Need tips on setting up reliable home network w/ sharing

[brayhite]

There are currently three laptops that log on my home network daily. I have a 2009 AEBS and an AE that I recently purchased to extend my network strength depending on where I am. I have 3 external hard drives: 2 TB, 350 GB, 250 GB. I have Time Machine on two laptops. I'd like to store my music on one of them (not the 350 GB, as it's a Toshiba that doesn't like to always power itself like it's supposed to). I have a USB hub for the AEBS to plug all externals into.

Anyways, ideally I'd like to access my music and have Time Machine running on both laptops wirelessly. A bonus would be to have the media (all from iTunes anyways) stored wirelessly and have read/write enabled for all computers to do. Then shared among all computers, obviously.

Any tips to do this? I want to also make sure my media that is stored on the external is also backed up in Time Machine.

 

[brayhite]

Well I think I've gotten most of my problems figured out. Here's a new question though that I can't seem to find the answer to:

I would like to have a single folder being shared over the network that all computers' iTunes will point to for music. I want to make it to where any time I or someone else adds music to their iTunes library, it will automatically show up in all iTunes on every computer. How can this be achieved, it at all?

 

[bwhalen2000]

Wow, I can't even get 3 computer to see each other! Any quick tips on just basic network/sharing?
thanks,
Brad
Cynthiana, KY ( brayhite - I noticed you're from N.KY )

 

[Tiki35]

Brad, are your 3 computers all Macs?

 

[hafr]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; sv-se) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Well I think I've gotten most of my problems figured out. Here's a new question though that I can't seem to find the answer to:

I would like to have a single folder being shared over the network that all computers' iTunes will point to for music. I want to make it to where any time I or someone else adds music to their iTunes library, it will automatically show up in all iTunes on every computer. How can this be achieved, it at all?

I've been asking myself the same question, and it seems like the only way of doing this is to have the library files on the external disk. That is, all computers having identical iTunes libraries. But only music - no.

 

[brayhite]

Wow, I can't even get 3 computer to see each other! Any quick tips on just basic network/sharing?
thanks,
Brad
Cynthiana, KY ( brayhite - I noticed you're from N.KY )

Yup, near Florence. And like the other guy said, are you computers Macs? Either way, there should be a setting for allowing your computer to be seen on a wifi network that must be turned on. If they are, then Finder should show them under Network devices, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Tiki35]

If your computers on the network are all Macs, just go into the System Preferences, Sharing, and turn on File Sharing on each Mac and they will show up in Finder under Shared. Easy.

 

[bwhalen2000]

Thanks guys for the replies! (I need to set up my MacRumors profile so I know when you reply). Yes, they are all macs; fairly new macs all with Lion. I'll check in the morning and make sure the Finder settings are shared.

Sometimes I see one, then the other. But they won't let me connect. It will say "failed to connect" or "not connected" or something like that. I'll check tomorrow at work. Thanks again for the replies!

Brad