I should do more.

- Connect the DSL modem and printer to the Time Capsule and connect
each computer to the TC, so I could use printer and internet on my
MacBook and iMac without having to change the USB and ethernet plug
all the time.

That should be no problem, since it is in the handbook, right?

I don't like wireless networks, so I would like to use cables. Where
would I attach the cable from the iMac to the TC: Ethernet, FireWire
or is it all the same?

- If I create a second (smallish) shared partition on the TC, will I
be able to put files on this partition from the iMac and get them
from the MacBook *with FileVault working on my accounts*? I suppose
the answer is No, since that doesn't work with a FireWire connection
between two Macs.

So I would have to create an extra account on both computers that is
not filevaulted and use the non-filevaulted accounts to exchange
files between the two computers. But that is more complicated than
using an USB stick...

Or should I simply give up FileVault?

TIA
From: David Empson on 21 Jun 2008 20:29
Nautilus <me1(a)privacy.net> wrote:

> This morning I bought a Time Capsule, originally just to use it with
> Time Machine for my iMac. But when I read the installation handbook,
> I thought I should do more.
>
> - Connect the DSL modem and printer to the Time Capsule and connect
> each computer to the TC, so I could use printer and internet on my
> MacBook and iMac without having to change the USB and ethernet plug
> all the time.
>
> That should be no problem, since it is in the handbook, right?

Correct so far.

Note that it works with most USB printers, but not all of them. It also
doesn't allow access to other featues of multi-function devices (e.g.
scanner, fax).

> I don't like wireless networks, so I would like to use cables. Where
> would I attach the cable from the iMac to the TC: Ethernet, FireWire
> or is it all the same?

The Time Capsule doesn't do Firewire.

You would run Ethernet cables from each of your computers to the LAN
ports on the Time Capsule. There are three LAN ports, labelled with a
symbol that looks sort of like this:

<...>

The Ethernet connection to the DSL model goes to the WAN port on the
Time Capsule, which has a symbol that looks like a "ring of small
circles".

> - If I create a second (smallish) shared partition on the TC, will I
> be able to put files on this partition from the iMac and get them
> from the MacBook *with FileVault working on my accounts*? I suppose
> the answer is No, since that doesn't work with a FireWire connection
> between two Macs.

You can't create partitions on a Time Capsule's internal drive.

(Some people have apparently done this successfully by dismantling their
Time Capsule, connecting the drive to a computer, partitioning it, then
reassembling the Time Capsule, but this will almost certainly void the
warranty, and the Time Capsule is not designed to be easy to dismantle.)

If you plugged an external drive into a Time Capsule (via the USB port,
which would also need a hub if you want to connect a printer), then you
can partition that drive by plugging it into a Mac first.

As for FileVault: that only affects the home folders on each computer.
The Time Capsule (or network file sharing in general) doesn't have much
to do with FileVault. (Sharing files directly between two
FileVault-enabled computers is tricky, unless the user is logged in
locally on both at the same time.)

If you put files on the Time Capsule they can be accessible from the
other computer. You can select between a few methods of dealing with
authentication, e.g. no restrictions, requring knowledge of the Time
Capsule's password, or having distinct accounts for multiple users.

The Time Capsule has no built-in encryption, so someone getting physical
access to it could steal it and easily access all data on it.

If you are doing Time Machine backups to the Time Capsule, this will
completely defeat the benefit of using FileVault on your computers.

It might be possible to use Disk Utility to convert the disk image
created by Time Machine into an encrypted disk image, but I haven't seen
any discussion on that topic so I don't know if anyone has tried.

Sharing files via the Time Capsule will also be insecure, and in that
case I don't think it would be a good idea to use an encrypted disk
image because you can't safely mount a disk image on two computers at
once - that would probably result in a corrupted file system inside the
disk image. It would be OK as long as you have the discipline to always
unmount the disk image on one computer before mounting it on the other
one.

> So I would have to create an extra account on both computers that is
> not filevaulted and use the non-filevaulted accounts to exchange
> files between the two computers.

That isn't necessary if you are using the Time Capsule to transfer data.

It also isn't necessary if you are running Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5),
because you can create a shared folder anywhere on your computer, not
just inside your home folder. This folder can be accessed from the other
computer and used as a place to copy files (preferably requiring
password access). The shared folder isn't protected by FileVault and
will be available any time the computer is switched on, without
requiring you to be logged in locally.

You can also do this with earlier versions of Mac OS X but it requires
third party software (SharePoints) to set up sharing of arbitrary
folders.

--
David Empson
dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
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