Remote Network Drive

[scottyseng]

I have installed Windows Server 2012 R2 on my server, and I'm trying to figure out how to have remote access to the shares on the server as if it were a local network share.

 

I have managed to set up Remote Web Access by installing Windows Server Essentials Experience with anywhere access and gotten a VPN / Microsoft domain name set up.

 

I'm just at a loss on how to set up a network drive / folder remotely and have it appear as a plain local network share in My computer.

 

The server, my laptop (device I want remote drive access), and my desktop are all on the router/modem by Verizon FIOS.

 

The use will be just my laptop and two of my friends accessing the server to back up stuff / me using it while at the college.

 

Server Specs:

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2695V3

Motherboard: SuperMicro X10SRA-O

RAM: 2 x 16GB DDR4 2133MHz

GPU: AMD FirePro V7900

Case: 24 bay SuperMicro Chassis

Storage:

OS Drive:

240GB Sandisk Extreme Pro

6 4TB WD Reds in RAID 10

2 4TB WD Re in RAID 0

RAID Card:

LSI MegaRAID 9260CV-8i

[mluton]

On a local network machine, got to:

 

http://[sERVERNAME]/connect

or

http://[sERVERIP]/connect (if not using server as a DNS Server)

 

This will give you the connector if you haven't already installed it. Beauty of this is that the VPN connection is an "Always on" so no need for manual launching of the VPN as it transmits over https.

 

Have you pointed external ports 80 (http) & 443 (https) to your Server ?

 

Then you can Map the "network drives" or just use the shared folders.

[scottyseng]

On a local network machine, got to:

 

http://[sERVERNAME]/connect

or

http://[sERVERIP]/connect (if not using server as a DNS Server)

 

This will give you the connector if you haven't already installed it. Beauty of this is that the VPN connection is an "Always on" so no need for manual launching of the VPN as it transmits over https.

 

Have you pointed external ports 80 (http) & 443 (https) to your Server ?

 

Then you can Map the "network drives" or just use the shared folders.

 

I've got the connector software installed. I wasn't sure if that allowed it to be used remotely.

 

Is there a way to do it without the connector software though? I don't mind connecting my stuff to the server, but my friends probably don't want to be tied to the server.

 

I'll be sure to forward those ports.

[mluton]

I've got the connector software installed. I wasn't sure if that allowed it to be used remotely.

 

Is there a way to do it without the connector software though? I don't mind connecting my stuff to the server, but my friends probably don't want to be tied to the server.

 

I'll be sure to forward those ports.

 

Yeah that's what the connector is for, local and remote access with ease.

 

or without the connector, the easiest way is to create a an SSTP VPN, do it from Network and sharing centre in any version of window. SSTP uses port 443.

Then Map a network drive via IP to the location.

 

Make sure you create them all an individual AD account on your server so you can control their access.

[scottyseng]

Yeah that's what the connector is for, local and remote access with ease.

 

or without the connector, the easiest way is to create a an SSTP VPN, do it from Network and sharing centre in any version of window. SSTP uses port 443.

Then Map a network drive via IP to the location.

 

Make sure you create them all an individual AD account on your server so you can control their access.

 

I'll look into that, thanks. Yeah, I have several books on Windows Server 2012 R2 but they jumped into setting up a SANs / clustering...which I didn't need.

 

I'll have to set up AS as well. Hopefully I can get this working. That or beg my friend if they don't mind chaining their PC to the server (I think they will though).

[mluton]

I'll look into that, thanks. Yeah, I have several books on Windows Server 2012 R2 but they jumped into setting up a SANs / clustering...which I didn't need.

 

I'll have to set up AS as well. Hopefully I can get this working. That or beg my friend if they don't mind chaining their PC to the server (I think they will though).

 

they wont need to, i can send you some guides if you need or screen captures on setting them up.

[scottyseng]

-snip-

 

Figured out how to set up the connector software on newer versions of windows and have it not chain the PC to the server (No idea why it made my Windows 7 PC change accounts to the server one...my Windows 10 laptop just has the connector software in a small icon in the corner and runs in the background with no user account changes).

 

Quick question though, what's the difference between Server Manager -> File and storage services -> Shares vs Windows Essentials Dashboard -> Shared Folders?

 

The Essential shares can be seen by the Server Manager, but not the other way around. I'd prefer it if I can have the users just see the shares on the Server Manager vs the Essentials just placing a "Shared Folders" link on My Computer (So they only see their folder (The share I set up in Server Manager) and not the whole Shared Folders directory in Essentials)

[mluton]

Pro and enterprise versions of windows will auto add to the domain unless you change the registry to stop this.

Essentials makes things easy to set up amd use.

The connector will help remote users to gain access remotly. But not nessesary if you manually create a vpn and create mapped drives.

I have a combo of both. Myself and wife use the connector to gain remote access but my brothers limited access is a simple folder share.

Also have a read on "work folders" in server 2012. That could be useful.