Connecting to a Windows Server for File Access Remotely

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MrComputerTecho

MrComputerTecho

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Hey guys,

Just a question that I can't seem to get an answer too. I have a server at home, and I got it for a sweet deal and it came running Windows Server 2008, now the server is basically just used for the family to access movies, files, and backups of certain files. So nothing too fancy, also I have bought a domain and registered it using no-ip, and the website I have up is nothing fancy either, just using a WYSIWYG web editor for Mac and then exporting the files into WAMP. (I know this isn't the most secure and safest set-up, but its for the family.)


Okay, so now that you know what my server is running, here is what I'm trying to do, as if the title was specific enough. I have recently bought a Surface Pro, and its nice and the family uses it around the house, although I bought the 64GB version and that's not cutting it. My idea is to have access to files I don't need stored locally, and then access them over the internet via a hotspot, or tethering my phone. Examples would be some music, documents. Nothing that isn't feasible. Now I don't want a ftp setup. But I have it so my server is sharing files on a network drive mapped to my Surface, so I have easy access using the File Explorer. Now I want to replicate this setup using my domain name. So mydomainname.com is mapped to drive X: therefore I don't have to do anything but be connected to the internet to access these files.

How do I go about doing that? I know it isn't as simple as port forwarding, but is a protocol I have to enable? Or is it a module that I have to install on my Windows Server?

Lastly I'm not sure if this is the right category, feel free to move it if that is the case.



MrComputerTecho.
 
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mbreslin1954

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First, your home server must be accessible from anywhere on the Internet. Assuming you have that set up (or can), you could consider using HFS.EXE, a web-based file server/sharer:

http://www.rejetto.com/hfs/

I used it at home for a while, but in a home environment it's much easier to use Microsoft network shares. However, from the public Internet, hfs.exe would be easy to use.
 
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choucove

choucove

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I do this for my files at work and there are a couple things involved with it.

First, do you have a static IP address from your ISP, or a dynamic IP? You can use a dynamic DNS name, such as from No-Ip.org, if you have a dynamic IP address, but a if you have a static IP address it tends to work a little better. With a static IP if you have ownership of a domain name, you can set up a Host entry to point to your outside address, such as remote.domainname.com.

Next, you want to set up a VPN. A simple way of doing this is with a PPTP with L2TP level security. This can be pretty easy to set up but is accessed to by Windows computers with a simple wizard setup so it works great for access to files from a remote computer. You will need to have a VPN capable router in place on your network, however, to allow remote access to your network.
 
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MrComputerTecho

MrComputerTecho

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Okay, so I have a Cisco DPC3825, I have VPN capabilities, and I have L2TP security available, secondly dynamic DNS and the domainname are all set. But I am lost as to how to set this all up and get it to work, choucove could you explain your solution more in depth?


Thank You,

 
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choucove

choucove

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You will probably need to look up support documentation on your specific hardware on how to configure an L2TP VPN server on your particular device for instructions on setting that part up. Once that is done, you will need to set up your Dynamic DNS Update Client software. Install this on one of your computers on your network, and put in your account information so that your dynamic IP address is getting translated to a DNS name.

From the remote computer, you will use the Network and Sharing Center to "Set up a new connection" and select the VPN option. You will have to configure the settings here to match with the proper DNS name, username, password, and the security settings or passwords needed for encryption (such as IKE pre-shared keys.) This will give you the remote-to-site VPN connection.
 
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wanpath

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I actually have this issue come up a lot at clients where they want simple web access to their files without complicated VPN's. Search and searched and did not find much or they were too complex to setup. They typically don't want syncing since they have too many files..Ultimately we needed a better user web interface for accessing files in addition to mapping drives with WebDav. I decided to create my own product for windows servers to provide ajax browser file web access and WebDAV drive mapping. Since it's a windows product it installs directly into IIS so no integration issues. We also take care of the SSL and firewall setup by publishing the agent through our reverse proxy. http://www.myworkdrive.com If you need something simple you might check out Windows File Web Access built into essentials.
 
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