How to share through Smart remote access
  • 3 Minutes to read

    How to share through Smart remote access


      Article Summary

      Once you have successfully set up the Smart remote access feature and set up a DDNS for a device- you can now create network shares from Windows, macOS, or Linux machines.

      Creating a Share on Windows

      You will need to enable file sharing in Windows, as other operating systems cannot access Windows home groups. To do this, open Control Panel and navigate to Network and Sharing > Change advanced sharing settings. Enable Network Discovery and File and printer sharing.

      You can also change the following options if you would like to share public folders over the network - without requiring a password.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.33.04.png

      Locate the folder you would like to share in Windows Explorer or File Explorer, right-click on it and select Properties. Open up the Sharing tab and use the options there to share a folder and configure its permissions.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.33.11.png

      Windows

      Accessing a Share on Windows

      You can connect directly to a computer using its full DDNS name that you have created. Just type \\FULL-DDNS-ADDRESS (the name of a machine that has configured shares) into Windows Explorer or File Explorer’s location bar and press Enter.
      Alternatively, to only reach a specific share, right-click somewhere on your Desktop and select New -> Shortcut.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.14.28.png

      Type in the network location of the shared folder with this syntax:

      \\FULL-DDNS-ADDRESS\SHARE-NAME

      Please replace FULL-DDNS-ADDRESS with the name of your device set on the NordLayer application and SHARE-NAME will be the name of the folder or file that you have shared via network.


      macOS

      Creating a Share on macOS

      You will need to enable network file sharing to share folders on your macOS device. Open System Preferences and select Sharing. Enable File Sharing and click the Options... button here to ensure Share files and folders using SMB is enabled.

      Use the Shared Folders column to choose additional folders to share. Use the Users column to choose which users and groups can access and write to them.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.38.32.png

      Accessing a Share on macOS

      Open the Finder, click Go on the menu at the top of the screen, and select Connect to Server. Enter the following address, replacing 10.6.x.x with the other device’s full DDNS name from the NordLayer application:
      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.59.08.png

      You will be prompted to authenticate with the appropriate credentials or log in as a guest. After connecting, the computer will appear under the Shared column in the Finder sidebar.

      To automatically connect to the shared folder each time you log in, open the System Preferences window and navigate to Users and Groups > Login Items. Drag and drop the network share from under the Shared column in Finder to the list of Login Items.


      Linux

      Creating a Share on Linux

      Use your desktop’s file manager to share a folder on Linux. Open the file manager, right-click a folder you would like to share, and select Properties. Click the Local Network Share tab and enable Share this folder. If this is the first time you have enabled sharing, you will be prompted to download and install the Samba software — this happens automatically when you provide your password.

      Configure your sharing settings after installing the Samba software — be sure to click the Create Share button to start sharing the folder.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 13.41.56.png

      Accessing a Share on Linux

      To connect directly to another machine, navigate to Other Locations and locate the Connect to Server field. Enter the path to a computer with a configured network share: smb://DDNS-ADDRESS replacing DDNS-ADDRESS with the other device’s full name from the NordLayer application.

      Screenshot 2021-07-22 at 14.03.09.png

      However you connect, you may need to authenticate with a user account name and password that has access to the files on the remote machine. This depends on whether you have enabled guest access and how you have set up your folder sharing permissions.

      Note: In case you have any questions or are experiencing any issues, please feel free to contact our 24/7 customer support team.


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