Transferring files to my iMac across the internet...is there an easy way to do this?

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I will be vacationing in a few months half way around the world and I want to dump my photographs daily into my iMac back home.



I will take no less than 100 photo's per day so I will have way over a gig when all said and done.



Is there an easy way to access my mac across the internet? FTP? etc.



Most likely I will have to use my wife's work pc since it will be a work/pleaseure deal and packing space is to vital to carry another mac across. Yes, I will dump them to the pc but frankly, I don't want to loose my pictures if something happens to that pc (dropped, kicked, power surge, etc.). And no, it doesn't have a CD writer.



Eric

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Depends on your iMac's internet connection. If it's full time cable/dsl/ethernet, then just get yourself into the file sharing in the system preferences pane, set up a shared folder to dump your photos into, and then be sure to set up the firewall. Then all you do while abroad is connect to your mac via ftp using its ip addy, login, and your golden.



    If you have a modem connection, odds are that it won't work. My ISP bumps me regularly for no apparent reason (actually I think its because I'm out in redneck MI and the ISP provider knows that I'm a liberal, but that's just the paranoia talking).



    Maybe someone else could add something here, since I'm not an expert at this stuff.



    A question: Why can't you just dump the photos to her window's laptop and then burn them onto CD for backup? Seems pretty secure to me, unless your taking Austin Powers-type photos.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Or, you can get a Gmail account, and just mail them to yourself. Or maybe two accounts if one is not enough. We can help you on that.





    Sure, its a procedure to mail them to yourself, but... a man has gotta do what a man has gotta do.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    Turn on FTP sharing in you Sharing preference panel and you should be set. Or for secure access, just turn on Remote Login (ssh) and use scp or sftp to transfer.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Thanks guys! I had no idea it would be that easy. That is why I asked because after a month and half with my first mac, I am amazed almost daily at what this machine does and the ease it can do it.



    I have a static ip and fast connection so I am set there. I should have mentioned that above.



    Dawg, the computer doesn't have a CD-Burner or I would. This way, I can just transfer them back and make absolute sure nothing happens to them.



    I am going to have to look into the remote login deal a little deeper.



    Thanks!!



    Eric
  • Reply 5 of 15
    qchemqchem Posts: 73member
    For me, instinct says go for sftp access (although I am from a UNIX background ). If you're using a router to access the net, you may need to enable some port forwarding too.



    For connecting to a mac running sshd (the ssh/sftp/scp server) from windows, check out the free putty programs:



    http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/
  • Reply 6 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    It turns out I may be getting me an iBook before I go and taking it with me anyway. My wife says her work frowns upon installing programs and crap like that and she does not want to make waves.



    Would Transmit be a good program to sftp? I have to get up to speed on sftp and all that stuff. The hotel we are going to stay at has High Speed internet access. :-)



    Eric
  • Reply 7 of 15
    qchemqchem Posts: 73member
    Transmit is a good GUI sftp client for OS X. They offer a trial version so take advantage of it before you splash the cash.



    Sftp is actually quite simple, once the ssh server is running (switch on remote login) all you need is the hostname or IP address of the machine you want to connect to. One thing to check is that your ISP allows access to the ssh port (port 22).
  • Reply 8 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    I have down loaded FUGU too.



    I have port fowarded 22 on my router as well.



    I could not get it to connect last night.



    I have remote login enabled.



    I am unsure how to enter in all the info. in FUGU and transmit.



    FTP'ing myself over the internet but sftp may not work that way. I know I can ftp into my computer from my computer to test if it works.



    ERic
  • Reply 9 of 15
    qchemqchem Posts: 73member
    You need to ensure you're connecting to a valid username on the server machine, it might be worth checking if the command line tools work for this:



    sftp username@hostname



    if it connects, typing exit will connect. If it doesn't connect hopefully it'll provide a helpful error message.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    If you're taking a Mac on the road with you, all you need to do is This;



    On the home computer:

    1. Turn on Personal File Sharing in the sharing prefs pane.

    2. If you're using a router, log in to the router and forward ports 427 and 548 to your home Mac.

    3. Make AppleTalk active in the Network pref pane. (pop-up menu show: Built-in Ethernet)



    take note of the machine's IP adress (you'll need to find the external IP if you're behind a router. you can do that here: http://www.whatismyip.com/)



    On the laptop, when you're out on the road:



    1. In the Finder, access the Go> Connect to server... menu item.

    2. Enter the IP address of the home machine.

    3. Click "Connect" button.

    3. Enter username and password.

    4. Select volume you wish to mount.



    Home machine drive will appear in Finder sidebar.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    fahlmanfahlman Posts: 740member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chris v

    If you're taking a Mac on the road with you, all you need to do is This;



    On the home computer:

    1. Turn on Personal File Sharing in the sharing prefs pane.

    2. If you're using a router, log in to the router and forward ports 427 and 548 to your home Mac.

    3. Make AppleTalk active in the Network pref pane. (pop-up menu show: Built-in Ethernet)



    take note of the machine's IP adress (you'll need to find the external IP if you're behind a router. you can do that here: http://www.whatismyip.com/)



    On the laptop, when you're out on the road:



    1. In the Finder, access the Go> Connect to server... menu item.

    2. Enter the IP address of the home machine.

    3. Click "Connect" button.

    3. Enter username and password.

    4. Select volume you wish to mount.



    Home machine drive will appear in Finder sidebar.




