remote fileserver mountable as filesystem. how ?

[miguelvp]

Say you run a software program at 60Hz, you have 16.6ms between frames, 33.333ms at 30Hz. I can send packets in less than 7ms to/from a server if the server is well connected to Tier 1 backbones.

Proper remote desktop (IOW not screen graphics copying like VNC) doesn't work that way. What gets send over the line are higher level graphics commands. Put a rectangle here, draw a polygon there, etc.

I know how X Windows works (have used it plenty 25+years back), with H.264 video compression you can do better than that and you only need a hardware decoder on the receiving end specially with 3d graphics, Send the textures and vertex points via high level graphics commands will be way too expensive compared to streaming video

[nctnico]

But 3D CAD is not streaming video. A 3D drawing consists of vertices and textures. Send those over once and the only thing that needs to be send is the position and rotation of te viewport for the local GPU to render the image.

[miguelvp]

But 3D CAD is not streaming video. A 3D drawing consists of vertices and textures. Send those over once and the only thing that needs to be send is the position and rotation of te viewport for the local GPU to render the image.

Plus materials, shaders, UV coordinates, light and light types etc.

If it's a complex scene sending all that will take forever. That's why streaming the video of the output of the application is faster, you keep everything on the server and it takes your inputs to interact with the application and it sends the streaming video back.

I know you can't take the NVidia Grid test drive but there is no lag as far as I've seen in videos, I should take the test drive myself one of these days.

But it won't help the OP since they are expensive I think, and renting VMs will cost more than having the system at your desk.

[revilo951]

Have you considered Bittorent Sync?

Has some neat advantages... (free, free, free, no 3rd party, cross platform, etc)

[David Hess]

I have used SMB 1.0 over an IPSEC VPN in the past and it worked well enough.  Throughput was limited by the endpoint links which were SDSL, ADSL, or cable so the performance limitations of SMB 1.0 over a relatively high latency link were not really apparent.

If I did it today, I would use OpenVPN tunnels over UDP and of course avoid SMB 1.0.

[jeremy]

I work remotely on a Linux server with 500ms latency. The approach I use is sshfs and/or vpn. But I don't use windows to access it and I edit all my files locally + use an rsync like tool which is hooked to inotify. Most days I can't even tell that the server is on the other side of the world.

I think it would not be in microsoft's business interest to solve the exact problem you describe for cheap, because they have already solved it for a lot of money in SharePoint (as has been mentioned previously). I think you may have a vendor lock-in problem 

[mrflibble]

here is what i want :
- a fileserver that is stored somewhere. don't care where.
- connected to the internet with a static IP address
- password protectected with user accounts.
- automatic backup with daily and weekly snapshots.
- manageable ( meaning i can set up folders create users and assign permissions to folders for users. )

- mountable as a drive . No 3rd part software , no ftp , no synctoys. on windows : my computer -> map network drive -> done. from anywhere in the world  <-tricky bit

What did you end up using?

[free_electron]

right. time to revisit this. we got our own building now so we need a solution.

version control system : yes we will use that , but it does not solve the root problem.


WARNING: we are NOT IT people, nor do we have an interest in becoming IT experts. I need a turnkey solution that requires no learning curve and is easy to work with. Suggestions as 'take an old computer and install linux, tghen do yaddayadaa'  will be shot down in flames with extreme prejudice .. we don't want homebrew kludges. if there is an appliance i can buy for 1000$ or 2000$ i will do so. if it can be solved by simply installing a small program on our user computers and that needs 50$ per license i will do so. money is no objection (within reason). The key is ; it has to do EXACTLY what we want. nevermind what reasons we have for what we want, it is too complicated (very longwinded) to explain.

Secnario :

There is a NAS box in a building somewhere in the world. The people working in that building are on the same LAN so there is no problem. They can mount shares as drive letters.
This building has an internet connection using a DYNAMIC ip. We do not have a static IP and want to try to avoid that as you pay through the nose for that ...

If i work inside the building i use either a desktop or a laptop, or my own private laptop. i simply connect to the LAN and done.

If i work outside the building (remote location using a corporate machine, my own machine, or a rental computer) i want to able to mount a share on our NAS as a drive letter on the machine i am currently on. Caveat : this mounting is NOT allowed to disturb any other network connections already present. so VPN is a no-go ! the problem with VPN is that, when i connect to the remote machine, i lose access to my local stuff. i can't print to my printers, i can't see my own home NAS anymore. so that is a no-go.

So really all i want is to be able to map a drive letter to a remote volume that does NOT sit on my LAN but resides at some IP address 'out there'.

