The Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) is a proprietary network protocol developed by Apple Inc. for file services. It was widely used in older versions of macOS and Mac OS X for sharing files over a network. While AFP has largely been replaced by SMB (Server Message Block) in recent versions of macOS due to better cross-platform compatibility, there are still instances where AFP is used, particularly in legacy systems or specific network environments.

Understanding how to mount AFP shares can be crucial for accessing older network storage systems or ensuring compatibility with legacy applications. This article will guide you through the process of mounting AFP shares on macOS using both graphical and command-line methods.

Examples:

1. Mounting AFP Share via Finder:

   • Open Finder.
   • In the menu bar, click on "Go" and then select "Connect to Server..." or press Command + K.
   • In the "Server Address" field, enter the AFP URL of the server you want to connect to. The format should be afp://server_address. Example: afp://192.168.1.100
   • Click "Connect".
   • You may be prompted to enter your username and password. Enter the required credentials and click "OK".
   • The AFP share will appear on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

2. Mounting AFP Share via Command Line:

   • Open the Terminal application.
   • Use the mount_afp command to mount the AFP share. The syntax is:

     mount_afp afp://username:password@server_address/share_name /Volumes/mount_point

     Example:

     sudo mkdir /Volumes/AFPShare
     sudo mount_afp afp://user:password@192.168.1.100/SharedFolder /Volumes/AFPShare

   • Replace username, password, server_address, share_name, and mount_point with your actual details.
   • The AFP share will be mounted at the specified mount point.

3. Unmounting AFP Share:

   • If you mounted the AFP share via Finder, simply drag the share icon to the Trash or right-click and select "Eject".
   • If you mounted the AFP share via Terminal, use the umount command:

     sudo umount /Volumes/mount_point

     Example:

     sudo umount /Volumes/AFPShare