14 DAY TRIAL // The default file sharing settings in OS X are pretty good. They let you jump in there and share files with no effort and also keep things as secure as possible by limiting what and where is shared. All in all, it is the perfect compromise. The issue is when you outgrow the default settings and need something a little more flexible. After all, being restricted to that one public folder is a pain, especially when you need to give people access to large files or collections o files. Having to copy things across and then delete is a big issue and it is even worse when you only need to let people view those files. OS X is not limited to that one folder, after all, it is heavyweight UNIX behind the scenes. However, Apple does not give the user any practical and simple way to change the sharing settings to something more convenient. Fortunately there are third party applications that step in to fill the gap, like Swift Share.
What it does Swift Share is a little application that lets you set up sharing the way it used to work back in the days before OS X. Choose any folder and make it accessible as a share, set up its properties, select on what protocols it should be visible as well as manage users and groups. Everything you need is located in this little app, plus a few extra options that let you set up how Apple File Sharing and Samba work universally. This little program is a must have for anyone that has moderate to complex sharing needs, as well as those who work in mixed networks.
Working with it Largely, you can do three things with Swift Share, manage share points, manage users and groups and manage AFS and Samba settings.
Share points are the way to go when it comes to sharing. Just select the folder you want, which can even be an entire drive, select the protocol you want it to be shared on and give it a name for easy management. Share points are fast to set up and easy to modify afterwards. No need to copy across huge files and folder structures, just make a new share and you are done in just a few seconds. Permissions and settings can be easily altered giving you all the control you need if you wish it, or just the basics if you are in a hurry.
The users and groups management gives you a nice user interface to manage complex networks and keep everything shipshape. Create, modify and remove both users and groups through the same interface that is also conveniently located next to most of the sharing options that you will ever need. While these options are available here, not everyone will need them. In fact, few people ever will and messing with them can have very unpleasant results, so leave them be if you don't know what they do.
In the AFS and Samba settings, you can configure various settings for the two protocols. These range from whether or not idle users should be disconnected to the DOS charset that should be used. Much like the Users and Groups, many of the settings found here are advanced and should not be messed with unless you know what you are doing. That having been said, there are quite a few options here that will be very useful, such as the workgroup that the Mac is on which will make your life much easier when dealing with Windows PCs.
Pros and Cons Swift Share is an incredibly useful tool that many will not want to be without, however there are things about that stand out, for better or for worse.
One of the more notable things about this application is how everything is there. Whether you are a regular user, or an administrator of a huge network, you see and use the same options. This can be a little daunting if you only need to do simple things and more often than not, the basic options can be hard to find in there.
While there are many options in each of those panes, and some of them you will never need, the program has tool-tips on everything meaning that you will have an easier time figuring out what something does and which options you should stay away from. These tool-tips will also cut down the amount of time you spend in the documentation significantly since more often than not they offer just the information you needed.
One of the worst things about this program is how fickle it is when working with shares. If I go into my list of shares and select some of them repeatedly, I start seeing very different things in those properties on the right. It seems to have problems loading or displaying the properties of shares, especially the security settings. Sometimes you select shares and there are no security settings whatsoever only to reselect said share and have them show up. This random behavior is quite annoying especially if you tweak the shares a lot.
The Good A great tool for dealing with multiple shares across various protocols. It has everything you need to create and manage shares, users, groups as well as the protocols themselves.
The Bad Can be a bit too much for the average user and is very fickle about the properties of shares that it has problems displaying consistently.
The Truth If you have outgrown the default sharing in OS X, you will need an application like this. Swift Share is more hands on than other similar applications out there, but it gets the job done just as well.
Here are some screenshots, click to enlarge:
