how do I set up my file server so that I can access it remotely via the internet?

Question

I have a small NAS (basically, a file servere attached to my router) through which I can access my file on every computer in my house.

How can I set it up so that I can access my file from the internet with a normal web browser when I am away

Answer 1

Well, now that is just so difficult compared with the new Microsoft Windows Home Server, which totally simplifies remote access. Check it out:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

You can do one of two things:

1. Use your current file server to turn it into a box you can easily intall a copy of the Windows Home Server OS, which you can purchase the DVD for at http://www.newegg.com or several other websites.

2. For around $600.00 you can buy the new pre-installed Home Server. I believe HP has one out called the HP Media Server, or some such name.

The main reason Microsoft created this Home Server, (besides wanting to make a few more billion dollars) is to meet the very need you express in your question, plus a few more.

Windows Home Server is based on Windows Server 2003. It is a cut down version, but the full features of Server 2003 are right under the surface and accessable to anyone with the expertise to reach them. If you have that experiance, just read the warnings on what to do to now break the Home Server.

This new Home Server is incredibily easy to setup and use. It is a headless machine, which is configured and managed via Connector software installed on one of your regular machines. It grows as you need space by easy addition of hard drives, and it has Duplication for files stores on the Server, as long as you have at leas three hard drives. They say a minimum of two, but the fist one is not for file storage, but actually the tombstones which point to the actual files, or the shadows. When you add data to the Server, it is first stored on the D drive of the fist hard disk, but it then moves the data to the second disk. Duplication then moves a duplicated file to a third hard disk, so it is safe if one disk fails.

In addition, you have nightly backups of each networked system. If you are running two Windows XP systems it only backs up one copy of each duplicated file, as the OS shares many identical system files. The backup feature knows which goes where, and in the event of a failure it knows which imaage to restore. You can have a downed system back up and running within 30-60 minutes, as good as new, or, at least as good as it was at the backup you choose to install.

WHS was built for people with little or no technical experiance and it works Out of Box. If you choose to go the pre-built road, all you do is plug it in, hook up the ethernet, then load the Connector software into each networked computer. Simple. You manage the Home Server via the Connector application.

WHS also provides a website which is also a portal into the remote access features of the Server. It can be used to put photos and other items on, but the best use is just putting in your password to access the files on the Server, or to access any networked computer. You could be in France and access you computer as though you were sitting in front of it at home, or if you forgot a file, just download it to where you are currently. You can also give the URL to family/friends, and allow them to access files of your choosing, such as photos or multi-media files such as video and music.

During the test phase while still in beta, several testers figured out how to stream multi-media files from the Server to remote locations. It isn't built to do this, but as i said it is built on Server 2003, and what you have to do is set the program to run as a service.

Once you have the Server, or even before, you can go to the Connect website for assistance and support. It is rich with all the posts from way back when it fist started, and you can easily access information of many types of issues. Answers are a post away, and there are several blogs now which are all about the new Home Server. Here is one for you to check out:

http://homeserver.wordpress.com/page/2/

Here is a video about the WHS too:
Actually, there are four at the top there, and you can find more at SoapBox too.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&tab=soapbox&vid=9de79064-0ea1-4b7c-88ed-bec654af59b0&wa=wsignin1.0

Anyway, I know this isn't what you asked for, but it really is a whole lot better than a simple file server!

Good luck and much success with the file server if that is the way you choose to go.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Use a VPN