blueskycomputing
asked on
Difficulties opening PDF/Office files stored on Mac 'server' with a Windows PC
A customer has a Yosemite iMac that she uses to share files with a colleague (also a Mac user) at a second office. They had let the AFP port open on the router but we have secured this and they now use a VPN to access the files – all works well.
She wanted to give access to another colleague in a third office, so we set up another remote account on the iMac. But nothing we did would allow this user to gain access to the files. After much head-scratching we discovered that the first remote user had been setup when the iMac had been running Lion Server and the iMac has been upgraded with all of the OSX variations right up to Yosemite. The server elements weren't working properly.
We downloaded & installed the Server App for Yosemite, set up this second remote user and now the user can access the folders that have been shared specifically for her.
We successfully tested this on a Mac only to find out that the second remote user actually uses Win7 on a PC and she has the following issues:
When she tries to open a PDF file, Adobe reader reports that “there was an error opening this document. The file is already open or in use by another application”. It isn’t open or in use. We can copy it from the iMac to the PC and open it fine. We can save it back onto the iMac but it still won’t open directly on her PC from the Mac.
Similarly Word/Excel files report that they’re locked for editing by ‘another user’, even though they aren’t.
If we open the same files on a remote Mac, we don’t experience any of the locked file issues, so I think it’s something to do with the Mac/Win combination. I can imagine why Word/Excel might complain but having difficulty just trying to open a PDF file is strange.
All locations are running fibre broadband with an average of 10Mbps/4Mbps down/up, so I don’t think speed over the VPN is a problem.
We don’t know enough about Mac Server to start dabbling. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks, Ian
She wanted to give access to another colleague in a third office, so we set up another remote account on the iMac. But nothing we did would allow this user to gain access to the files. After much head-scratching we discovered that the first remote user had been setup when the iMac had been running Lion Server and the iMac has been upgraded with all of the OSX variations right up to Yosemite. The server elements weren't working properly.
We downloaded & installed the Server App for Yosemite, set up this second remote user and now the user can access the folders that have been shared specifically for her.
We successfully tested this on a Mac only to find out that the second remote user actually uses Win7 on a PC and she has the following issues:
When she tries to open a PDF file, Adobe reader reports that “there was an error opening this document. The file is already open or in use by another application”. It isn’t open or in use. We can copy it from the iMac to the PC and open it fine. We can save it back onto the iMac but it still won’t open directly on her PC from the Mac.
Similarly Word/Excel files report that they’re locked for editing by ‘another user’, even though they aren’t.
If we open the same files on a remote Mac, we don’t experience any of the locked file issues, so I think it’s something to do with the Mac/Win combination. I can imagine why Word/Excel might complain but having difficulty just trying to open a PDF file is strange.
All locations are running fibre broadband with an average of 10Mbps/4Mbps down/up, so I don’t think speed over the VPN is a problem.
We don’t know enough about Mac Server to start dabbling. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks, Ian
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
I've requested that this question be deleted for the following reason:
Not enough information to confirm an answer.
Not enough information to confirm an answer.
ASKER
Repeated repairing seemed to fix this in the end - it took 3 or 4 goes. Apologies for not responding sooner.
ASKER