After doing some homework it looks like WebDAV is the way to go. install a piece of software like NEtdrive and then simply deploy something like a WD Sentinel or a WD MYcloud DL4100 NAs should do it as these NAS boxes have a WebDAV server on board.

Question is :are there other solutions ?

Again : please don't question why we need a driveletter , why we don't want to use a version control system etc . we have our reasons. (in short : we have a bunch of files that are 'read only' to the users, but updated by software on the fly. As soon as a file alters the users get the new version. this is seamless. So we don't want/need local working copies. this is not code development. these are CAD databases. the database file is opened, in read mode, by multiple users. The database is a 'live entity'.  The way to do this is simply store the DB on a file system , map a drive letter and open that remote file. so that is what i seek : a way to mount a remote drive , just as if it sat in my local lan , WITHOUT losing access to my local lan ( so VPN is ruled out as that blocks )

[Psi]

There is a NAS box in a building somewhere in the world. The people working in that building are on the same LAN so there is no problem. They can mount shares as drive letters.
This building has an internet connection using a DYNAMIC ip

A lot of ISPs will physically kick dynamic IP connections from time to time to force a reconnect and new IP.
So, if you go with a dynamic IP at the NAS box end, remote users are going to get kicked off in the middle of doing something at some point and it will take anywhere from 1-30min for the new DYNDNS/NOIP update to get your new IP accessible to the offsite people


I can't think of a better solution that fits your requirements other than webdav.
But the lack of a better solution does not make webdav a good option for opening business files directly across the internet.
Windows apps are not really designed to handle the lag and other strange effects tend to occur.

Some IT problems cannot be solved by throwing money at them, you need to throw some smart IT people instead 

[Monkeh]

WITHOUT losing access to my local lan ( so VPN is ruled out as that blocks )

You're ruling out the correct solution based on an experience with incorrectly configured software. VPNs can work just fine for this application. I can suggest Sonicwall, although I am no fan of their products, I can tell you with 100% certainty you can do this without interrupting local access.

Sadly, there is no such thing as an off the shelf 'click and go' solution, you will have to configure it, including puzzling out DDNS (and I have no idea if Sonicwalls will do that). A static IP would potentially be worth the expense..

[free_electron]

the problem with VPN is that the vpn server does not run on the NAS box. VPN is fine if you have a windows based server. we don't want a server. we want a hands-off NAS. A box that sits in a corner and we don't have to mess with. create a share, throw in some folders, add some users , set permissions and off we go. no other management needed. set up two of them and let them replicate amongst each other for backup


I can't find any complete guide with a solution. it's all bits and pieces. this is frustrating. anno 2015 this is still so difficult to do ? every computer has a unique mac address. why can't i simply tell the operating system : that mac address there has a samba session running. connect. then i type my username and password and i'm done. traffic is encrypted and the remote machine behaves just like it sits right next to me. i'm having a hard time to understand why this is not possible ? i dont need to see the entire network in the remote building. i only need to see 1 thing : the shared drive.

The WD NAS boxes come close and you can even use windows explorer to browse the volume remotely , but it does not map the volume as a drive letter which makes it so that a standard program cannot browse there.  another problem is they need java ... i avoid that like the plague ...

I am looking at Hamachi now. But this is again a less than optimal solution as it requires a 'pc' to be on all the time in order to get access to what is in the building. i want to avoid that. pc's are highly unreliable. ( not only from a virus / intrusion perspective. we would need to buy a true server machine designed for 24/7 uptime with redundant power supplies, preferrably have two that mirror each other for backup ... yikes.... )

[mrflibble]

Webdav + netdrive is not a superbad solution per se, but it's not exactly first choice either. Webdav + <blob of software primarily designed to work on local files> is more likely to have unexpected issues than VPN + <blob of software primarily designed to work on local files>. From a technical view point a VPN is a better match.

Besides, if you manage to mess up your VPN config how do you fancy your chances getting webdav to work properly, given that VPN is a better tool for the job? It's perfectly fine to have two left hands when it comes to IT, as long as you know your limitations when it comes to judging solution fitness. Don't say "VPN does not work!", but say "I could not get VPN to work!". Flip side is of course that as a customer you can reasonably expect some sort of user friendliness when it comes to configuration, so maybe then the question becomes "What is a reasonable okay-ish solution that more or less does what we want AND AND AND has a bulletproof install + config with large friendly letters". If that becomes the question, well then I dunno. But maybe someone else does...

