How To Access Shared Data from Different Computers / Locations ? Help !?

Rasta_Cook

Rasta_Cook

New member
Apr 4, 2007
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Montreal
I need help in figuring out what i need, I heard NAS could be good, VPN ( although it looks complicated ? ) or maybe just a syncing program ( which one ? it has to work in LAN mode and Internet )

Ideally what i'd want is to have a access to a drive ( Z: for example ) where i have all my common/work files that I can access quickly and easely from my laptop and desktop, just as if this would be a local drive on my computer, it would be great if it would work with my xbox360 as i have a lot of music and video that i'd want access to, but the most important is my work data shared between computers. This ( Z: ) drive would be automatically backed up everyday or be in some sort of raid configuration that makes it safe. I think a NAS could do this, but then there is other factors to consider...

I have 1 partner and Both him and I will need to access those file from different locations, I sometime work at his house, he sometimes work at my house, sometime we go work at the office or an internet cafe etc... So getting access should be as easy as described before ( we just see it as a drive ), or alternatively data could be synced to a folder on his/my hard drive, but if so then when we edit a file in our local hard drive the changes need to be reflected everywhere ( on the NAS, on my local HD and on his local HD ) and the syncing ideally would be in real-time (or close), so that when i finish working on a photoshop file he can just grab it and start his work on it... In this situation I dont really see the usefullness of having a NAS, since the files would be duplicated everywhere ( my laptop, my desktop,his laptop his desktop and on the nas itself, lots of duplicate... ? )

Since we will be working with large files the read/write speed needs to be good. It has to be extremely easy to get access to the files and work reliably. Security is not a big issue we are not dealing with any sensitive data, the only "security" issue is the need for the data to be fail safe, if the hard drive that contains the data fails we need to be able to recover it easely.

Which product, hardware/software do i need to setup something that will work ?

I have no experience with servers, nas, vpn or whatever these things are, I've always worked from my own computer but it is becoming a really big hassle to keep everything amongs my computer organised and synced and with my partner in the picture it gets even worst...

Thanks
 


If you are both on the same local network you could share out the directory and access it via UNC path on the host PC:

\\hostpccomputername\sharedfoldername

If you need to access this from outside the network, use a vpn set up on the host PC
 
Yeah they look neat but i wonder how it works for remote access... I want to actually browse the server has it was on my local hard drive, open files edit them and overwrite them... In a windows explorer window, not a browser based file explorer thing... And it needs to be fast...

what would be the advantage of getting a little thing like that HP mediasmart (NAS) has opposed to creating a vpn server on a computer ?
 
I've considered drop box but i dont like it because
- free version has only 2.0gb limit ( there is a 50gb version and a 100gb version but they cost money, and I probably have more than 100gb of stuff to share )
- Sharing is done through the internet even if the computer you want to share with is in the same room, so it is much slower than transfering over LAN, and it uses my bandwidth limit with ISP.
- You have to install dropbox on each computer, its not a big deal, but it would be better if there was nothing to install and a drive/folder would just appear...
- I dont like that you have to have a stupid "my drop box folder" it would be nice if you could just tell drop box to use some specific folders or drives.

Other than that drop box is pretty nice, if it would work in LAN i think it might be worth a try...
 
Rasta_Cook said:
I need help in figuring out what i need, I heard NAS could be good, VPN ( although it looks complicated ? ) or maybe just a syncing program ( which one ? it has to work in LAN mode and Internet )

Ideally what i'd want is to have a access to a drive ( Z: for example ) where i have all my common/work files that I can access quickly and easely from my laptop and desktop, just as if this would be a local drive on my computer, it would be great if it would work with my xbox360 as i have a lot of music and video that i'd want access to, but the most important is my work data shared between computers. This ( Z: ) drive would be automatically backed up everyday or be in some sort of raid configuration that makes it safe. I think a NAS could do this, but then there is other factors to consider...

