Need help setting up an FTP server

[leor]

i want to setup an FTP server, but have been having some annoyances with my NAS and software choices. I have a Thecus n7700 Pro, and using windows server 2008. I've tried using just the n7700, but the FTP software on there isn't so good, and I'm concerned about the security.

My first problem - and maybe this is just my ignorance - is I can't seem to get any of the software I've tried (wing ftp, filezilla, and one other, i forget) to acknowledge my NAS. I have a few of my NAS folders setup as networked drives with their own drive letter, but my only options seem to be the local drives. Also when I've done this in the past, I didn't have to setup a domain, I was able to simply set a home directory for each user and it just worked.

I've got access to windows home server and some different versions of server 2008. I had tried using the built in FTP in server 2008 standard, but that was a major pain in the ass and I never got that to work. I'm wondering whether there's anything in windows home server or server 2008 web edition that could be helpful.

I just want to simply be able to access my files remotely, have secure, high speed transfers, and be able to add new users and restrict their access to certain folders. I'm sure I'm over complicating things here, but any advice would be welcome.

[FroBozz_Inc]

http://www.bpftpserver.com/

Is pretty awesome, maybe take a look at that?

[bthylafh]

You'll never have actual security with FTP, unless you use FTP-over-SSL. Data, username, password, they're all sent in the clear with plain FTP.

Me, I use SFTP provided by my OpenSSH server, which unfortunately doesn't have support in most web browsers, but there are pretty good Windows clients like WinSCP and FileZilla.

Probably any Windows program that serves SSH would do the trick, should you want to go that route.

[Flying Fox]

I recommend FileZilla. If you use the FileZilla client you can easily set up FTP over SSL to connect. Windows' own FTP hook into IIS so yes you have all those domain nonsense. For your purposes you should stay away from it.

As for not recognizing network shares, I just tried on my FileZilla server client and I could see the mapped drive. There are 2 things to check I suppose:
1) Did you physically map a drive?
2) By default the FileZilla service is run under SYSTEM (on my Win2K3-dervied WHS box), so no mapped drive there. Another twist is even if you configure the service to run as your account, they don't necessary inherit from your logged on session with all the mapped drives there. This problem is a bit tricky, off the top of my head I can think of not configuring the FTP service to run as a Windows service and launch it on your own under your own account. You may have to hack up the shortcut (with a batch file) to add the mapped drives before the actual executable was launched. You definitely need to match the drive letter when you configure from the GUI (another logged on session) to the script.

Hope I am not too confusing. This is actually why I chose WHS for my file server since I can run whatever program that I want that I am comfortable with on Windows, instead of depending on whatever the NAS gives me or allows me to install (and most likely not Windows).

[leor]

interesting, i think i used bulletproof at one point, but it bugged out on me so i switched to winftp. That didn't run on server 2008, and when they switched to wing ftp, well that just didn't do anything I wanted.

I wouldn't mind dealing with the domain nonsense if i could figure out how to set it up and why it was necessary.

When you asked if i physically mapped the drive, i'll tell you what I did then you can tell me if I did that

I entered the ip address of the NAS, which brought up the folders, right clicked on a folder and selected map network drive. viola, networked drive, no good?

[Flying Fox]

I entered the ip address of the NAS, which brought up the folders, right clicked on a folder and selected map network drive. viola, networked drive, no good?

That is good, but my suspicion is that if you are talking about FileZilla, then that mapped drive won't be seen by the service process since it is by default running under a different user.

[leor]

That is good, but my suspicion is that if you are talking about FileZilla, then that mapped drive won't be seen by the service process since it is by default running under a different user.

Interesting I'll look into that, thanks.