Install / Sync Multiple Steam games over LAN

I have a bunch of Macs that I'd like to install the same Steam games on (they all have separate accounts) I'd like to be able to install it on one and have Steam leach the files from that machine instead of the Internet. The games total 10GB which would be fast over LAN but slow over the net.

I know it uses some P2P tech, is it clever enough to detect nearby hosts? Or can I copy some steam install files manually?

Solution 1:

I'd use one if the backup/restore methods discussed in other questions here (such as How do I move Steam games to a new computer without re-downloading them?). There's no reason a backup can't be restored to multiple computers, or the data copied directly from one to the others.

Solution 2:

I have a couple of (windows) machines with steam in my home network, and nope, it doesn't find the other hosts. Best you can do is get all your games on one machine and copy out the steamapps folder to the others. Steam will recognise the games whether your account has them or not, the "Play" button will become a "Buy" button for games you don't have IIRC.

If you're up to it, you can try using rsync - http://everythinglinux.org/rsync/