Windows Home Server – Remote Access

There are a few steps required to set up your server for the first time to enable remote access. As we said, you’ll need a Windows Live ID first to setup your custom homeserver.com domain.

1.
Open the Windows Home Server Console by double-clicking the Connector Tray icon.

2.
Enter the Windows Home Server password.

3.
Click on the Settings button to open Windows Home Server Settings.

4.
Click on the Remote Access tab in the sidebar.


Web Site Connectivity
5.
Under the Web Site Connectivity heading, click the Turn On button to turn the websites feature on.

6.
At any time, you can turn your websites off by clicking the Turn Off button; all your settings are held should you wish to turn them back on again.


Router
7.
Windows Home Server should start trying to automatically configure your router for remote access. Click the Details button for progress.

8.
If the automatic configuration fails, you will need to set up port forwarding on your router manually.


Domain Name
9.
You can then set up your domain name through Windows Live Custom Domains. Under the Domain Name heading, click the Setup button to start the Domain Name Setup Wizard.

10.
Complete the Wizard using your Windows Live ID, and choosing the domain name you wish to use. If the process was successful you will be given the link to your site.

11.
You can check the status of your router or Custom Domain at any time by clicking on the appropriate Details... button.


Web Site Settings
12.
Set the home page to either the Windows Home Server Home Page or the Windows Home Server Remote Access login page. This is really only useful if you are running a different home page.

13.
Enter your Web Site Headline (Page Title).


At this stage, you can only choose to enable or disable remote access for your users, but in Power Pack 1 you’ll have more control over what they have access to. Take a squiz at the Power Pack 1 section below for more information.

Users with remote access enabled will require a Strong Password for security purposes. Strong passwords are at least seven characters long and contain at least three of the four types of characters: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers or symbols. The Guest and Administrator accounts are unable to log in to the remote access website.