Setting up file sharing, mapping network drives and creating shortcuts

At this point, your network hardware should be set up, AccountEdge should be installed on each of the computers on your network, and your company’s data file should be located on one of the computers on the network. In the steps below, we’re going to walk you through the process of making the AccountEdge data file accessible to all computers on the network.

Be sure you follow the steps below in the order they’re presented:

  1. Setting up file sharing

  2. Mapping network drives

  3. Creating shortcuts to your Accounting Plus data file

Setting up file sharing

Before all the computers on the network can begin making entries into your company’s AccountEdge data file, you need to be sure that all the computers can access the file. To do this, you need to designate the folder on the computer in which your data file is stored as a shared folder. This process, known as “setting up file sharing,” needs to occur only on the machine in which your data file is stored.

For instructions on setting up file sharing, see Setting up file sharing.

Setting up file sharing

Follow these steps to set up file sharing on your computer. Remember: You need to follow this procedure only on the computer on which your AccountEdge data file is located.

Please note: because Macintosh System versions differ, the names of windows and fields may be slightly different than what’s presented in these instructions.

  1. From the Apple menu, choose Control Panel, then choose Sharing Setup or File Sharing. The Sharing Setup window appears.

  2. There are three sections in the Sharing Setup window. If you haven’t done so already, enter a user name and password in the Owner Name and Owner Password fields, then enter the name you want to assign to the computer in the Macintosh Name field. The name you enter in the Macintosh Name field will be the name that’s used to identify this computer to the other computers on the network.

  3. In the File Sharing section, check to see whether the button is labeled Start or Stop. If the button is labeled Stop, you don’t need to do anything; file sharing is already activated. If the button is labeled Start, click it to activate file sharing. (It may take a few moments to start up.)

  4. In the Program Linking section, check to see whether the button is labeled Start or Stop. If the button is labeled Stop, you don’t need to do anything; program linking is already activated. If the button is labeled Start, click it to activate program linking. (It may take a few moments to start up.)

  5. Click the close box to close the Sharing Setup window.

  6. From the Apple menu, choose Control Panel, then choose Users & Groups. The Users & Groups window appears. Use the New User and New Group commands from the File menu to create profiles of specific users and groups of users on your network. When you create a new user or group, double-click the new profile to grant access to your computer’s shared resources.

    When you’re finished with the Users & Groups control panel, close it.

  1. Next, locate the folder in which your AccountEdge data file is located. Click it once to select it, then choose Sharing (or Get Info>Sharing) from the File menu.

  2. In the window that appears, assign access privileges to the folder by choosing the appropriate users or groups from the User/Group list and marking the three boxes to the right of the list (labeled See Folders, See Files and Make Changes). If you want everyone on your network to have access to the folder, simply mark the three boxes next to the word Everyone.

  3. Mark the boxes next to the boxes labeled Share this item and its contents, Make all currently enclosed folders like this one and Can’t be moved, renamed or deleted.

  4. Click the close box to close the window; a message will appear, asking you whether you want to save the access privileges for the folder. Click Save. Another message will appear, asking you whether you’re sure you want to change all folders inside this one. Click OK.

That’s it! The data file’s folder is shared. In the next procedure, you’ll visit each computer on the network and map a network drive to the folder you just shared.

Mapping network drives

After file sharing is set up on the computer on which your AccountEdge data file resides, you need to set up each of the other computers on the network so they’re able to access the shared folder. This process is usually known as mapping, and it needs to occur only on the computers that are not storing your AccountEdge data file.

To map to a shared folder on a computer on your network, follow the steps below. You’ll need to perform this procedure for all of the Macintosh computers on your network that are not storing your AccountEdge data file.

  1. From the Apple menu, select Chooser. The Chooser window appears.

  2. In the list of icons on the left side of the window, choose AppleShare.

  3. If a list of zones appears at the bottom left side of the window, choose the zone in which the computer you want to map to resides.

  4. All available shared computers and file servers appear in the list on the right side of the window. Choose the name of the computer that contains the AccountEdge data file folder and click OK.

  5. The Connect to the File Server window appears. Choose Registered User if you’ve been set up with a user name and password for the computer with the data file, or choose Guest if you have guest access to the computer. Click OK.

  6. In the AppleShare dialog box, choose the name of the folder that contains the AccountEdge data from the Select the items you want to use list. Mark the box labeled Checked items will be opened at system startup time, and then click OK.

That’s it! This computer is now mapped to the folder containing your AccountEdge data file. Look on your desktop; you’ll notice that the folder now appears as a shared volume. Remember to perform these steps for each of the Macintosh computers that need to access the data file. Once you’ve reached this point, your network is set up and ready to go.

Setting up file sharing, mapping network drives and creating shortcuts