Best way for Macs to access Windows Server file shares?
Posted by OneSad1993@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 33 comments
We were using Acronis Files Connect which was super nice because it allowed super fast spotlight search for the mac users as Acronis would create its own index. However Apple is removing AFP the next update and Acronis Files Connect is EOL as a result of its deprecation. Anyone here have Mac's that connect to a windows file server and find a way to allow seamless spotlight search?
mods_are_lame1@reddit
Smb
intoned@reddit
NFS shares might work for you.
Unfair-Nature9314@reddit
Interject a MacOS as a relay
Mount the Windows share on Mac acting as a server, reshare it via SMB, and let macOS handle the Spotlight indexing. Hacky but it works and keeps everything in Apple's ecosystem.
Realistically, HELIOS is the only drop in replacement that matches what Acronis Files Connect was doing. But very pricey.
Just get hacky, best way out without budget.
No_Yesterday_3260@reddit
Sounds like a recipe for possible performance bottleneck :O
uptimefordays@reddit
Does SMBv3 not work?
MisterBazz@reddit
This. Samba has worked for years.
machacker89@reddit
Smb://{Either The IP Address or the server name} been like that since the early Mac OS X days. Lol
Cooleb09@reddit
Yeah, except SMB on mac has been broken for years and performs poorly with windows servers. IIRC samba has a 'fruit' setting you can enable that helps.
machacker89@reddit
It has .I acknowledge that
HorseShedShingle@reddit
Yup.
Cmd K
Smb://{SERVER}
CaptainSlappy357@reddit
Still blows my mind the hoops people will jump through and the mental machinations required to justify attempting to integrate Macs in a Windows/AD/Entra world. There’s no way the ROI will ever be worth the effort it takes to even half-ass it.
bryan4368@reddit
Yeah no. I support both Windows and Mac computers.
I’ve never had to deal with a user saying their MacBook is “slow”. I get less tickets from Mac users. Windows users always come to me with some sort of software bug or hardware issue.
This is where Mac’s shine.
Hangikjot@reddit
I've always wanted to like Macs, unix like and all that, but our user base just can't seem to use them well. So when the business measured output of users with windows and macs, Windows won out on productivity. So on that metric Macs don't have business support.
FrivolousMe@reddit
Macs are definitely easier for users but can be a nightmare to administer in the wrong environment, even compared to windows
CarnivalCassidy@reddit
And yet, sometimes it needs to be done. We don't get to pick and choose what our jobs require us to do, or give up every time we are faced with a challenge.
CaptainSlappy357@reddit
Only in a badly managed environment where some dumbass executive’s new and shiny preference or some snowflake developer has convinced someone they’re the second coming of Christ and their absolute need to print “hello world” on a Mac overrules the judgment of the very people the organization pays to know better.
mixduptransistor@reddit
You must be a fucking joy to work with
CaptainSlappy357@reddit
Prove me wrong. Make a valid argument. I’ll tell you my environment is indeed a joy to work in, where accessing a fucking file share doesn’t need a “hack”.
VainTrix@reddit
Ya bro, just a heads up; your opinion isn’t a fact. Welcome to the real world.
GamerDude290@reddit
Mac’s are 1000x better to develop on than windows. Most software companies offer their developers an option to develop on Mac or windows.
ArborlyWhale@reddit
Local AI, cheaper hardware, better battery life, happier employees.
RedOwn27@reddit
Why would you come to a sub like this and post in that manner? You make yourself look like a massive baby. Grow up.
natefrogg1@reddit
Running local models on a Mac is way cheaper than on a windows or Linux pc, apple silicon and Unix under the hood with a pretty UI kick ass
CMD+k then enter the smb:// address and login, not very hacky imho but different strokes and all
alpha417@reddit
Maximal base-age.
GamerDude290@reddit
Except for the fact that Mac’s are far better machines to develop on than windows
B1naryD1git@reddit
Downvoted for industry ignorance
Bogus1989@reddit
smb://ipaddressofwindowsserver
ZAFJB@reddit
use DNS
hb_2410@reddit
With AFP/Acronis gone, there’s unfortunately no direct replacement for that native Spotlight experience on Windows SMB shares. macOS doesn’t consume the Windows search index, so Finder searches will remain limited/slow. In practice, options are either moving to a storage solution that supports macOS Spotlight indexing (e.g., Samba/NAS with Spotlight support), using client-side indexing tools, or accepting the SMB search limitations.
Xibby@reddit
Macs can connect to SMB just fine, they just won’t get speedy searches. Time to move over to OneDrive, GoogleDrive, whatever and share files/folders that way because.
stiffgerman@reddit
Until you're moving very large files around. While audio production can be somewhat reasonably done via cloud storage, video production doesn't work so well. Or complex CAD (not really an Apple concern). Or complex signal analysis (think high-speed instrumentation of complex events).
FrivolousMe@reddit
For video production pipelines wouldn't Linux file servers or even just a NAS be preferable anyways?
Old-Flight8617@reddit
We learned the hard way to not use cloud storage, specially for large datasets.