Mac OS X Tiger provides a variety of features and technologies that enable Macs and PCs running Windows to work seamlessly together. Macs and PCs can easily share files, share the same network and can even share the same peripherals, like printers, scanners and cameras.

Share Files

With a Mac running OS X Tiger, you can easily connect to a Windows-based server or Windows PC that has file sharing enabled. Windows servers automatically appear in the Finder, so you just click the Network icon and browse to the server you’re looking for. Likewise, Mac OS X users can share the files on their computer with Windows users with sharing software that’s built into Mac OS X Tiger. Shared Macintosh home folders appear in the Windows Network Neighborhood just like a Windows server — enabling Windows users to browse folders and share files without having to install any additional software. Through file sharing, Macs and Windows PCs can open, edit, save and copy the same files using a shared folder or directory on the Mac or PC.

Share Printers

Macs and PCs can also share printers. Shared Windows printers automatically appear in the Mac OS X Printer Setup Utility so they can be added to the Macintosh as a local printer queue. You can create a queue for as many shared Windows (and Macintosh) printers as you like, and any application that can print on the Macintosh can print to the shared printer.

Share Discs

Mac OS X automatically burns CDs that support the cross-platform ISO 9660 standard, which can be read by both Macs and PCs. So you have a simple and cost-effective way to share numerous or extremely large documents. If your Mac has a SuperDrive, you can also burn and share files on a recordable DVD disc. A single DVD-R disc can hold up to 4.7GB of information (almost eight times the capacity of a CD), and a Windows PC with a DVD-ROM drive can read the DVD-R discs.

Share Mail

Mac OS X Mail works seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange mail servers, whether you’re in the office or on the road. Mail supports IMAP so while you’re on the road, you can see all of the mail on your machine at the office. You can read new messages, reply, delete a few items and leave other items for when you’re back in the office. Mac OS X Tiger also uses standard GNU Zip compression and expansion for file attachments so Mac, Windows and Linux users can easily open and read them.

Stay Connected with VPN

Many employers now let you work from home and use a DSL or cable modem to connect to the corporate network in order to collaborate with your colleagues over email or share files. But to protect the network from unwanted guests, companies often create a virtual private network (VPN), which requires additional software and configuration. Mac OS X Tiger is VPN-ready right out of the box and even supports VPN on demand, which connects and disconnects securely to the network as needed. Mac OS X Tiger includes a built-in VPN client that supports the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol over Internet Protocol Security (L2TP/IPSec) and Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), and is compatible with most popular VPN servers, including those from Cisco and Microsoft.

Active Directory support

If your organization operates a managed network based on Microsoft’s proprietary Active Directory services, no problem. Macintosh computers can be added to an existing Active Directory network without additional software or any changes to the Active Directory server schema. Mac OS X Tiger includes built-in support for Microsoft Kerberos (MSK) authentication and Active Directory authentication policies, such as password changes, expiration and forced password changes, as well as Active Directory replication and failover.

With Mac OS X Tiger, you have everything you need to fit into a Windows world — and stand out.