Tips and Tricks for Transferring Files PART II: Transfer Files between Macs Using iChat

Overview

1. Login to the two Macs
2. Start iChat and enable Bonjour
3. Drag file onto name in Buddy List

Step 1
Find the two Macs you need to transfer files between and log in to them.

Step 2
Once logged in, do the following on both computers:

• Choose Applications from the Finder's Go menu and double-click on iChat in the window that comes up.
• If you have never used iChat before, you will see a Welcome to iChat AV window. Keep clicking Continue until you reach the Set up Bonjour Messaging window. Here, check the Use Bonjour Messaging box and keep clicking Continue again until the button changes to Done; then click Done.
• If you have used iChat before and a Buddy List or other window shows up when you launch it, but you don't see a Bonjour window, choose Bonjour from the Window menu and click on the Enable button if it asks you to enable it.

If you've done this correctly on both Macs, then they should both have a window that looks like this (where Sun Hae Hong is replaced by your own name):


Step 2½
We want to make sure that when iChat receives the file, it doesn't try to store it in your AFS home folder because it's probably too small to accommodate the large files that you're using this method for. So, on the receiving Mac, do the following:

• Choose Preferences from the iChat menu.
• Click on the General tab.
• If, next to Save received files to, you don't see Temporary Storage, click on that menu, choose Other, choose Temporary Storage in the resulting window and click Select.

Step 3
Now we are ready to transfer the file. This procedure is straightforward.

• Find the file that you wish to transfer on one of the computers and drag it on to your own name in the Bonjour window in iChat; iChat will ask for a confirmation; click Send
• You should see a window like this:
  
  
• This is a cue for you to go to the other Mac and find this window waiting for you:
  
  
• Click inside the window, click Save File.
• The file should begin transferring and you should see the transfer progress.

When the file transfer is complete, iChat will show you the file in the Finder.

A word to the wise: once you are done transferring your file, do log out of one of the machines. Having multiple machines logged in to your account doesn't have any immediately detrimental consequences. However, situations can arise (the two computers try to use the same file at the same time) which might cause one or both of the computers to hang or some files to get corrupted.

Tips and Tricks for Transferring Files PART I: How to Use Your AFS Space

This is the first post in a series of posts about methods for storing or transferring files between computers.

You may or may not be aware that Stanford gives students, staff, and faculty members AFS (short for Andrew file system) space. Using your AFS space, you can store files on Stanford servers and access these files remotely from any computer.

When you need to share files with friends or transfer files between cluster computers and your own computer, AFS space can be a great option.

Overview

File Size: As much as your AFS space can hold, generally under 200MB
Pros: Well supported by Stanford computing environment, WWW folder makes sharing files over the web very easy
Cons: Not useful for large files
Required Software: No software download required if using cluster computers. Fetch or SecureFX if using own computer.

Checking AFS Quota

First of all, you might want to find out how much AFS space you have available. Read how on the MMS Wiki.

By default, you have 200MB of AFS quota. However, some courses grant students additional AFS space for the quarter in which they are enrolled.

On a Cluster Computer

With the exception of some stations, most computers in Stanford clusters automatically mount your AFS space upon login. That is, the desktop that appears is your AFS desktop and your AFS home folder is easily accessible.

To access your AFS home folder on a Mac, open a Finder window and click on your home folder, which will show up as a house icon followed by your SUNet ID.


To access your home folder on a PC, look for the desktop shortcut with a house icon that says My AFS Home.


WWW folder

The WWW folder is a convenient place to store files to download later on. Simply drag files into the WWW folder.

Open a browser on any computer and type "http://www.stanford.edu/~[yourSUNetID]/" in the URL bar. You will see a list of the files in your WWW folder. Right click and select Save Link As (or its equivalent) to save the files to your computer.

Notice in this picture how the contents in the WWW folder match the contents on the page:


I have personally found this to be a good way of sharing full-sized versions of photos with friends. I simply bundle the files into a single .zip file, upload it to my Stanford webspace, and send out the link via email.

On Your Own Computer

You can also access the files on your AFS space from your own computer using an FTP client by connecting to a Stanford server, such as elaine. We recommend using Fetch for Macs and SecureFX for PCs. Both are available for download on the ESS homepage, which also contains configuration instructions for both.

Once connected, you can move files to and from your AFS space just as you would to and from any folder on your computer.

Here are some screenshots of the Fetch and SecureFX interfaces:



Read more about your AFS space on the ITS homepage.