NASLite Network Attached Storage

I just tried to configure my router (Cisco 837, used to connect my LAN to my ADSL line) to allow remote access to the web site on my NASLite+ server. This is a fairly straightforward port forwarding exercise. I added this line to my router config:

ip nat inside source static tcp 10.10.10.9 80 interface Dialer1 8888

But this doesn't seem to work. If I point a web browser at my http://<LAN IP>:8888/ from a server out on the internet I can't connect to the NASLite+ web service. Why is that? Can it be done?

I'm guessing the answer to this is a straight "no" but I'd be greatful if someone could explain to me how it's prevented. And perhaps why. It would sure be useful to have remote access to my files when I'm away from home.

John

John,

Firstly it would be really daft to stick a open (naslite) server "online" for everyone to access. thankfully you can't access it.

But if you really want to get to your files on your server you will need to run a FTP server on your windows machine,
you then map to one on the drives. This will allows you access to your files, you could also run a http server as well.

Eden

I have a VPN router in front of my network. I can securely log into my network from anywhere with a PC or even my Treo 650 smartphone and access my SMB share on the Naslite.

I use a product called Cyberguard SC300. Bought it for about $200.

All I have on the server in question is photographs. I don't consider it "daft" to make those available to my family (and anyone else) on the internet. But yes I could gateway through an FTP server or an HTTP server. I'm a web designer by trade so I already have an internet visible web server running on my LAN anyway.

It's no biggie. It just seemed like a simple convenient solution to share my photos. But I can work around it.

John

John,

You dont consider it daft to allow a open server that has read write access to anyone using the internet. its not daft its stupid. sorry but it is.

Eden

I'm finding your tone condescending and rude.

I was only talking about making the HTTP server part of my NASLite+ server available over the internet. The HTTP service is read only - not read/write. I was not suggesting that the SMB or NFS services be available from the internet. My original post was perfectly clear in this regard.

I'll be the judge of what is or isn't daft when it comes to my data.

John

John,

Sorry if you find my tone condesending and rude, that was not my intention.

The fact that you cannot turn off services and that FTP is one of them. I said it would be daft to place if you could naslite online for all to access and read write. and once I read that you would be quite happy for all to access your server. is that not stupid?

Ok imagine you got you Nas online using the method you attempted, (which you cant) and your serving your files via http, How do you propose to keep people from using FTP gaining access to your files and deleting the lot? or even uploading files that could get in in trouble with the law.

just think for a minute and read the manual it explains a lot, then think about what you was trying to achieve, and if you did.
I would have saved your photo collection.

you asked the question.

Eden

Quite simply I would only port forward from my internet router to port 80 on the NASLite+ server. So the web service would be available from the internet but the FTP service (port 21+) would not.

This is exactly the same thing I do with my Windows 2003 Server development web server, which is hosted on my local LAN and available to my customers. They can access the websites on port 80 but not the FTP server or any of the other file sharing capabilities of Windows Server.

John

I don't know if I missed the boat on this one, but...

why don't you do
- A windows share between the NAS box and your W2k3 server
- Set up a IIS mapping with the windows share
- set up a sub-domian for your images
- share them to the world

My expirence has always been, the less points of contact, the safer it is.

T.

Indeed, that's what I've done now. Originally, though, it just seemed easier to port forward a port on my router to port 80 on the NASLite server.

There are many ways to skin this cat.

John

The lack of a default gateway setting on the NASLite server is what prevents it from being accessed remotely - as long as the requesting device is on a different subnet, the NASLite box server will see the forwarded request, but not know where to send the response.

Essentially what you need to do is set either a default gateway or a default route.

Personally, my biggest fear would be someone altering one of the images to contain a virus. Since you said your intent was to share these with family & friends (usually not peers0, I suspect at least one of them is far enough behind on patches & security to put them at risk of this sort of attack.

I repeat - these image files would be READ ONLY. The web serving part of NASLite does not allow file modification or deletion - only reading. I only wanted to allow external access to the web serving part of NASLite.

John

I too would like to know how to allow web access through the HTTP server...

I have a very basic setup with a standard router. I forward port 80 to the NASlite machine, but nothing....

Anyone have any ideas as to why I can forward any port to anywhere.... but not 80 to NASlite?

I have not yet tried this out, as I only have the WinSSHD configured to share a folder on NFTS hard drive. But, I would think that my setup is a hop and skip away from setting up the sftp access if I set my mapped Naslite server link to the WinSSD login and drive path to control sharing it.

At some point, I will do it anyway but for now it is an idea. Maybe someone else has done it, if not it is a suggestion to try out.

JB