Server 2008 R2 and FTP

[24c]

Set up a server for my home network, server + laptop + desktop, using Windows Server 2008 R2. I am experimenting with an FTP site, my 1st try at any of this.

Set up the FTP site OK. When entering the site address into a browser address bar, am promted for a User Name and Password for logon.

Does anyone know where, or how, I set up the User Name and Password?

 

[pparks1]

You set them up as local users on the box. Or, if you are running a domain, you set up their accounts in active directory users and computers.

Technically, you need a CAL (client access license) for each user account that you set up...or you need the Internet connector license if you are going to let the public get to it. Hence the reason that I never use Windows boxes as FTP servers.

 

[chev65]

Set up a server for my home network, server + laptop + desktop, using Windows Server 2008 R2. I am experimenting with an FTP site, my 1st try at any of this.

Set up the FTP site OK. When entering the site address into a browser address bar, am promted for a User Name and Password for logon.

Does anyone know where, or how, I set up the User Name and Password?

It looks to me like you can go to Administrative tools then too Internet Information Services IIS manager, you can set up authentication by clicking that and going to the authentication icon. The link below shows where to go.

How to manage settings for an IIS web server and FTP server in Windows 7?

 

[24c]

@pparks1
Thanks.
I am not running a domain, just set the ftp up as a learning experience. So far I have learned I know very little about servers.

You had mentioned Linux Samba (?) as another server option. Could I set that up on another HD in the box and dual boot the two?

As I said, this is more a "toy" box than anything important.

 

[pparks1]

Wasn't talking about Linux "samba". Samba is the SMB implementation in Linux that allows Linux machines to particular on Windows based networks using Server Message Blocks.

In this case, my FTP servers are indeed Linux based. I typically run vsftpd on CentOS linux machines for production purposes. Coupled with tmpwatch to clean out files older than a specific period of time, it makes for a very swift and solid system. Usually the entire OS and components necessary only take about 600MB of disk space, they run just fine on 256MB of RAM, and it costs nothing to add users to. With a backup of the data, I can reinstall the OS, put back the vsftpd.conf file, and adjust the firewall to allow traffic in on ports 20-21 in about 10 minutes flat.

With regards to dual booting.....I would go the route of a virtual machine instead. You could easily use VMWare Player or VirtualBox to run a virtual Linux machine. To me, it's far superior to screwing around with dual boots. For example....with a virtual machine...if you struggle getting the internet working...you can still use the web browser directly on the host computer to search online for suggestions on fixing the networking in your VM. if you were truly dual booting, you would be continuously having to reboot and flip flop back and forth between the two.

 

[24c]

It looks to me like you can go to Administrative tools then too Internet Information Services IIS manager, you can set up authentication by clicking that and going to the authentication icon. The link below shows where to go.

How to manage settings for an IIS web server and FTP server in Windows 7?

I'm not using Windows 7, I'm using Windows Server 2008 R2. I think they are related though

 

[24c]

@pparks1 - thanks for the info. Right now I am so frustrated with Server 2008 the thought of even trying to learn about virtual machines gives me a headache.

What I thought was going to be a simple fun exercise turned into major pain.
Time to step away from the server, take a deep breath, and do some more reading/research/learning before the format by 357 method is applied.

 

[chev65]

Sorry about that 24C, the set up procedure looks similar for server 08, icons look the same anyway. This site shows a fairly detailed authentication setup procedure for FTP server on server 08. I was surprized to see that Win7 can actually host an FTP server.
How to Setup User Authentication in FTP 7 on IIS 7.0

 

[pparks1]

24c...what are you having the most problems with?

 

[24c]

24c...what are you having the most problems with?

As stated in OP - I installed Windows Server 2008 R2 on an old box. Set it up so I could access files on the D drive from laptop and desk top - no problem.

Then I wanted to set up an FTP server so a friend could acess a folder on my server. Nothing permanent, just for the experience.

FTP site set up ftp.xxxxxx dot com, which when I pasted into a browser prompted me for a User name and password for logon. I have asked on 3 different forums, and cannot find out where I go to set up that user name and password.

 

[24c]

Sorry about that 24C, the set up procedure looks similar for server 08, icons look the same anyway. This site shows a fairly detailed authentication setup procedure for FTP server on server 08. I was surprized to see that Win7 can actually host an FTP server.
How to Setup User Authentication in FTP 7 on IIS 7.0

I think Win7 and Server 2008R2 are brother and sister.

ETA - I'm not 100% sure of this, but I think that guide is for Windows server 2008, I have 2008 R2. I just checked on the TechNet site, and they are 2 different programs. I think 2008R2 has IIs 7.5, not 7.0.
(Again, I am not sure if I am anywhere near right here.). What I see in the guide and what I see on my screen are similar, but different.

 

[pparks1]

To add a user account locally on a windows 2008 server

Right click my computer and choose manage
choose local users and groups
go into users and create a new account and set a password

Then just make sure that the files and folders include this user in the security tab for your ftproot folder. It is probably something like c:/inetpub/ftproot.

Let me know if that gets you sorted.

 

[24c]

Thanks for your efforts here pparks1.

No matter what I do I end up where I was in the OP, cannot sign in.

I quit, this project has exceeded my acceptable aggravation level.

 

[pparks1]

24c...I'll try to spin up a VM of 2008 R2 this weekend and give this a shot. There must be something simple being missed. I will make a note of all of my steps....we should have you going.

 

[24c]

I appreciate the thought, but I formatted the machine and put a copy of Win 7 Pro on it. I'm going to experiment with some other ideas.

Thanks again for you time and effort on this for me.

 

[questorfla]

I may be misunderstanding the problem but I have the exact same setup and it works fine.

I think you might be missing a plugin to get to the setup for the user configuration. The Users are configured in the server manager local users and groups option. It is a pretty easy to follow setup from there. This can be done on a one-off Windows Server Box using just a Workgroup. No Domain needed.
It is easier to create a groups first for each User type and configure the Group Profiles permissions. Then changing anything is done to everyone by changing the levels of the group they belong to.

2008R2 was a pretty easy OS when choosing from all the MS Server options. You might even find that Windows 7 Ultimate (and maybe Pro) could do anything you need without the expense of CAL's. Depends on what you are using it for.

Please take the above with a "grain of salt" as I am speaking from personal experiences only. Your results may vary. I can tell you the configuration changes I had to make to get mine to work as needed on a "Workgroup" instead of a "Domain" though.

PPS: Final note on your FTP setup: You are not alone! Try a Google Search and you will find Many people with the same problems. Posted on this Forum is one that had me hopeful till I got to the very end where you are shown that what you created was a "workgroup place", not a drive letter. For many people this may be all you need. B ut good luck if you need a Drive Letter associated with it. In truth, I am still working on it myself as it is a requirement for another program to use.

If you just want it to work and don't mind spending a few dollars for the ease of setup, I recommend "WEBDRIVE". It seems to work on everything I tried it with. FTPUSE is another that some say they have gotten to work but I have not had any luck with it at all. It is an OLD program (2009) and if you try it and get results, please post me or let others know here.

NETDRIVE is the third in the field and I was not very pleased with it. It might work if you could figure out what your particular needs are but they don't do a lot to help. Webdrive either connects right away or helps you find what changes you need to make to get it to work. It remembers the configuration and can be set to load them on Startup.

Please note that this is using FTP, not SFTP nor FTPS. As long as you know this going in. There are ways to use the secure versions but I advise getting normal FTP to work first.