Too much sharing

[UKenGB]

I have a Mac Pro and a MacBook Pro on my local network and I'm looking into sharing what I want from MP to MBP, but...

When I enable SMB File Sharing on the MP, it shares all local mounted HDDs and my Home Folder (understandably no APFS items if sharing via AFP) even when there are NO shared folders set up as sharepoints. Why?

I want to control what gets shared and it seems to me that ONLY the shared folders listed should be shared. So if I list no shared folders, then nothing should be shared. However there seems to be those built-in sharepoints that CANNOT be unshared.

Or can I stop that default sharing and only share what I want? In which case, how?

 

[Howard2k]

In System Preferences you can select which shares are used in the Sharing applet. Have you tried modifying those items?

 

[BrianBaughn]

How are you accessing the shared Mac? If you're logging in as the admin on the shared Mac you'll see everything.

 

[UKenGB]

In System Preferences you can select which shares are used in the Sharing applet. Have you tried modifying those items?

Not sure what you mean. In the Sharing Preference pane there is a Shared Folders list. That is empty.

 

[Howard2k]

Not sure what you mean. In the Sharing Preference pane there is a Shared Folders list. That is empty.

I think that’s the problem.

You need to create the share points and then you can control access to them.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mh17131/mac

 

[UKenGB]

How are you accessing the shared Mac? If you're logging in as the admin on the shared Mac you'll see everything.

On the Mac Pro I have SMB sharing enabled, but the Shared Folders list is empty. On the MacBook Pro, if I open Network in Finder, I see the Mac Pro listed. If I click the arrow to show available shares, I can see the boot drive, my Home folder and the other mounted local HD. No logging in required. If I try to access any of the above, I have to authenticate/log in, but the list of shares is visible to all.

Ah, not all. I just checked my wife's MacBook Pro and the only share listed for the Mac Pro is her Home folder (as she has an account set up on the Mac Pro).

So it seems that when you list the available shares offered by a 'server', it will list anything appropriate with matching usernames, even before any logging in. So in my case, with the same user (i.e. me) logged in on both the MP and the MBP, is sharing is enabled, even though the Shared Folders list is empty, by default I am offered my 'stuff' on the sharing 'server'.

Although I now see what is going on, it really should be made more obvious that even when there are NO Shared Folders, there are still shares being offered to clients that the system decides are suitable. I could think of better and clearer ways to do this.

Anyway, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.