Hermione

[ffutures]

Stage one of the file server business is accomplished - I've bought the casing and tried it with an expendable drive, and after the usual messing about have it working, albeit not very useful since the drive is only 6gb. Since it's going to be packed with knowledge eventually I'm going to call it Hermione. Once I've checked prices from a few more vendors I'll get a drive - about 300gb is probably what I can afford for now - and put it on line permanently.

What I'm wondering is how I make it accessible from the network computers but protect it from external hacking. But doubtless someone reading this is already saying "is he thick or what?" and eager to tell me what to do...

Comments

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

Is this for home or work use?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Home - just a big hard disk in a box that any of the PCs can access.

[uk-lemming.livejournal.com]

Provided that there is no specific route to it through your router and you are using a private IP adress you shuold be fine. It will be hidden behind the Routers firewall.

What you will find is that you have at best nothing and at worst one pc that is actually visible from the other side of the router - depending on port-forwarding options on the router.

I have a webserver visible behind my router, on a NTL connection, that can be reached through a website adress, so it is possible to ensure that it is not possible to access any box on your network. You will have to specifically allow acces to what you want.

Securing the Box once you are inside your network (like on wireless) is a whole 'nother kettle of fish....

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

OK - what I want at present is to block all access from outside, so it sounds like the default will be OK. Maybe I'll change the IP address for extra security.

The wireless part of the network is encrypted, so shouldn't be too much of a problem. I have no problem with anyone authorised to use the network accessing the files that will be on it - it's only going to be me and possibly one or two others.

[turol.livejournal.com]

The wireless part of the network is encrypted

WEP or WPA? Because WEP breaks way too easily, especially if you move around lots of data. Always use WPA or WPA2.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

WPA-PSK, which I hope is the same thing.

[saranjeuhal.livejournal.com]

Aye, that's WPA with a shared key, which is the standard. WPA is not only more secure but has less transmission overhead and breaks less easily for data correction. WPA2 is what you really want, but WPA over WEP any day.

[uk-lemming.livejournal.com]

Provided you use an IP adress of 192.168.xxx.xxx or 10.xxx.xxx.xxx (These are the most common private ranges, there are others, but I can't remember them off of the top of my head) you'll be fine - these cannot be routed to from a public IP, it has to be done through NAT and Port Forwarding. provided you don't have a DMZ option open, and pointed at 'hermione' then nobody should be able to see it.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

It's 192.168 something so hopefully OK.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

How do you set up your webserver on NTL (I came in through Telewest but I assume I'll have to do pretty much the same thing) ... Windows XP behind a Linksys Cable/DSL router (I have a Linksys 54G router, but I'm not using it yet)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Pretty much the same - router with XP and OS-X on the computers - but I'm not serving my web sites from inside my network (if that's what you mean), I've got a couple of hundred megs at forgottenfutures.com and 50mb at forgottenfutures.co.uk and for the moment that's enough to hold all of the free downloads etc. I provide. I just upload new stuff by FTP occasionally.

[uk-lemming.livejournal.com]

I have a domain with the DNS hosted at 123reg.co.uk and I can just add the IP address to it every time it changes. It's practically instant. With NTL you have a static IP address that is linked to the MAC adress of the piece of kit connected to the Cable Modem. As Long you don't change the MAC address (Ie change the router...) the IP adress will be the same, even if you power it all off and back up again.

or you can get something like dyndns.org and run the application on the inside, but that costs money for a personalised Domain, and I'm a student. Skint just about covers it.