networking two computers

[Barbiedoll]

I am new to this so please bear with me! I am wanting to network two computers from two different locations togather so I can work on files from either of the computers. Can I do this? I need free and secure if possible. I do medical billing at night and this would be very helpful if I could access the information at home as well as at the other location and still have the same information on both computers.

[John A]

This might be easy or more difficult depending on your setup. First of all, you'll need to enable SSH login for one computer (or both). If you only enable one, the other computer connects to this one and shares its files. So in a way, the computer with SSH sharing is your "server". SSH is very secure because it's encrypted the whole time, and uses private and public encrpytion keys to keep the data from being decrypted by an unauthorized machine.

To start SSH:

1. From the Apple menu, choose "System Preferences".
2. Click the Sharing icon, and make sure you're on the tab labeled "Services".
3. If necessary, authenticate yourself by clicking the Lock in the left-hand corner
4. Click the checkbox beside "Remote Login" to start SSH.

Now that you're sharing files, you need to take note of your IP address that is below the list of services. It says something like "To log in to this computer remotely, type "ssh you@192.168.x.x". Your IP address is the series of numbers (which I highlighted in blue). Write this number down, as you'll need it to connect to your computer. You should also take note of your username (which I highlighted in green).

To connect, you'll need an SFTP client like Cyberduck. Create a new connection, and connection details are as follows:

Protocol: SFTP
Port: 22
Server: (your IP address)
Path: /Users/(your username)
Username: (your username)
Password: (your password)

Hope this helps

[Barbiedoll]

Thanks so much! I will try this at home this weekend.