OS9,OSX and Win2003Server Compatibility.

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I'm relatively new to using Mac's so I'll do my best to explain the issue that I'm having.

I work as a systems admin for a newspaper where we use both Macs(running 9.2) and PCs, the macs are primarily used for graphics; photo, video and ad creation.

One of our satellite offices a few towns over has two Mac 9.2s and two old Mac file servers running server OS 9, not sure what rev though. We are slowly beginning to upgrade to 10.4 from 9.2. We have also put an HP server down there to serve as the new FP server for both the macs and the pcs in that building. The FP server is running File Services for Macintosh and has a Mac Share created on it already. All of the macs new and old are able to see and connect to this share.

I copied roughly 16 gbs of files from the old mac servers to the new fp server. The Mac's running 9.2 were able to see and open the files (these files are ads created using Multiad Creator Ver. 4) stored on the new FP server, however the new 10.4 boxes we put down there saw the files as just black icons and were unable to open these files, even if you tried to force an open with and choose a program.

After some finegling, I copied the contents of the Mac servers to a 9.2 machine, then used the 10.4 box as an intermediary to copy from that 9.2 box back to a new mac share on the FP server. The Mac 10 could read the files in the new mac share, but the 9.2 macs could not. Why did this happen? Is there any way to make it so that both OS versions can read the files?

Also, the Mac Share has Icon, .DS Store and ._<file name> files all over the place. I entered some commands into the terminal to prevent OSX from creating the DS Store files, but what causes the other files to appear? I know the ._<file name> is OSX splitting up the file forks, can that be avoided, is that an issue with what protocol is used to copy files to and from the FP server whether its AFP or SMB/CIFS?

Hope this makes some sense, I'm confused.
 
OS X uses those DS store to keep rack of files on you Mac. To stop OS X from deposit those files on external shares read this hint.

After you read the hint follow this steps:
1. In OSX open the program /Applications/Utilities/Termnial and launch the program.
2. Once Terminal launches type the line: defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true
3. Restart and OS X will no longer write the DS store files.

Plus I hope you turned on file sharing everywhere you want to go. Then make sure you can ping the Ip address of the server share you are trying to go. Once you checked everything us then Finder's 'Connect to Server'.
 
Did that, will have to test to make sure it works.

Is there anyway to prevent OSx from splitting files in two? I'm seeing original files such as Ad101.crtr and then ._ad101 which is the resource fork of the original file which windows interprets as a hidden file, any way to prevent files this?
 
The ._ beginning files contain the resource forks for OS X.
To copy a file somewhere without the resource forks, copy using terminal and use (without quotes) "cp" as that will not copy them over - and "cpmac" when you want them copied over.
For full syntax, man is your friend..
 
Not sure that makes sense to me, remember you're talking to a Mac "dummy".

Though I know how to get to the terminal, not sure what to do with it, are the commands unix based?
 
Aaah, okay let's find a way to get it done without using the Terminal then (as it's way safer).

Satcomer's hint is what Apple suggests as a solution to this resource fork problem.

Unfortunately most applications that are resource fork aware are command line :( such as http://osxutils.sourceforge.net/

Blue Harvest seems to get good reviews, maybe that could do on the Mac side to deal with it http://www.zeroonetwenty.com/blueharvest/

O'Reilly has a good guide for Terminal basics http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/mac/2002/07/02/terminal_5.html - however if that doesn't look comfortable, then better go with a non-command line tool for now.
 
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