ASU2003

I'm wondering if there is some way to share a usb drive between two computers without it requiring that either computer will be there or be turned on. So I would just like to plug in the usb hub to both computers. Has anybody tried this before?

Lasereth

I'm pretty sure it would work but only if the PC it was connected to was powered on.

Baraka_Guru

At work, I hooked 5 Apple computers (2 wirelessly) to Apple's AirPort Extreme (router, essentially) for Internet. On it, there's a USB port where you can plug in a printer or, in our case, a USB hard drive. All 5 computers now have access to the same USB drive, regardless of which computers are on. All that has to be "on" is the AirPort Extreme, which is always on.

If you're using PC, maybe there is a similar product out there with a USB option.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

allaboutmusic

I'd also like to hear about this if there is a PC option.

Willravel

Kinda like a threesome?

telekinetic

You can't connect two computers to one USB device. Therefore, you'd either need a third computer that would always be left on to act as a file server, or you'd need to buy a USB peripheral switch.

http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/USB_Switchboxes/

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twisted no more

Ratman

I have a Draytek router with built in USB print server. The printer runs through this, as does the internet connection. I have a Buffalo AirStation wireless router as an access point through the Draytek. I have the Silex USB server shown in twistedmasaic's link running to the Buffalo. I have a 7-port USB hub running into the Silex. I have the scanner, 500Gb external HD, card reader, etc. running through the hub. I can access everything, albeit one pc at a time through my wireless network. It doesn't matter if the main pc is on or not. I can even plug my clip drives into the hub, and they are read like drives. The only things you cant run through a USB server are webcams and other video devices.

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The difference between theory and reality is that in theory there is no difference.

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Baraka_Guru

So the answer it to switch to Mac? Surely there is a similar PC answer....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

telekinetic

Even on the Mac you have to buy a compatible Air Port router or what have you. Same technology, really...only one PC (or mac) can access a USB device at once, unless you have some sort of server to sort out the access, or switch to change which is accessing.

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twisted no more

Ratman

On my system, all pc's can be connected to the Silex and hub through the Buffalo. As long as no one is using the device, anyone can use it. As soon as one user finishes, the next can go. Also, the software that comes with the Silex is really good. It disconnects the pc if there is no device used in a set time period. This allows me to back up everything to the external hd, but there is no access unless I activate it. Very nice security feature if something goes wrong with any of the pc's.

__________________
The difference between theory and reality is that in theory there is no difference.

"God made man, but he used the monkey to do it." DEVO

Baraka_Guru

Are you sure about that for Mac? I don't remember us having any problems accessing the same drive from more than one Mac at a time through the AirPort Extreme.

It works similarly to Apple Talk, or Sharing (whatever it's called), where you can use any Mac to log in to another to access their hard drive. More than one Mac can do it to another simultaneously. This is how we were doing it at first; we were using one of the Macs as our "server"; it was basically where we kept all of our shared files.

When we switched to the AirPort Extreme, we have been able to log in to it instead to access the same external hard drive. We have only had it this way for a week, but I haven't heard anyone complain that they couldn't get into the hard drive because someone else was already logged in. I'm pretty sure at least two people have been logged in at the same time. Mac does this by "mounting" the drive virtually on the desktop.

My feeling is that there must be something similar that Windows can do. Especially Vista; surely Microsoft knows what OS X is capable of and tries to emulate it somehow....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

telekinetic

Read closer...I said unless there is some sort of server...I hadn't fully done my research, but if multiple people can access the attached drives at once, then the AirPort Extreme is functioning as a standalone file server--incidently, from my cursory web searches, it seems like it will work with both PC's and Mac.

You can also build a file server, buy another brand of standalone file server, or buy a harddrive with a built-in file server.

If you want a low cost DIY option, build an $80 file server:

http://jonpeck.blogspot.com/2006/11/...ver-in-45.html

If you want to buy a ready-made option, get a Linksys NSLU2 standalone file server:

http://www.superwarehouse.com/p.cfm?p=372971

If you haven't bought an external hard drive yet, buy a network accessible shared storage drive. Here's a Maxtor for $160:

http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech4less/H01P200

Remember, these are all options which will require you to have a fully functional network, so you'll need a multiport router, or a wireless router and wireless capability on all devices and your file server, in addition to the file server itself. The cheapest overall option, assuming no network is in place, and the one that I thought most closely matched the original poster's question, was to buy a switch.

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twisted no more

Baraka_Guru

Yeah, I understood that part about the server, but I wasn't sure if AirPort Extreme would technically be a server. I thought a server was a fully functional computer.

That Linksys thing looks like it might do the job. I knew there had to be something for PCs.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Hain

Would something like this make a viable solution?
My Book™ World Edition™ II - Network Storage System with Remote Access 2 TB, Ethernet

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ASU2003

For $700, it would probably do the job. I am sure I would get around to filling up 2 TB, but I only have .6 TB (.45 - .5 TB Data) right now.

Here is a switchable usb hub. But still not what I am looking to do.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtwea...es/004478.html

And my usb hard drives do have ethernet ports on them, so I could run them over the network (even wireless). But at this time, it looks like networking the two computers and them sharing the drives over the network would be the easiest.

http://www.acesuppliers.com/company/...tion_9973.html
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/...22&tab=compare

What I thought I would be able to do is hook one usb hub into each computer the normal way and then get one male-A to male-A cable to connect the two hubs together. Power would be a concern, but I'm not sure what would happen.

telekinetic

Bad things. Bad things would happen. Do not try!

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twisted no more

Hain

There is a 1TB by WD for only $400.

I'd buy the 2TB one only because... it'd be 2 TB and wireless... and it would make all the nerdy girls get hot.

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