Sharing disk volumes over http
Hello Experts -
I have two computers, Computer_A and Computer_B. Comuter_A is running Windows, but Computer_B could run either Windows or Linux. Both are on private networks behind firewalls that I cannot modify. Computer_A can access a webserver (IIS or Apache) on Computer_B and display web pages via http on port 80. Other than that, Computer_A has essentially no other communication with Computer_B due to firewall rules between the two computers.
I would like to share a storage device such that Computer_A sees it as a Windows volume (D:, for example) and that D: is actually a volume on Computer_B (K:, for example). When I copy a file from the C: drive to the K: drive on Computer_B, the file would appear available on Computer_A as a file on the D: drive. On Computer_A, the D: drive would be visible in Windows Explorer. The file could be copied/renamed/etc as if it was a local volume. Performance is a secondary consideration; my files are small.
Basically, what I would like would be something identical to Windows File Sharing, only accessible via port 80 using the http protocol. It would be ok to have to run a browser login initiation first if necessary. If it can be done wth Windows File Sharing, any assistance in understanding how would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
I have two computers, Computer_A and Computer_B. Comuter_A is running Windows, but Computer_B could run either Windows or Linux. Both are on private networks behind firewalls that I cannot modify. Computer_A can access a webserver (IIS or Apache) on Computer_B and display web pages via http on port 80. Other than that, Computer_A has essentially no other communication with Computer_B due to firewall rules between the two computers.
I would like to share a storage device such that Computer_A sees it as a Windows volume (D:, for example) and that D: is actually a volume on Computer_B (K:, for example). When I copy a file from the C: drive to the K: drive on Computer_B, the file would appear available on Computer_A as a file on the D: drive. On Computer_A, the D: drive would be visible in Windows Explorer. The file could be copied/renamed/etc as if it was a local volume. Performance is a secondary consideration; my files are small.
Basically, what I would like would be something identical to Windows File Sharing, only accessible via port 80 using the http protocol. It would be ok to have to run a browser login initiation first if necessary. If it can be done wth Windows File Sharing, any assistance in understanding how would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Dave Baldwin
HTTP and port 80 require a web server at the server end. Web servers have very restrictive permissions that won't allow what you want to do. Note that sharing through any method requires permissions to be set properly to allow it. Even thru Windows Explorer that is true.
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According to Wikipedia:
Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers.
Under Windows:
Some versions of the redirector are reported to have some limitations in authentication support.[17] This includes the fact that some versions disable basic authentication for HTTP connections for security purposes. Suggested workarounds for problems in some versions include:[citation needed]
explicitly specify a port number in the URL e.g. http://host:80/path/. This reportedly forces the use of the old "Web folders" client.[18]
As far as I can tell, a "Web Folder" is an extension of the file system managed by Windows Explorer, with the limitation that only certain document types are supported.
So, this answer addresses the criteria of my question and appears to be correct. Thank you.
Any pointers on how to implement Windav, especially on 2008 server and Win 7/64 bit would be appreciated.
Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers.
Under Windows:
Some versions of the redirector are reported to have some limitations in authentication support.[17] This includes the fact that some versions disable basic authentication for HTTP connections for security purposes. Suggested workarounds for problems in some versions include:[citation needed]
explicitly specify a port number in the URL e.g. http://host:80/path/. This reportedly forces the use of the old "Web folders" client.[18]
As far as I can tell, a "Web Folder" is an extension of the file system managed by Windows Explorer, with the limitation that only certain document types are supported.
So, this answer addresses the criteria of my question and appears to be correct. Thank you.
Any pointers on how to implement Windav, especially on 2008 server and Win 7/64 bit would be appreciated.