    I use this method myself.



    If you do open a port on your router and forward it to your Mac make sure you use a good, strong password for all your user accounts. Someone could easily scan a string of IP address that includes yours looking for open ports.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg

    My ISP bumps me regularly for no apparent reason (actually I think its because I'm out in redneck MI and the ISP provider knows that I'm a liberal, but that's just the paranoia talking).



    I never get bumped and I'm a Conservative. I think this proves your theory
  • Reply 12 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Alright, I got FUGU to work. I entered the correct info. in my router but didn't hit the "Enable" button. DOH!!



    A few questions:



    When I used FUGU and logged in successfully for the first time and through the terminal for the first time, I got a message stating that the server could not be authenticated and gave me a fingerprint number. What is all that about? I have not recieved the messages since.



    SFTP and SSH What is the difference??



    How likely is someone to intercept my data? I am seeing that this is so neat I can use it to connect to my computer from work.



    Using the method that enables apple talk and those two ports, why doesn't Apple advertise that a little more or make it a one button option. That sounds like a very cool way to use a mac. Is that method more or less secure than SFTP / SSH?



    Thanks!! I appreciate the education!! I also need to get a terminal book so I can walk around from the command line like my old days in DOS.



    i pulled this out of the FUGU readme file.



    FTP's strong encryption without having to sacrifice ease of use. Additionally, Fugu can make secure file transfers using Secure Copy (SCP), and can create SSH tunnels to faciliate secure interaction between machines.



    Can someone translate to plain English for me? I would like to be super secret and it sounds like an SSH tunnel and Secure Copy would do that even further than SFTP? Is that about right?







    Eric
  • Reply 13 of 15
    qchemqchem Posts: 73member
    Quote:

    I got a message stating that the server could not be authenticated and gave me a fingerprint number. What is all that about?



    SSH and the other tools provided by it work on a system of encrypting packets sent between machines, which are unencypted by the use of keys. The first time you connect to the machine it gives you a copy of one of its keys (which is stored on your machine) so you know your connecting to the correct machine in future (if someone changes the key on the remote machine, or the IP address now points at a different machine pretending to be yours SSH will complain about it!).



    Quote:

    SFTP and SSH What is the difference??



    SSH is secure shell, for running a terminal remotely. SFTP is provided by a SSH server and can be thought of as FTP tunneled through a secure SSH connection.



    Quote:

    How likely is someone to intercept my data? I am seeing that this is so neat I can use it to connect to my computer from work.



    Very unlikely, though not entirely impossible.



    Quote:

    Using the method that enables apple talk and those two ports, why doesn't Apple advertise that a little more or make it a one button option. That sounds like a very cool way to use a mac. Is that method more or less secure than SFTP / SSH?



    Way less secure, the reason it's difficult to do is because of its insecurities - they don't really want you using it.



    I'm not sure if theres a good terminal book, but by default (in panther) terminal uses the bash shell - the same as many linux distros and shares a great many commands (though some are different). A good command resource is provided by O'Reilly , get started with cd, mv, cp and ln.



    HTH
  • Reply 14 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Thanks!! Now I have just a few more questions.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Qchem

    [B]SSH and the other tools provided by it work on a system of encrypting packets sent between machines, which are unencypted by the use of keys. The first time you connect to the machine it gives you a copy of one of its keys (which is stored on your machine) so you know your connecting to the correct machine in future (if someone changes the key on the remote machine, or the IP address now points at a different machine pretending to be yours SSH will complain about it!).



    Where can I find my keys so I can write them down and know I am connecting to my computer?





    Quote:

    SSH is secure shell, for running a terminal remotely.



    In other words, I can run command line operations on my computer at home just like I was sitting at home, except from a remote site (i.e. my ibook at work)?





    Quote:

    SFTP is provided by a SSH server and can be thought of as FTP tunneled through a secure SSH connection.



    So SFTP is already going through a tunnel and is secure?



    What is SSH1?



    FUGU has an option to make a new tunnel. Why would I want a new tunnel?



    FUGU also has an option to use "compression". Would that be worthwhile, like sending a zip'd file, for sending large amounts of data across (200 - 300 meg) or does that refer to something else?



    One last question, is Remote Login on my Mac english for SSH Server?



    Eric
  • Reply 15 of 15
    qchemqchem Posts: 73member
    Quote:

    Where can I find my keys so I can write them down and know I am connecting to my computer?



    You don't need to, the ssh client takes care of it for you. If when you connect you recieve a warning about key change, or a man-in-the-middle attack you know somethings up.



    Quote:

    In other words, I can run command line operations on my computer at home just like I was sitting at home, except from a remote site (i.e. my ibook at work)?



    Thats correct.



    Quote:

    So SFTP is already going through a tunnel and is secure?



    What is SSH1?



    SFTP is going through a tunnel, it is very secure. Thinking about it, if you want to copy a whole folder of images to your remote machine SCP might require less work. The same clients handle SCP as SFTP etc.. SSH1 is an older version of the SSH protocol, it's not greatly used now.



    I'm not familiar with FUGU so I'm unsure what the compression option is, I'd assume it automatically compresses your data, transfers it, then uncompresses it on the remote machine.



    Quote:

    One last question, is Remote Login on my Mac english for SSH Server?



    Yeah.
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