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15 Replies Last post: Jan 25, 2008 4:42 PM by Glenn_Fleishman   1 2 Previous Next
Click to view MW Forums's profile New Member
MW Forums
12,220 posts since
Aug 2, 2004
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Nov 7, 2007 1:50 PM

Inside Back to My Mac

Back to My Mac, a new feature in Mac OS X 10.5, lets you remotely access other computers you own over a local network or the Internet by gaining access to its shared volumes and controlling its screen. Glenn Fleishman looks at how to get the service up and running and examines some of the security concerns it raises. more
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Click to view PeterG's profile Enthusiast
PeterG
941 posts since
Jan 17, 2005
1. Nov 7, 2007 5:41 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
If the back to mac is going to be focused using .mac then there is a problem.

DotMac sync hasn't worked for weeks. "maintenance" ?

If you own Panther OS, tough your not going to be supported.
Tiger 10.4.10 yes,
Leopard 10.5 yes.

the system is a mess and I've been a member for a while.

They're saying you better buy 10.5 for all your OS's.

go do the 2 months free trial and find out.

self edit from .mac:
Mac OS X 10.3 <---> Mac OS X 10.3 supported
Mac OS X 10.3 <---> Mac OS X 10.4 no longer supported
Mac OS X 10.3 <---> Mac OS X 10.5 not supported

Mac OS X 10.4 <---> Mac OS X 10.4 supported
Mac OS X 10.4 <---> Mac OS X 10.5 supported

Mac OS X 10.5 <---> Mac OS X 10.5 supported
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Click to view dudemac's profile New Member
dudemac
11 posts since
Feb 18, 2005
2. Nov 7, 2007 6:55 PM in response to: PeterG
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Well I have to agree that .Mac has not been working very well for me. The back to my mac feature has only worked a couple of times. Most of the time I don't even get the icon for my shared mac. And now it seems to be there all the time but I can't connect. I hope this is fixed soon.

As for the .Mac sync problem. All I have to say is I am glad I did a sync the night before they started maintenance because I have tried since to get my contacts updated and all it does is erase my address book. Thank goodness for the address book back up.

Anyway these are only slightly annoying since the rest of .Mac has been working fine.
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Click to view veggiedude's profile Member
veggiedude
435 posts since
Aug 30, 2004
3. Nov 7, 2007 8:23 PM in response to: dudemac
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
I have to agree... similar experience. Seems like it is all experimental right now, will be great once they work out the bugs and get it right.
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Click to view hgwells's profile Member
hgwells
203 posts since
Aug 31, 2004
4. Nov 8, 2007 2:06 AM in response to: veggiedude
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
I agree that it will be great when "they work out the bugs and get it right." I think a large most of us are looking through the current issues and seeing the power of this whole thing once Leopard in general is brought up to speed. Apple did seem to mess up releasing it too soon. But we have been clamoring for it and Apple did not want to appear Microsoftian by announcing delay after delay. Anyway, there are no deal killers that I have found for me in Leopard yet and I'm glad I've got it going. But a few solid updates would certainly be welcome!
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Click to view Ronald_Schoedel's profile Member
Ronald_Schoedel
366 posts since
Jul 11, 2005
5. Nov 8, 2007 2:50 AM in response to: MW Forums
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Quote:<hr />
Im just uncomfortable with using certificate-only authentication to allow full remote access to my system. If they only added a password prompt for the remote systems password, Id be happy.

<hr />


Hmmm. First time I used Back to My Mac to connect over the internet to my home computer from my work Mac, I had to not only have .Mac logged in, but I was shown only Public folders, until I chose to "Connect As..." and then authenticate as a known user on the remote system. It offered me to save this as part of my Keychain, which was nice.

I wonder if those knocking Back to My Mac have even used it, based on the erroneous statements like I quoted above.
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Click to view ttcrane's profile New Member
ttcrane
20 posts since
Sep 7, 2005
6. Nov 8, 2007 12:04 PM in response to: Ronald_Schoedel
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Quote:<hr />
Hmmm. First time I used Back to My Mac to connect over the internet to my home computer from my work Mac, I had to not only have .Mac logged in, but I was shown only Public folders, until I chose to "Connect As..." and then authenticate as a known user on the remote system. It offered me to save this as part of my Keychain, which was nice.

I wonder if those knocking Back to My Mac have even used it, based on the erroneous statements like I quoted above.

<hr />


This has been my experience as well. I am very pleased with Back to My Mac overall. I have excellent connectivity at home as well as work, so I have been impressed with the speed and responsiveness of the remote system.