Alternatively you could find your local medium sized IT company, give them the list of what you want, have them do the setup + testing and pay the bill. The main challenge there is the testing of your software stack. I can imagine you know better what the important things to test are in Altium / CAD package than that local IT person. That, and licenses for the test machine. That and the budget was $1k-$2k. Mmmh, the more I think about it someone inside the organization will still have to do it due to those constraints. Well, you're boned. You will have to read the manual. Starting with the chapter "How do I setup without losing local drives", because any decent VPN has the ability to provide access to both local & remote drives.

As for dynamic IP: call ISP, ask for static IP, listen to      about how you need a premium waffle link, then shout HOW MUCH!?!  , all I want is a static ip, not 99.99999999% uptime, then suffer more     , then threaten to go to other ISP that is not that insane and if you did that convincingly you now have a static ip.

[Monkeh]

the problem with VPN is that the vpn server does not run on the NAS box. VPN is fine if you have a windows based server. we don't want a server. we want a hands-off NAS. A box that sits in a corner and we don't have to mess with. create a share, throw in some folders, add some users , set permissions and off we go. no other management needed. set up two of them and let them replicate amongst each other for backup

So do that, and add a VPN capable router to let you access it. You don't need a server.

I can't find any complete guide with a solution. it's all bits and pieces. this is frustrating. anno 2015 this is still so difficult to do ? every computer has a unique mac address. why can't i simply tell the operating system : that mac address there has a samba session running. connect. then i type my username and password and i'm done. traffic is encrypted and the remote machine behaves just like it sits right next to me. i'm having a hard time to understand why this is not possible ? i dont need to see the entire network in the remote building. i only need to see 1 thing : the shared drive.

Because the internet doesn't work that way. Sorry.

Seriously, get a Sonicwall or the like. Use whatever NAS you want behind it.

[mrflibble]

the problem with VPN is that the vpn server does not run on the NAS box. VPN is fine if you have a windows based server. we don't want a server. we want a hands-off NAS. A box that sits in a corner and we don't have to mess with. create a share, throw in some folders, add some users , set permissions and off we go. no other management needed. set up two of them and let them replicate amongst each other for backup

So get two boxes. One box is your nas. The other is a small box that does all the useful stuff that you need but is not provided by the NAS box.
At least that way you can configure the internet facing box to be not full of holes. Or use whatever infrastructure you already have but currently don't know about yet, and use that. As a company you will want to have some generic solution for VPN connections, so use that.

[bitwelder]

You could deploy a NAS like those made by Synology (which I know better, another good brand is QNAP). The UI is pretty nice and quite simple to configure, and you can have also a VPN server running on the box itself (and a VCS system, etc. etc.)
Here is a link to an demo accessible online: https://www.synology.com/en-us/dsm/live_demo and here is the manual https://global.download.synology.com/download/Document/UserGuide/DSM/5.1/Syno_UsersGuide_NAServer_enu.pdf if you want to understand its capabilities (and whether it's too complicated to use for your team).

To be honest, I wouldn't dare to expose drive mounts to the public internet, so I'd recommend to keep their access safe behind a VPN.

[mrflibble]

set up two of them and let them replicate amongst each other for backup

Incidentally, replication is not the same as backup. Replication also replicates user errors such as accidentally-wipe-this-entire-project. But maybe you already have taken that into account and your chosen NAS has some decent backup functionality.

[nctnico]

right. time to revisit this. we got our own building now so we need a solution.

version control system : yes we will use that , but it does not solve the root problem.

Use Dropbox. It is a local synchronised folder on your computer. Does replication, backups and version control.

[suicidaleggroll]

How about ExpanDrive:
http://www.expandrive.com/

It supports a lot of cloud services that you don't need (can just be ignored), but one thing it can do is connect to a server via SSH (SFTP) and map it to a drive letter.  I just tried it out on my Win 7 VM at work and was able to map my home directory on my Linux server at home to a "Z:" drive within about 10 seconds.

I'm sure your NAS box supports SSH/SFTP connections?  Just forward the necessary port (22 if default, or pick a custom one if you want) to the NAS and you're done.

I also highly suggest you get a static IP from your provider.  It can't be that much...I think we only pay $5/mo for a static IP with Comcast Business.

[free_electron]

right. time to revisit this. we got our own building now so we need a solution.

version control system : yes we will use that , but it does not solve the root problem.

Use Dropbox. It is a local synchronised folder on your computer. Does replication, backups and version control.

NO ! We do NOT want file replication ! That is the root problem we want to solve. The files are 'live' .

Think of it this way : this is a database. You dont make a copy of the data in the database, you connect to it. This is what we want to do with a filesystem.