I have 1 partner and Both him and I will need to access those file from different locations, I sometime work at his house, he sometimes work at my house, sometime we go work at the office or an internet cafe etc... So getting access should be as easy as described before ( we just see it as a drive ), or alternatively data could be synced to a folder on his/my hard drive, but if so then when we edit a file in our local hard drive the changes need to be reflected everywhere ( on the NAS, on my local HD and on his local HD ) and the syncing ideally would be in real-time (or close), so that when i finish working on a photoshop file he can just grab it and start his work on it... In this situation I dont really see the usefullness of having a NAS, since the files would be duplicated everywhere ( my laptop, my desktop,his laptop his desktop and on the nas itself, lots of duplicate... ? )

Since we will be working with large files the read/write speed needs to be good. It has to be extremely easy to get access to the files and work reliably. Security is not a big issue we are not dealing with any sensitive data, the only "security" issue is the need for the data to be fail safe, if the hard drive that contains the data fails we need to be able to recover it easely.

Which product, hardware/software do i need to setup something that will work ?

I have no experience with servers, nas, vpn or whatever these things are, I've always worked from my own computer but it is becoming a really big hassle to keep everything amongs my computer organised and synced and with my partner in the picture it gets even worst...

Thanks
Click to expand...


You should really talk to an IT consultant about that. I used to work in the IT industry as a technician and it sounds like you're looking for an small-office/enterprise type solution.

A NAS and VPN would make sense, but can be complicated to set up if you're doing it yourself. I think the NAS would be the easy part since it can be as simple as a file share on a separate server inside the network (since its just you and not 10's of users), but setting up the VPN will take some work.

If you need a simple solution, you can setup Remote Desktop on your work computer and then use any computer (such as a laptop or your friend's computer) to log into your computer. It's not the same as using a VPN with a NAS, but its easy to set up in 24 hours. You can also use Remote Desktop through your VPN as well which would increase security, especially in an Internet Cafe.

Windows XP: Get Started Using Remote Desktop

If you're not really looking for an enterprise VPN solution, you could probably just get a simple D-Link/Linksys VPN server/router for $150-200 to access your network, setup a VPN client on your computer and from there you could use simple file sharing and remote desktop to access your data.

VPN Router tutorial with IPSec Client software
 
The best way would be to create the share on your desktop PC and download Welcome to OpenVPN (its fairly simple to setup, loads of help on the interwebs) and keep it running for when you both need to access the files. That way if you both connected to your VPN you could both map the share to a drive letter.

Another (simpler) way would be to just use FTP. I'm sure you already have an account somewhere online but you can download FileZilla - Server Download to use on your desktop machine which is piss easy to setup. And if using FTP clients would kill your productivity too much then you can always just add the FTP share as a folder.

If your ISP gives you a dynamic IP address (one that changes..) then I suggest running http://dyndns.com on your home PC to be able to connect to your server with ease.

EDIT: You mentioned that when your at the same location as your 'server' you want the files to be transferred through LAN instead of internet. The first method will run OK as standard when your both directly connected to the local network that your server is on when your not connected to VPN. The FTP method would be different, you would be using an external IP from outside your internal network (or address if you do use dyndns) and when you connect within the internal network you will still be accessing it through the internet, so you would need another connection (or 'folder'..) with the internal IP to take advantage of LAN speeds.
 
zimok said:
I never used it but heard it mentioned a few times,

Dropbox - Home - Secure backup, sync and sharing made easy.
Click to expand...
+1 for this
It's like having a 2gb USB key, but you never actually have to remember to plug it in or hit Sync.
It'll update the folder on every computer you install it on, or you can simply log into your folder on a website and up/download files as needed, and it'll sync those to your other computers when it's done.