As for security, I have been prompted for a password every time -- even after being logged in with .Mac. Tried connecting from a non-.Mac enabled machine directly to the IP address and I was again, greeted with a password prompt. As I change my password often, I (perhaps naively) feel pretty secure.
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Click to view tylerkirkkelly's profile New Member
tylerkirkkelly
10 posts since
Aug 9, 2007
7. Nov 8, 2007 12:39 PM in response to: ttcrane
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
There is another solution to Mac remote access -- a company called LogMeIn. They now have a Mac version of their software, which is in beta, but it works very well, and it's free. With LogMeIn, you can access your Mac from any Mac, Windows, or Linux computer, with a web browser (Firefox recommended). The security is excellent -- 256-bit encryption. LogMeIn's basic service is, and according to the company, always will be free. They also have a pay service that includes extras such as direct file transfers and remote printing, but these haven't been implemented yet in the Mac version.

I'm testing a free .Mac trial subscription, but so far, I'm not impressed. The iDisk frequently has syncing problems, and I suspect it was the cause of my Mac not starting up this morning. I had to turn it off and try again, after which I noticed that the iDisk was trying to sync. I've also had trouble shutting down wile the iDisk was syncing. That shouldn't happen. I suspect a bug.

One can also set up a free VNC server to access a Mac remotely, and this can be done with encryption, too, using SSH tunneling. Requires a little technical knowledge, but it's not all that difficult.

Sure, .Mac is probably your most "elegant" remote access option, but right now, I don't think it's ready for prime time. Also, .Mac remote access does not work with Windows computers, so if you are stuck with Windows at your office, forget about using .Mac to access your Mac at home.

(Note: Apple does provide an iDisk utility for Windows that enables you to access your iDisk, but that's the only thing you can do on a Windows machine.)
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Click to view Glenn_Fleishman's profile Member
Glenn_Fleishman
169 posts since
Oct 13, 2001
8. Nov 8, 2007 1:03 PM in response to: Ronald_Schoedel
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Quote:<hr />
Quote:<hr />
Im just uncomfortable with using certificate-only authentication to allow full remote access to my system. If they only added a password prompt for the remote systems password, Id be happy.

<hr />


(Ronald_Schoedel) Hmmm. First time I used Back to My Mac to connect over the internet to my home computer from my work Mac, I had to not only have .Mac logged in, but I was shown only Public folders, until I chose to "Connect As..." and then authenticate as a known user on the remote system. It offered me to save this as part of my Keychain, which was nice.

I wonder if those knocking Back to My Mac have even used it, based on the erroneous statements like I quoted above.

<hr />


Quote:<hr />
(ttcrane) As for security, I have been prompted for a password every time -- even after being logged in with .Mac. Tried connecting from a non-.Mac enabled machine directly to the IP address and I was again, greeted with a password prompt. As I change my password often, I (perhaps naively) feel pretty secure.

<hr />


Ronald, ttcrane, this is very useful to know -- I and my colleagues are seeing different behavior from BtMM depending on circumstances. In my testing and of those of the colleagues I've queried, we are not prompted for our sharing login information when we click Connect As.

Have you modified any of your keychain settings? If so, that would be why you see a different behavior.

Apple's video of Back to My Mac shows a login process for Apple Filing Protocol (via Connect As), but I was unable to get that dialog.

Currently BtMM is broken for me, which is rather poetic justice, given that I just wrote an article about it.
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Click to view PhilippeBonneau's profile New Member
PhilippeBonneau
4 posts since
Jan 24, 2007
9. Nov 9, 2007 11:11 AM in response to: tylerkirkkelly
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Everything works very well for me with .Mac.

I try something funny with screen sharing with my Mac at work. I access my home Mac with screen sharing and then, open a screen sharing session remotely with with my work Mac. The result is an infinite loop of screen seeing themselves. Beautiful but bandwidth hungry!!!

Art Vie Design!

Philippe
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Click to view Ronald_Schoedel's profile Member
Ronald_Schoedel
366 posts since
Jul 11, 2005
10. Nov 9, 2007 12:05 PM in response to: Glenn_Fleishman
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Quote:<hr />
Ronald, ttcrane, this is very useful to know -- I and my colleagues are seeing different behavior from BtMM depending on circumstances. In my testing and of those of the colleagues I've queried, we are not prompted for our sharing login information when we click Connect As.

<hr />


Very interesting!

