Hello, I'm trying to set up Microsoft Server Essentials 2012 Anywhere Access on my 2830n Dual Band router and cannot get it to work. have Googled the issue and tried umpteen settings changes until my fingers are blunt and bleeding from typing. has any one had similar issues and can assist, thanks

Do you have a Static Public IP?

Create a rule in The DrayTek and open port 443 and point it to the local IP of your server.

A video showing the install of the server is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXBiV3pQrLg

Creating NAT port forwarding is here http://www.draytek.co.uk/support/kb_vigor_portforwarding.html

John

EDIT: After researching this a bit further Direct Access is slightly different from WHS 2011. Only port 443 is needed. Walk through at http://syscomlab.blog.com/2012/09/directaccess-for-windows-server-2012-guide/

No, no no - do NOT open port 80. You should only port forward TCP on incoming port 443 to (the same port on) your server.

Thanks for the replies I'll give them a try now

Hello again, tried the windows server essentials wizard, didn't work, set up port forwarding for 443, didn't work. opened port 443 on router, didn't work. I bought the Draytek Router to expand my very limited knowledge of routers and learn as much as I could about the settings but maybe I've just made life too complicated!!!!!!!

If you want people to help you, you need to start helping yourself. Just saying 'it doesn't work' is unhelpful at the least.

Now, port forwarding on the 2830 does work. First, ensure you know how to set up DHCP for your server. Your server should be the DHCP server for your LAN, and the server should have a fixed IP address. That means you need to turn off the DrayTek's own DHCP server. You can't have two DHCP servers on the same subnet - if you do your server's DHCP server will shut itself down. Then configure Remote Web Access (RWA) on your server. This is described in detail here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj628152.aspx . For now, just go through the operations detailed in the section entitled "Turn on and configure Remote Web Access".

Now verify that your server's Remote Web Access is up and running. Assuming your server's fixed IP address is 192.168.1.2 (substitute this if yours is different), then from another computer on your LAN point your web browser at https://192.168.1.2/remote. Don't forget the 's' in 'https'. You may well get a certificate error - that would be normal, but it does still confirm your server is responding properly. If you get no response, or a 'page not found' error, you have not set up your server correctly. In that, case nothing you do on your router will work - you need to sort your server configuration.

Once your server is functioning correctly, you can now move on to setting up external access. Log in to your 2820 and go to System Maintenance -> Management. If "Allow maintanance for the Internet" is enabled, either turn it off or change the HTTPS port to something other than 443. Try 8443, for instance. If you don't do this, remote access from outside will instead go to your router's management interface.

Next, on your 2820 set up either a port forward or an open port that maps TCP port 443 on your router's WAN interface to port 443 on your server's internal IP address. Make sure you are forwarding the correct WAN port (e.g., WAN1)

Now you need to determine the external IP address of your router. If you have a single fixed IP address alloocated by your broadband supplier, make a note of it. If you have instead been alloocated a pool of IP addresses by your broadband supplier, things will be a little more complicated. In that case ask and someone will point you in the right direction. If you don't have a fixed external IP address, you can find out your current dynamic address by using a web browser from a computer on your LAN and poitnign it at http://www.whatismyip.com . Make a note of the IP address it displays.

To test external access, use a computer that is outside of your LAN. Open a web browser and surf to https://<yourserverexternalipaddress>/remote, where is the external IP address you have noted. This will now work, if you have set things up correctly.