Best way to go about remote access

[rwslippey]

Good afternoon all,

So I've got my Freenas box setup and running but I'm looking to add some functionality going forward. I'd really like to access files remotely. For reference sake I will most likely be using files within photoshop or possibly accessing pdf files or even rarely accessing quickbooks. All of this combined security is a must.

I know how to setup SSH and FTP of course but FTP is obviously out for security reasons.

So that just leaves using ssh for file transfers back and forth or CIFS over VPN. I'm not comfortable with webdav, but I don't really know much about. I'm guessing there might be other ways as well, so if I missed one please let me know.

My question is what is the preferred method for connecting remotely? Security and functionality are top priority. I've looked at getting a small office router to replace my current router which supports a few VPN licenses (Cisco) and I'm not opposed to buying. I am leaning more towards this option as I would like it to be a little more user friendly than having to use an ftp client for sftp access.

The other purpose here is to open up some shares with my father and a friend so we can work together on things and share information. Again being user friendly has become important.

Any thoughts on how you guys would go about this? Have I missed any possible ways to do this?


Thanks

Rob

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

The important question is, do you need remote access to FreeNAS, or remote access to files?

Remote access to FreeNAS is not recommended. If you insist, VPN is the usual refrain.

Remote access to files is straightforward, using BTSync or SyncThing or ownCloud.

 

[m0nkey_]

There is always FTP over SSL, which requires a SSL certificate, this can be signed or self-signed. You may also want to consider SFTP, which is SSH File Transfer Protocol.

That being said, utilizing a VPN would be even more secure. Most off-the-shelf routers support some kind of VPN server, such as IPSec or OpenVPN. You'd need to refer to your routers manual on how to configure this. Also, just a side note, avoid PPTP VPN.

 

[shnurov]

I have the same question - basically going over to access my files remotely without the need of a VPN as some of my users will be confused. We recently became more 'international' where I have employees in multiple cities and it makes everything complicated in terms of synchronizing files together.

Watching this thread if it develops further.