Windows server 2016 shares

[MCManiac52]

So I have 2 servers running windows server 2016, both are domain controllers, one has a 2TB drive I use for  a file server. This drive is shared as \\server2\Home. If I try to go to the \\server2\home path on server1, I get:

Spoiler

*path* is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location is on a network, make sure, you're connected to the network or internet, and then try again. If the location still can't be found, it might have been moved or deleted.

However I can map the exact same path as a network drive just fine. This same problem happens on server2 itself, although I can still access the drive as a local disk just fine.

 

On my main PC, I can both map the drive and go to the network path just fine. The PC is not on the domain

I tried on a virtual machine that is domain joined and I get the same problem as on server1 or server2

 

I have checked all the required services, changed netbios settings and enabled file and printer sharing in network and sharing center and I'm starting to wonder what kind of pixie dust I need to fix this as I'm completely lost.

 

Anyone have any ideas?

[Blake]

4 hours ago, MCManiac52 said:

So I have 2 servers running windows server 2016, both are domain controllers, one has a 2TB drive I use for  a file server. This drive is shared as \\server2\Home. If I try to go to the \\server2\home path on server1, I get:

  Hide contents

*path* is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location is on a network, make sure, you're connected to the network or internet, and then try again. If the location still can't be found, it might have been moved or deleted.

However I can map the exact same path as a network drive just fine. This same problem happens on server2 itself, although I can still access the drive as a local disk just fine.

 

On my main PC, I can both map the drive and go to the network path just fine. The PC is not on the domain

I tried on a virtual machine that is domain joined and I get the same problem as on server1 or server2

 

I have checked all the required services, changed netbios settings and enabled file and printer sharing in network and sharing center and I'm starting to wonder what kind of pixie dust I need to fix this as I'm completely lost.

 

Anyone have any ideas?

1. Check for ping between servers, Check DNS and IP addresses.

2. Check for connection to Admin shares from one share to the next. (\\server1\c$ and \\server2\c$)

 

[Levisallanon]

First off all it's best practice not to have your Fileserver on your Domain Controller.
Are you using DFS?

Did you set up the permissions for the shares in both NTFS and Sharing settings?

Try using the IP adress instead of the Domain name, so like:

\\192.168.0.1\Home

Does that work?

[Edelrat]

My best guess is that the Windows firewall is the problem here.

Try turning it off on both servers, and test if you can access the share now.

 

There are some rules which have to do with file transfers. They should be named something like "File and Printer sharing..." (I only have german Windows versions, so I can't look up the correct name right now).

 

If the problem actually is the firewall, the following Powershell-command (run as admin and on the server with the share on it) should fix it:

 

Get-NetFirewallRule | ?{$_.DisplayName -like '*FW-RULE-NAME*'} | foreach {$_ |Set-NetFirewallRule -Profile Domain -Enabled True}

 

Please replace "FW-RULE-NAME" with the first few words from the actual rule name, leave the * how they are.

Since your PC is not in the domain, you may want to set -Profile to 'Domain, Private'.

This finds all firewall-rules on the server, which are named like the rules we want to change (again, can't look up the actual name  ), and enables them for the private and domain network.

 

[MCManiac52]

11 hours ago, Levisallanon said:

First off all it's best practice not to have your Fileserver on your Domain Controller.
Are you using DFS?

Did you set up the permissions for the shares in both NTFS and Sharing settings?

Try using the IP adress instead of the Domain name, so like:

\\192.168.0.1\Home

Does that work?

My only choice is to have it on as domain controller for now as I don't have the capacity for another server, it isn't the PDC so that makes it slightly better.

 

Worked out the solution in the end, I created the share in DFS rather than just using server manager or file explorer and now it works just fine, thanks for your help everyone!