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VPN First timer

S

simplydru

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 27, 2005
19
0
Hi,

This a probably a very silly question....

I need to access some files on work server (windows) via VPN. I have info, have connected via internet connect and can see the connection on top bar.

But now what? Where should I see my company's server? I expected a "drive" to pop on the desktop or something. Do I need to do anything else?

Unfortunately out IT support "don't do macs."

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
All you need is the IP address of the server. Then using the Connect to Server... option in the Finder's Go menu, type "smb://<ip address>" If all is well, you'll be prompted for your Windows username and password, then presented with a list of network shares for the server. Select the one you want and it will appear on the Mac's desktop as an icon.
 
Thanks for the quick response.

I've done that. I get an error message:

"The Finder cannot complete the operation because some data in "smb://**.**.**.***" could not be read or written."

I've double checked the ip address and still get the same error.

Any suggestions?
 
They don't have the Windows IPSec requirement turned on do they? It's something built into Windows 2003.
 
In that case, do you know the full name of the server e.g. server.companyname.com? Try putting that after the smb:// instead of the IP address.
 
Good call..... same error though.

I can connect through internet connect, just can't see any servers or directories...
 
simplydru said:
Good call..... same error though.

I can connect through internet connect, just can't see any servers or directories...
Click to expand...
That's okay as long as you get on the box you need. How about you enter the share name too (if you know it?)? Maybe the server isn't going to give you that list.

So it would be smb://server.companyname.com/sharename
 
how do you access the drive at work? Using the same computer or a different one? You would access the drive over the vpn the same way you would if you were at work.

I am guessing you don't use a mac at work, I could be wrong. The VPN is just a tunnel between your machine and your corp network. Have you verified that the VPN is working? Can you access internal web servers on your company network? Does that work? If you can, then you know your VPN is working.

Once you know the VPN is working you need to figure out how they are sharing the drive over the network. What protocol they are using. Ask the IT department. Check your IT documentation repository if they have one.

You likely need to include the volumen name as well as the server name in your "connect to server" dialog... something like:

smb://mycorpserver.corp.com/MyUserVolume

figure out how you are connecting to it at work, and we can help you figure out how to connect at home.
 
Thanks for the info. I'm not back in work till later next week, I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers,

Steve
 
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