We dont need version control, we dont want replication. The files sit there, open in read mode. If a file updates i see it live.  Just like if data in a database changes i see that live in the query.

[free_electron]

Ok , so i looks like i need another look at vpn
People suggest routers with vpn on board. Model numbers ? I found a bunch but they are invariably machines that were reflashed an openwrt installed. Thats a no-go. I want something from a 'real' manufacturer that has not been altered by 3rd party.
Suppose we find sich a beast, and we get a static ip. What client software do we need ? And how tonset it so it does not clash with the users local lan ?

I have a laptop from work. I connect from home use Juno Pulse (juniper networks). Works like a charm, but i cant see anything on my local lan.  That is what i want to avoid. Other problem is that , once on vpn, the web access goes through the vpn. I dont want the remote users traffic to bounce through the corporate gateway.

So how is this solved ? Theres got to be a quick setup guide somewhere for such things. I just cant find it.

[Kevman]

I can't find any complete guide with a solution. it's all bits and pieces. this is frustrating. anno 2015 this is still so difficult to do ? every computer has a unique mac address. why can't i simply tell the operating system : that mac address there has a samba session running. connect.

Sure, keeping the location tables of 10 billion MAC addresses up to date on millions of Internet routers in real time wouldn't have a lot of overhead. 


Sometimes things are difficult because they are difficult problems to solve. They only appear simple because the people that take care of it are good at what they do and hide the complexity, leading to people taking them for granted.

[kingofkya]

Install this and be done with it you can use webdav to connect to it and that is built into windows just map a drive and put in the http address. Just needs a basic lamp stack (linux webserver) to work  nearly any webhosting provider can run owncloud.

https://owncloud.com/
And there is a open version too so you can be cheap if you need to.

And it has a nice easy gui so you can download files in a pinch if needed as if it was dropbox/googledrive etc.

See the windows gui section:
https://doc.owncloud.org/server/6.0/user_manual/files/files.html

and the permissions for sharing between users.
https://forum.owncloud.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=10961
https://doc.owncloud.org/server/6.0/admin_manual/sharing_api/index.html

[kingofkya]

OH i see soem one alredy sugested owncloud.

Anyways another alternative is.
https://www.getsync.com/

They just added file permissions and it s p2p but it does need to be downloaded, but its extremely simple. Reminds me of foldeshare.com before microsoft ruined it.


VPN...ugh its a pain in the ass 90% of the time. IF you do go that route check out openvpn.com its like $10 a year per user. If you don't have a solid ssl and networking background don't even try to use the open version.

[Monkeh]

Ok , so i looks like i need another look at vpn
People suggest routers with vpn on board. Model numbers ? I found a bunch but they are invariably machines that were reflashed an openwrt installed. Thats a no-go. I want something from a 'real' manufacturer that has not been altered by 3rd party.
Suppose we find sich a beast, and we get a static ip. What client software do we need ? And how tonset it so it does not clash with the users local lan ?

I have a laptop from work. I connect from home use Juno Pulse (juniper networks). Works like a charm, but i cant see anything on my local lan.  That is what i want to avoid. Other problem is that , once on vpn, the web access goes through the vpn. I dont want the remote users traffic to bounce through the corporate gateway.

So how is this solved ? Theres got to be a quick setup guide somewhere for such things. I just cant find it.

Your Juniper stuff is misconfigured.

I am not an expert on them, and have only used the client side (they provide the software, it's no problem, just beware you CANNOT download it without an account, so you'll have to distribute copies to users yourself), but I am presently connected to a Sonicwall provided VPN. My web-bound traffic does not pass through it, I am fully able to access all my local shares, and I have full access to the remote network as well.

Something like this is probably sufficient, but I will ask my guy later what he suggests: http://www.sonicwall.com/us/en/products/TZ-205.html

I'm sad to say there's no 'quick setup guide'. You will have to read, understand, and configure it appropriately. Sorry, but 'click and go' is not a reality.

How many users are you looking at?

[nctnico]

right. time to revisit this. we got our own building now so we need a solution.

version control system : yes we will use that , but it does not solve the root problem.

Use Dropbox. It is a local synchronised folder on your computer. Does replication, backups and version control.

NO ! We do NOT want file replication ! That is the root problem we want to solve. The files are 'live' .

Think of it this way : this is a database. You dont make a copy of the data in the database, you connect to it. This is what we want to do with a filesystem.

We dont need version control, we dont want replication. The files sit there, open in read mode. If a file updates i see it live.  Just like if data in a database changes i see that live in the query.

Dropbox does that. Try it!