map network drive to a server from a different dns

Asker
25 pts.
Tags:
DNS
Network Drive Mapping
Network drives
I am using windows server 2003 to host the site I am developing. I have other two users who lives miles away from me. All 3 of us can remote desktop to the server just fine (windows server 2003 only allow up to two simultaneous sessions). Because my pc and the server use the same router, I can map a network drive from my machine, but none of the other two can. At first, I thought it was a matter of putting the credentials right at the map network drive screen, but it turned out that there is something that has to be setup to allow the DNS they are at to connect to the server which is on a different DNS. I use comcast as my provider and I think they do the same. I am a programmer, but little I know about the network setups. What shoudl I do?? How could they remote desktop to the server but not map a network drive to it?? we are using 2 xp and 1 vista to connect to the server. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Software/Hardware used:
Hardware: Windwos server 2003, 2 xp, 1 vista
Asked: Last updated:
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First of all from the remote PCs check wheither they can ping you host server, if they can reach the host server then they should not face any problems to reach the server. I think you are using the real ip address for the server. Do let me know the brief network topology you are using.

Cheers

Yasir

_______________________________________

You cannot map drives or ping between your server and your colleagues PC’s because you are not on the same network. Using Remote Desktop is essentially just letting you see the servers desktop remotely you are not actually creating a logical connection between networks. What you need to be able to map a drive off the server onto your remote PC’s is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Check the router your server is on to see if it can take VPN connections. If it can then set up VPN users on it and make sure your server and the 2 remote PC’s are all on different IP ranges then from the remote PC’s set up VPN connections into the router.

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  • Asker
    Thank you for the answer. I followed your advice and setup a VPN connection. Again, it works at my machine (which is connected to the same network of the server) but not at the other remote machines. When trying to setup VPN connection at the remote pc, the setups indicates no problem but it disconnects the internet!? it did the same on both machines! Do you know why?
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  • OwenAmbrose
    Open up the properties of the VPN connections you have created on the remote computers and under the tcp/ip properties of the connection go to advanced and untick 'Use gateway on remote network' I think this should solve your problem - Let me know!
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  • OwenAmbrose
    Oh and to clarify you don't need a VPN between your machine and the server as they are already on the same private network
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  • Asker
    Hello OwenAmrose, The VPN seemed to connect fine now without disconnecting the internet thank you. But we still can't map network drive to the server. We use the ip address of the server and the correct credentials. I am sure that we are entering the right info. I have tried sharing another folder, but still no success. Do you might why?
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