Control access to network drives from distant locations.
Control access to network drives from distant locations.
Several HTTP file sharing servers are accessible, including the one I mentioned previously.
Before I proceed, make sure you understand the importance of security. Even if it functions, it could expose your network to various risks. Also, consider what tools you need access to. If you're working with software like Microsoft Visual Studios, you'd still have to load the entire file before any processing can occur. This would likely cause significant delays and timeouts while downloading large data over the internet.
Looking for a straightforward VPN solution? I know Windows Server isn’t working, but there are other options you could try.
You're looking for a way to connect directly to files through Windows File Explorer using a mapped drive. A VPN is the ideal solution. The problem with Windows Server VPN isn't working as expected. The top choice is to configure an OpenVPN server—OpenVPN works on various operating systems, including Linux and FreeNAS, which are popular options. Some routers can also host a VPN server, offering a more robust setup, though consumer models may have limited support.
I can confirm that a VPN is the way to go for this to work, but do bear in mind its not necessarily the optimal way. Windows file sharing is expecting you to be on a LAN with low latency and next to no packet loss. It can perform far less efficiently than something like SFTP as its expecting the network connection to be perfect at all times. Generally its a bad idea to try opening files directly off a Windows share over a VPN, unless its a small file its going to lag horribly with your limited broadband speed. The software will likely hang frequently as it waits for the slow network to catch up. I'd imagine compiling would be completely unusable in this configuration.
Consent understood – if the aim is simply viewing files from a distance without saving or altering them, remote desktop tools appear ideal. Options like TeamViewer, RDP, LogMeIn work well. Of course, I wouldn’t expose Windows RDP over the web unless it was secured via a VPN. Other methods already offer encryption (such as TeamViewer), making them generally secure in their current form.