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    Maybe a dumb question, but:...

    I run a small business and need to give file access to 3-4 people at different locations (I have about 4 people who work for me on a part time basis from their home).  Using WS Home, is it possible to create mapped drives on each of their computers so that all data can be stored on that server and accessed as needed?  Specifically, I need the server to be treated as a local drive so that if I have a file open, it will not allow someone else to edit it until I close it.  FTP access does not do this because I have to download the file, edit it, and upload it again.  While  am editing, someone else can download, edit, and upload before I finish, which will erase their work when I upload my file…

     

    I need something that will work like a regular file server in an office, but work over the internet connections as opposed to the local network.  Is this possible with WS Home?

    Engineer by day, Ecommerce Entrenpeneur by night
    Thursday, April 23, 2009 10:02 PM

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    Chris, unfortunately WebDAV (the technology behind WebFolders4WHS) doesn't support file locking in the general case. That is a feature of the WebDAV client, and the rather basic client that Microsoft supplies with the Windows operating system doesn't support it. There's a more full-featured client that's built into Microsoft Office, so someone could open a document using WebFolders4WHS directly in e.g. Word with support for file locking, but not a text document opened in Notepad.

    To the original poster: unfortunately Windows Home Server doesn't offer any support for what you want to do, and I don't believe there are any add-ins that will offer it as a general features, only in certain limited circumstances.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Friday, April 24, 2009 4:20 AM
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    Webfolders4WHS should give you all of the functionality that you're looking for  (of course, I'd suggest trying your 'edit issue' with a couple of test files.)
    However, it will give you the native shell access that you're looking for (from within Explorer.)

    HTH,
    Chris
    [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]
    Friday, April 24, 2009 4:07 AM
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    Chris, unfortunately WebDAV (the technology behind WebFolders4WHS) doesn't support file locking in the general case. That is a feature of the WebDAV client, and the rather basic client that Microsoft supplies with the Windows operating system doesn't support it. There's a more full-featured client that's built into Microsoft Office, so someone could open a document using WebFolders4WHS directly in e.g. Word with support for file locking, but not a text document opened in Notepad.

    To the original poster: unfortunately Windows Home Server doesn't offer any support for what you want to do, and I don't believe there are any add-ins that will offer it as a general features, only in certain limited circumstances.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Friday, April 24, 2009 4:20 AM
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    Thanks for the replies!

    Ken, when you say it does not offer "file locking" do you mean locking a second user out when the first user has it open, or creating a "read only" file 100% of the time?

    I am afraid the option with MS Office will not work either, as I am using several programs other than the ones in MS Office, such as AutoCAD and quickbooks.

    I found this that they claim will work, but haven't had a chance to test it out:

    https://www.jungledisk.com/workgroup/index.aspx

    Are any of you familiar with Jungle Disk?

    Also, does the full version of Windows Server support the features I am looking for.  I have an old machine that I have been told has MS Server 2003, but haven't even turned it on to check it out.  From what I have heard, Windows Server is not a fun OS to learn...

    Thank you!
    Engineer by day, Ecommerce Entrenpeneur by night
    Monday, April 27, 2009 6:21 PM
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    I probably should have said file sharing, though I can't find the reference at the moment. Locking is something that has been a core part of the WebDAV spec for years, and I think write locking is supported by IIS and the Windows WebDAV mini-redirector.

    Still, if you expose any of the server shares through WebDAV, there's a potential for an overwrite issue, because the Windows Home Server remote access site doesn't know anything about locking.

    Jungledisk and similar "cloud" schemes are great for smaller files if you have a very fast connection to the Internet. Nothing is going to make opening a very large file (and CAD models tend not to be small) reasonable. I think they're mostly good for backing up a very small number of critical files.


    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Monday, April 27, 2009 9:11 PM
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