file & printer sharing - over the internet?

[techitechi]

I can file and print share with ease on my Home LAN. But can do the same
over the internet?

 

[Robert L. \(MS-MVP\)]

You may have many options. 1. Setup VPN. 2. Remote Desktop. 3. WebDAV.
How to setup VPN
You may have two options to setup VPN server on Windows 2003. 1)
Create an incoming networking connection if you have small network or you
want to setup one ...
www.howtonetworking.com/Windows/vpnsetup.htm
How to setup remote desktop connection
How to setup Remote Desktop Connection. How to install Remote
Desktop Web Connection · How to use Remote Desktop Web Connection ...
www.howtonetworking.com/RemoteAccess/setuprdc.htm
How to access WebDAV
I. If this is intranet, you can use UNC to map the WebDAV,
for the WebDAV is located in "Server" and the WebDAV name is data, use this
command: "net use w: ...
www.howtonetworking.com/Internet/accesswebdav.htm




--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com

 

[James Egan]

I can file and print share with ease on my Home LAN. But can do the same
over the internet?

It's just as easy as on your lan.

\\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx\sharename
(where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the Internet IP address of your computer)

The difficult bit comes with stopping everyone else sharing your files
too, so as a minimum, you need a firewall which will deny access to
everyone except (say) connections from your specific remote ip
address.

There are other issues which you may or may not be concerned about
like someone reading your files as the info travels around the
Internet. If this is an issue you need to look at vpn or something
similar but in its simplest form you can do what you want just with
the windows explorer.


Jim.

 

[techitechi]

I tried your suggestion : \\Public IP of Host PC\sharename
- No such luck . Remote pc dosen't even come close to finding the Host pc
- I'm not hiding behind a firewall
- I can access it easely threw local network LAN tho

 

[James Egan]

I tried your suggestion : \\Public IP of Host PC\sharename
- No such luck . Remote pc dosen't even come close to finding the Host pc
- I'm not hiding behind a firewall
- I can access it easely threw local network LAN tho

It's not a suggestion, it's a fact.

If you can't connect then one end will be firewalled in some way, most
likely the end you are trying to connect to. Maybe you're trying to
connect through a router which needs port forwarding configured.

What you're attempting is likely to get the "host" pc automatically
infected with all sorts of viruses and malware if you just switch its
firewall off and leave it open to Internet connections so be very
careful.


Jim.

 

[techitechi]

I tried it again . This time ( what would be a risk if i had precious files
on this system) : \\public IP add..\sharename , with all the firewalls
disabled, router bi-passed . There are no firewalls or anything to block it .
Still remote pc canot find it
And yes, public ip is correct
And yes, I only allowed my printer and cdrom drive to be shared for this test

No go . There must be something else to configure or . it just cant be done
over the internet
G

 

[James Egan]

with all the firewalls
disabled, router bi-passed . There are no firewalls or anything to block it .
Still remote pc canot find it
And yes, public ip is correct
And yes, I only allowed my printer and cdrom drive to be shared for this test

No go . There must be something else to configure or . it just cant be done
over the internet

What makes you think tcp/ip works any differently over the Internet
than it does over your LAN?

Essentially, you are setting up a server with listening port(s)
awaiting connections from other computers. It doesn't matter whether
these other computers are remote or local as long as there is a valid
ip route between them in both directions and there are no firewalls
intercepting and filtering out the connection.

If you want any help with routing in and out of your LAN then you will
have to describe its topography and the ip addressing scheme you are
using. In particular, describe how the "server" computer connects to
the Internet itself and give details about the router.


Jim.

 

[techitechi]

The topography is : (very simple settup)
Host PC running XP Pro svc 3 running directly to cable modem
remote PC running XP Pro svc3 running directly on dsl line

no firewalls, no routers ( no docs to risk because there are none)

i tried everything under the sun : \\public ip\sharename of device or drive
The IE browser freezes instantly !

yet i can network on the lan ( when the router is hooked back on line)
perfectly
So why cant it connect or why does it freeze on the remote side

I should be able to at least PING the host pc ? no?

 

[James Egan]

I should be able to at least PING the host pc ? no?

Yes. If you can't ping the host then you need to resolve this issue
first, and in all probability it's the same issue which is causing the
file sharing connection to fail.

What does "ipconfig /all" and "route print" say when you're directly
connected to the Internet as you described.

(ipconfig /all >> c:\temp.txt)
(route print >> c:\temp.txt)
Then post the contents of c:\temp.txt here.



Jim.

 

[techitechi]

Actually I should of mentioned , I can ping the host pc , quite easely too
the route print says the public ip the isp provided me with
and the subnet mask

 

[John Wunderlich]

Actually I should of mentioned , I can ping the host pc , quite
easely too the route print says the public ip the isp provided me
with and the subnet mask

You might try connecting from a command prompt window
(Start->Run->Cmd):

net use * \\public ip\share

Sometimes error messages you get this way are more helpful.

Also keep in mind that some ISPs consider Windows Networking a
potential threat and block those ports. If this is the case, you won't
be able to connect this way. Check with your ISP.

Consider a VPN connection... it's more secure and not usually blocked
by ISPs.

HTH,
John

 

[techitechi]

Thats what I thought.
I can PING the HOST pic easely but just can network off the Web.
Ill have to contact MY ISP provider & ask if there blocking.
Ill have to try running in the command prompt the net use *\\ command
when i have a chance .

It dosent look too reliable, because depending of where i am, the ISP of
where i could be , could be blocking as well in another area i travel too.

I guess VPN is the way to go . But I can't connect either with it
Im having error messages in Server 2003 config Wis. saying the ip's dont
match
(i do use a router but only when Im not testing the above networking )
probably with the router and the public IP
who knows !!
didn't realize it was this tricky!!

 

[techitechi]

I finally got the VPN to work !!
Im running 2 pc's on a LAN both XP Pro serv.3 under a router

Before Making a connection , the user name and password is typed in along
with host IP . Once connected and after requesting the shared files , it
dosen't ask me for user name and password a second time!!! ( The little
windows log on window).
Seem' a little too easy to access the shared files. i do have "Everyone "
removed
and the Users name added - in the shared properties of the device or folder.
Is this perfectly normal for the VPN server not to be asking me for a
Windows log on?

 

[John Wunderlich]

I finally got the VPN to work !!
Im running 2 pc's on a LAN both XP Pro serv.3 under a router

Before Making a connection , the user name and password is typed
in along with host IP . Once connected and after requesting the
shared files , it dosen't ask me for user name and password a
second time!!! ( The little windows log on window).
Seem' a little too easy to access the shared files. i do have
"Everyone " removed
and the Users name added - in the shared properties of the device
or folder. Is this perfectly normal for the VPN server not to be
asking me for a Windows log on?

I'm glad you got it working. Thanks for the feedback.

You only need to authenticate once on a machine.

-- John