ArchiOffice/EngineerOffice 2012 and later allows you to use a Mac as a file server to host your project documents though the main server has to be a Windows machine. If you are using your Mac as a document file server, make sure its version is compatible with ArchiOffice (Mac OSX Server of any version is NOT compatible).
To be able to use a Mac as your file server, follow these steps:
PC SERVER SETTINGS
1. Go to the Start menu and type inetmgr in the Search box. It opens the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. Expand the tree: Server name>Sites>Application Pools>AO20xxAppPool.
3. On the right panel, click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to Process Model>Identity and double-click on it to set the Application Pool Identity.
5. Select Custom account and specific User name and Password.
6. Enter the User name (e.g., AOAdmin) and Password of the account you want to use. Click OK.
7. Click OK again.
Note: The account you choose here needs to exist on both the PC server and Mac file server. If it does not already, you will need to do that before proceeding. Also, the Username and Password for this user needs to be exactly the same on both.
8. At a command prompt, type IISReset to reset IIS and apply the changes.
9. In Windows Explorer, find the C:\Windows\Temp folder. Right-click on this folder and select Properties.
10. Go to the Security tab. Add the Everyone and Users groups to the list and give them Full Control permissions.
MAC FILE SERVER SETTINGS
1. In Finder, create a folder to store your project documents. Else, locate your existing one. E.g., create a folder called AO20xxDocs at the root of the hard drive.
2. Now you must share the documents folder. Open System Preferences and select Sharing.
3. On the Sharing screen, unlock the module, if needed, using the lock icon at the bottom.
4. Next, select File Sharing.
5. Under Shared Folders, click the + button to browse for and add your documents folder (say, AO20xxDocs).
6. Select that documents folder. Under Users, click the + button to add a user (say Alan) and make sure this user has Read & Write privileges.
7. Finally, click Options. Ensure that the 'Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)' option is checked.
8. Next, ensure the ON option is checked for your Account, say Alan.
WRAP UP
1. To test the connection, you should be able to detect your Mac from the PC server. Verify this by opening Windows Explorer on the PC and entering the IP address of your Mac.
You should be able to see the AO20xxDocs folder created previously.
2. Now, you must set up the templates. Templates are stored within your shared storage folder as Templates20xx. If you do not want to set it up now, you can easily copy the default sample folder found on the PC server (at C:\ArchiOfficeData\20xx) to your new storage location.
3. Next, go to the ArchiOffice Preferences>Documents>Path screen to specify the storage locations.
4. The 'Location of Templates' and 'Project/Contact Document Location' fields should be set to the shared folder to be used. Note that all paths are entered as a UNC path (required).
Paths can be entered in either of these formats:
- Server name: \\ServerName\ShareName\Folder
- Server IP Address: \\192.168.1.100\ShareName\Folder
5. The 'Update existing Project and Contact document location' checkbox should be checked prior to clicking Save.
6. Legacy Invoices Location should be entered if you are updating from a previous version of ArchiOffice. It should point to the folder which contains your finalized invoices.
7. Click Save.