Glenn, I did not include you as one "knocking" BtMM, just to be clear. I was responding to the several security experts (including the one quoted in your article) who didn't seem to have used it first hand, which obviously you did.

Quote:<hr />
Have you modified any of your keychain settings? If so, that would be why you see a different behavior.

<hr />


The only modification to my Keychain settings was allowing it to remember the password, but otherwise no.

Quote:<hr />
Apple's video of Back to My Mac shows a login process for Apple Filing Protocol (via Connect As), but I was unable to get that dialog.

<hr />


I am curious how you were able to log in to your account on the remote Mac, without at least once having to authenticate. That behavior seems very odd and mystifying.

Quote:<hr />
Currently BtMM is broken for me, which is rather poetic justice, given that I just wrote an article about it.

<hr />


Gosh, I thought your article was pretty complimentary of BtMM!

Thanks for the excellent breakdown of how dotMac BtMM works, Glenn. Apple has provided a great service with this feature, once it is up to speed for everyone. Placing a pretty Mac smiley face on top of all those ugly innards is sure to be a winner.

Ronald
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Click to view Glenn_Fleishman's profile Member
Glenn_Fleishman
169 posts since
Oct 13, 2001
11. Nov 9, 2007 12:46 PM in response to: Ronald_Schoedel
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Quote:<hr />
Glenn, I did not include you as one "knocking" BtMM, just to be clear. I was responding to the several security experts (including the one quoted in your article) who didn't seem to have used it first hand, which obviously you did.

<hr />


Both Rich and Alan, who I quoted, had spent some real time monitoring behavior, looking at firewall behavior related to the services, etc. I think what we're seeing is inconsistent behavior, which is the problem!

Quote:<hr />
Quote:<hr />
Apple's video of Back to My Mac shows a login process for Apple Filing Protocol (via Connect As), but I was unable to get that dialog.

<hr />


I am curious how you were able to log in to your account on the remote Mac, without at least once having to authenticate. That behavior seems very odd and mystifying.

<hr />


Yes, me, too, although Alan Oppenheimer and others I spoke to had the same behavior. Because of the use of digital certificates, Back to My Mac could authenticate itself by the correct possession of these certificates. When I type in a password, I'm just confirming that I have the password; if the certificate already existed, it provides cryptographic proof that I had the password.
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Click to view AlanOpp's profile New Member
AlanOpp
10 posts since
Feb 16, 2006
12. Nov 12, 2007 12:31 PM in response to: Glenn_Fleishman
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Based on a couple peoples' comments here, just in case Apple had changed something, we retested Back to My Mac and observed the same problem we always have: it never asks for the "server" machine's File Sharing password. It would be interesting to compare notes with one of you who has gotten it to ask for this password. Could one of you contact me through one of the methods indicated on the Open Door Web site (http://www.opendoor.com/contact.html). Thanks.
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Click to view willilix's profile New Member
willilix
1 posts since
Dec 28, 2007
13. Dec 28, 2007 7:47 AM in response to: MW Forums
Re: Inside Back to My Mac
Hi,
I can use back to my mac with no problems when i am using in the local lan when i try to use it from an external mac it donīt shows up in the finder sidebar. Can anyone help me? Back at home i have an imac with an Airport extreme connected to a D-Link DSL-G624T. Is there any configuration that i need to put in the dsl modem?
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Click to view mensadoc's profile New Member
mensadoc
3 posts since
Jan 6, 2008
14. Jan 6, 2008 6:03 AM in response to: MW Forums
Problems with Back to My Mac
I initially found that BTMM worked fine at home within my Airport Extreme network... sometimes. But sometimes it worked only if I waited patiently for a full minute or more after clicking "Connect" (which at first I failed to realize). Then it dawned on me that my main home iMac is connected to multiple hard drives which always freeze that computer's Finder momentarily until they've all spun up. Voila, I've learned that at home both BTMM and Screen Sharing work great every time if I just wait patently for sometimes up to a minute after clicking "Connect".
Then I tried connecting my MacBook Pro from Starbucks to my home iMac, and same thing... at first it seemed that nothing was happening; but if I'd just wait for a full minute or more while the drives at home were spinning up, everything worked perfectly, just as advertised.
Unfortunately I can't get my MacBook Pro to connect to this same home iMac when I'm at my office. As a matter of fact, the home iMac icon doesn't even appear in the menu bar. At the office I have a brand new Airport Extreme router connected to AT&T DSL which works fine except for BTMM. The home Airport Extreme connects via TV cable modem.
Anybody got any ideas why I haven't been able to connect to my home iMac via DSL from my office?
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