if i get a network hard drive will i be able to access it from anywhere?
im looking to get a network hard drive [particularly the lacie Ethernet disk mini 500gb] and i would like to set it up with ftp so i can access my files from anywhere with an internet connect. i dont know too much about networking, so im not sure if i will only be able to access it while im connected to my home network. i am on a macbook pro but want it accessible for windows user also.
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OS X Leopard will add easier networking and backup options, and if you get a new AirPort Extreme Base Station, your external hard drive can be attached to it and becomes a part of your network.
Those items will be my next big Apple purchase, probably in the early part of next year.
:)
by default, without any special tricks, your network drive will only be accessible from your local network. to access the drive from outside your house, you need a static ip address (which you can request from your internet service provider, sometimes for free but usually for some kind of charge) and then you need to set up your router to route requests for the disk access through to the ethernet disk. the exact configuration will depend on what kind of ethernet disk you get, and how it handles traffic. likely it will just be a matter of port forwarding, which is basically just telling the router “hey, any traffic you receive on port x should be sent to that ethernet disk over there.”
in summary, it is a slightly complicated thing to do, but not a difficult thing to do.
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