Just thought I'd share some of my experiences.
Here's my setup at work:
- Mac Mini (Intel - Tiger)
- Old PC (XP)
- Powerbook G4 (Leopard)
- AEBS + standard/crappy USB drive (AEBS connected via ethernet to Linksys G router)
(Before you ask, I'd love to ditch the Linksys router, but there's an office-grade networked Printer/Scanner/Fax/Copy Machine connected via ethernet, and I've tried to set it up via the AEBS to no avail - I may one day accomplish this, but for now, this is how the routers have to be).
Here's what I noticed:
With 7.2.1, the two Macs would sometimes recognize the drive, and sometimes would not. I could force each Mac to find the drive through a number of hacks/tricks that are familiar to all who have scanned the forums about these issues. However, like most everybody else, the drive would not stay connected.
Meanwhile, the PC stayed connected to the drive all the time, with no problems.
I recently downgraded the firmware to 7.1.1 as suggested by many. Now, the drive shows up for the Macs, but occasionally, disappears from the PC. When it disappears from the PC, the problem is usually tied to the AEBS being assigned to a new IP address from the Linksys (e.g., 192.168.1.107 to 192.168.1.103). By re-mapping the network drive with the new IP address, this solves the problem.
I don't know if the PC would continue to have these problems if the AEBS were the only router in the network, since its IP address would not change. But, I recall having some drive corruption issues sometime before I upgraded to 7.2.1 (but I'm not sure which firmware version I experienced the problems with). That problem seemed to be related to the fact that macs and PCs were writing to the airport disk. I never saw any corruption issues under 7.2.1.
Anyway, I don't really have a question. Just wanted to share some experience and contribute to the body of knowledge about the issue. Also, I wanted to point out that I may be choosing between two evils with 7.2.1 vs 7.1.1... 7.1.1 is slightly more reliable in terms of connection but (possibly) less reliable in terms of data/drive integrity.
Like many others, I will be buying a Time Capsule next month and hopefully be done with these problems - but I shouldn't have to. The whole reason I bought the AEBS was to have a reliable networked disk that could be shared reliably between Macs and PCs - which was promised to me by Apple.
(as a footnote, the remaining PC will be replaced with my Powerbook as soon as my Penryn MBP shows up - hopefully on Wednesday)
Here's my setup at work:
- Mac Mini (Intel - Tiger)
- Old PC (XP)
- Powerbook G4 (Leopard)
- AEBS + standard/crappy USB drive (AEBS connected via ethernet to Linksys G router)
(Before you ask, I'd love to ditch the Linksys router, but there's an office-grade networked Printer/Scanner/Fax/Copy Machine connected via ethernet, and I've tried to set it up via the AEBS to no avail - I may one day accomplish this, but for now, this is how the routers have to be).
Here's what I noticed:
With 7.2.1, the two Macs would sometimes recognize the drive, and sometimes would not. I could force each Mac to find the drive through a number of hacks/tricks that are familiar to all who have scanned the forums about these issues. However, like most everybody else, the drive would not stay connected.
Meanwhile, the PC stayed connected to the drive all the time, with no problems.
I recently downgraded the firmware to 7.1.1 as suggested by many. Now, the drive shows up for the Macs, but occasionally, disappears from the PC. When it disappears from the PC, the problem is usually tied to the AEBS being assigned to a new IP address from the Linksys (e.g., 192.168.1.107 to 192.168.1.103). By re-mapping the network drive with the new IP address, this solves the problem.
I don't know if the PC would continue to have these problems if the AEBS were the only router in the network, since its IP address would not change. But, I recall having some drive corruption issues sometime before I upgraded to 7.2.1 (but I'm not sure which firmware version I experienced the problems with). That problem seemed to be related to the fact that macs and PCs were writing to the airport disk. I never saw any corruption issues under 7.2.1.
Anyway, I don't really have a question. Just wanted to share some experience and contribute to the body of knowledge about the issue. Also, I wanted to point out that I may be choosing between two evils with 7.2.1 vs 7.1.1... 7.1.1 is slightly more reliable in terms of connection but (possibly) less reliable in terms of data/drive integrity.
Like many others, I will be buying a Time Capsule next month and hopefully be done with these problems - but I shouldn't have to. The whole reason I bought the AEBS was to have a reliable networked disk that could be shared reliably between Macs and PCs - which was promised to me by Apple.
(as a footnote, the remaining PC will be replaced with my Powerbook as soon as my Penryn MBP shows up - hopefully on Wednesday)