I made the mistake of installing it on my phone though... Got reamed for $80 of bandwidth the next month because I let it connect on its own instead of using WiFi :'(
 
Thanks for all the recommendations, keep em coming.
This is looking to be far more complicated than I expected, apparently you cant connect to a NAS remotely if you dont have a static IP ( which I dont ) , this is what a NETGEAR tech support dude told me... there might be way around this but it adds yet another level of complexity...

argh..
 
HarveyJ said:
+1 for this
It's like having a 2gb USB key, but you never actually have to remember to plug it in or hit Sync.
It'll update the folder on every computer you install it on, or you can simply log into your folder on a website and up/download files as needed, and it'll sync those to your other computers when it's done.

I made the mistake of installing it on my phone though... Got reamed for $80 of bandwidth the next month because I let it connect on its own instead of using WiFi :'(
Click to expand...

I went from mentioning a product I never tried to you guys selling me on trying it, and since Subigo's been using it for 2 years I imagine it's hella stable - I love it. I've been lugging a USB between 4 and sometimes 5 computers between 3 different locations before... what a time saver.
 
Rasta_Cook said:
Thanks for all the recommendations, keep em coming.
This is looking to be far more complicated than I expected, apparently you cant connect to a NAS remotely if you dont have a static IP ( which I dont ) , this is what a NETGEAR tech support dude told me... there might be way around this but it adds yet another level of complexity...

argh..
Click to expand...

You can use DynDns.com to work around that. DynDNS assigns your dynamic IP address to a domain name. The way it works is that you install a DynDNS client that will update your domain name whenever your IP address changes.

DynDns.com has a free version by the way.
 
How about a Virtual VPN

Hamachi used to be just an open source app, but recently Logmein purchased them. This will allow 128bit encryption and your files don't have to go anywhere. Just install the client on both of your computers and you can see the shared network.

https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/vpn.asp

LogMeIn Hamachi is a VPN service that easily sets up in 10 minutes, and enables secure remote access to your business network, anywhere there's an Internet connection.
It works with your existing firewall, and requires no additional configuration. Hamachi is the first networking application to deliver an unprecedented level of direct peer-to-peer connectivity. It is simple, secure, and cost-effective.

If you choose commercial vs Personal the cost is still only like $39 a year. Logmein is a great company I have used them for years.
 
Im setting this up right now here is how I am doing it.

I hooked up a laptop(this will be the server) to my wireless network.

I hooked up Drobo (4 1TB drives in a raid array type deal) to the laptop for storage. I shared this drive with a password over windows network sharing so all my computers can access it.

I created shortcuts on all of the desktops to the drive, so it acts just like a local folder on the computer.

I added a FTP server and also enabled remote desktop (so I can use remote desktop on my windows mobile phone).

I also setup windows media server on the laptop and moved all my movies/music to the drobo so now I can play movies/music anywhere in my house from my ps3's over wireless.

Im going to get a couple wireless media players (D-Link Wireless Media Player) for the 2 stereo systems I have no with tv's connected.
 
Rasta_Cook said:
Thanks for all the recommendations, keep em coming.
This is looking to be far more complicated than I expected, apparently you cant connect to a NAS remotely if you dont have a static IP ( which I dont ) , this is what a NETGEAR tech support dude told me... there might be way around this but it adds yet another level of complexity...

argh..
Click to expand...

We used to use dyndns when people used to "serve" files from public home ftp servers(for ratio serving). Before p2p data transfer sharing was invented. You get a host name like name.dyndns.com and it'll always point to your ip whatever it is. DynDNS.com: Free DNS Hosting, E-mail Delivery, and VPS Hosting
 
Rasta_Cook said:
I have 1 partner and Both him and I will need to access those file from different locations, I sometime work at his house, he sometimes work at my house, sometime we go work at the office or an internet cafe etc... So getting access should be as easy as described before ( we just see it as a drive )
Click to expand...

The Drobo is great and I would suggest them to anyone but Real time access with a VPN is the only way I see to really answer his problem. Without having a pc on 24/7 that he can remote desktop and transfer files over FTP. FTP is not synchronization.
 
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