El Capitan, OS X server and no file sharing

[ghulst]

Ok, I am puzzled by this, but it might be that I just thought it would be easier to do than it actually is...

I have a Mac Mini that I use as a media server. I would also like it to hosts files that I can then access from my macbook wherever I am. So, I have created a VPN server on the Mac Mini with OS X Server as per these Lifehacker instructions.

Great. So OS X server runs, and I can connect to the VPN from outside of my own house. Brilliant.

However, then there is this snag... I cannot seem to be able to actually access any drives that are connected to my Mac Mini as my Macbook doesn't see them. Also, there is a Raspberry Pi in the network with storage that I would also love to access.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

 

[hwojtek]

So how do you know you can connect?
Why not use something Apple designed just for that, a built-in "VPN" which is called Back to My Mac? There's nothing more to do than enabling it on a "server" computer at home.

 

[ghulst]

Good questions.

- My mac registers traffic going through the VPN, so I am assuming I have an active connection and my internet traffic is routed through the VPN at home.

- I want to have access to my files both through my Macs as well as through a Windows PC, which makes VPN a logical choice, right?

 

[jsavvy]

How are you trying to connect to your file server? When using a VPN, bonjour on mac or avahi-daemon on linux host-names cannot be used, only IP addresses.

 

[hwojtek]

Excellent point.
The Windows PC thing smashes the whole B2MM idea apart.

 

[ghulst]

I am just using a VPN connection to my mac. After that, I have just looked at whatever data is shared. And I don't see anything I can mount there.

 

[jsavvy]

To connect to the file sharing service over the VPN you will have to manually connect to them, they will not automatically show up (mDNS is not made to work on VPNs). On your Mac, for instance, you will have to go to the finder and press command+K . This will open a window to enter the server's address. To connect just enter afp://macminiLocalIP . On windows you use smb://macminiLocalIP