Windows Home Server Router Setup

Article
1/17/2024

Accessing computers and files on your home or business network from a remote location is a popular feature of Windows Home Server. To enable remote access, you need to configure your router to open certain ports so network traffic will flow properly.

If your router is not listed, use the General Directions.

General Directions

Important: Verify Your Settings!

You should verify any settings in this document to ensure your router is properly directing and filtering Internet traffic as desired.

Overview

The following is a diagram of a typical home or small business network.

A typical home or small business network consists of the following:

An Internet connection: provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
An Internet connection device: usually a cable or DSL modem provided by your ISP. Some ISPs provide a device that combines a modem with a broadband router.
A broadband router: a device that routes network traffic from your local network to the Internet. Small business routers usually provide firewall services requiring port configuration. Some routers support UPnP to simplify configuration. The router may also function as a wireless access point.
Client computers: connect to each other through a switch (sometimes part of the router) and to the Internet through the broadband router. Multiple switches may be used if you connect more than a few desktop and notebook computers.
A home or small business server: provides file sharing and remote access.

Reality Check

Setting up a network means configuring settings on a variety of devices. Some familiarity with networking is recommended.

If the terms ping, static IP address, DHCP, firewall ports, and UPnP are a foreign language for you, consider having a friend or consultant help you set up your network.

The following links provide information on home networking:

General Directions

Network Configuration

Before setting up your router, you need to set up your network. There are three steps for you to complete.

First Step - Determine IP Address

The first step in configuring your network is to determine the IP addresses of your Windows Home Server and your router (gateway).

Log on to your Windows Home Server.
Open a command prompt - click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt...
Type: ipconfig/all, press Enter, and note the IP address and Default Gateway as in the screenshot below:

In this example, the following information is highlighted:

Physical address: the MAC address of the network adapter. This number is useful when you need to reserve the dynamic IP address of the Windows Home Server. You may use the MAC address in the Third Step.
DHCP enabled: Yes = this network adapter is receiving an IP address dynamically from the router (or other DHCP server). No = this network adapter has a static IP address entered manually.
IP address: the IP address of the Windows Home Server.
Subnet mask: typically 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: the IP address of the router.
DNS servers: the IP address of the DNS server. Typically provided by your ISP.

Second Step - Check Communication

Next, determine if your Windows Home Server and router can communicate.

Log on to your Windows Home Server.
Open a command prompt - click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt...
Type: ping 192.168.1.1, and press Enter. Substitute the address of your router for 192.168.1.1.

If your router and home server can communicate, you should see results like the following:

If you are not able to determine your IP addresses, or if you are not able to determine or correct network communication issues, now’s the time to find a friend or consultant to assist you.

Third Step - Set Static IP Address

The final step in configuring your network is to verify that your Windows Home Server has a static IP address. Typical home routers have DHCP enabled. Your home server receives its IP address from the router and, because it is a dynamic IP address, the home server IP address can change. A changing IP address will break router firewall settings you set up as directed later in this article. A static IP address for your home server will ensure that firewall settings will continue to work and network traffic will continue to reach your home server.

There are two ways to set a static IP address for your home server.

In some routers, using the MAC address determined in the First Step, you can reserve the IP address of Windows Home Server. See your router documentation to see if this method is supported and for instructions.
In all cases, you can set the IP address of Windows Home Server to be a static IP address. See the following link for directions: http://wiki.wegotserved.com/index.php?title=Set_up_Static_IP_for_Windows_Home_Server

Once you have determined IP addresses, verified communication, and set Windows Home Server to a static IP address, you are ready to configure your router to allow remote access.

UPnP Router Configuration

Many broadband routers designed for home use support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) – a standard that simplifies router setup. Check your product documentation for UPnP support. If UPnP is supported, Windows Home Server may be able to automatically configure your broadband router.

If your router supports UPnP, check to see if UPnP is enabled.

Open your Web browser, and then connect to the configuration Web page for your router. Usually the Web page is the IP address of your router which you determined in the above steps.
If necessary, type the user name and password to log on to the configuration Web page. Some routers include a default user name, password, and IP address on the underside of the router. For more information, see the documentation for your router.
Go to the UPnP setting page on your router and verify that UPnP is enabled.
Save the configuration on your router, and then close the browser. If your router needs to restart, wait until it restarts completely before you proceed.
On the Windows Home Server Remote Access Settings page, click Repair. The configuration tests run again.

Manual Router Configuration

If your router does not support UPnP, you must manually configure your router to forward the following ports to the IP address of your Windows Home Server:

Service or Protocol	Port
HTTP	TCP 80
HTTPS	TCP 443
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)	TCP 4125

HTTP is the protocol that your Web browser uses to view Web pages. You use this protocol to view your default Web page for Windows Home Server.
HTTPS is the protocol that secures communication from a Web browser to your server. You use this protocol to view your Remote Access Web page for Windows Home Server.
Remote Desktop Protocol is the service that is used to connect to your home computers via the Remote Access Computers tab.

A typical router-configuration page includes a table that looks similar to the following one, assuming the IP address of your home server is 192.168.1.3:

Port forwarding rules

IP Address	Protocol (TCP/UDP)	Schedule	Inbound Filter
192.168.1.3	TCP 80	Always	Allow All
192.168.1.3	TCP 443	Always	Allow All
192.168.1.3	TCP 4125	Always	Allow All

To Manually Configure Your Router

Open your Web browser, and then connect to the configuration Web page for your router. Usually the Web page is at the IP address of your router.
If necessary, type your user name and password to log on to the configuration Web page. Some routers include a default user name, password, and IP address on the underside of the router. For more information, see the documentation for your router.
Disable UPnP on your router.
Find the port forwarding configuration page on your router. For more information, see the documentation for your router.
Type the necessary information to forward TCP port 80, TCP port 443, and TCP port 4125 to the IP address of your home server. The IP address of your home server appears on the Remote Access Settings page.
Save the port-forwarding configuration on your router, and then close the browser. If your router needs to restart, wait until it restarts completely before you proceed.
On the Remote Access Settings page, click Repair. The configuration tests run again.

Configure the Linksys BEFSR41 for Remote Access

Model: BEFSR41

Version: 4.1

Firmware: 1.04.09

http://homesupport.cisco.com/en-us/wireless/lbc/BEFSR41?referrer=www.linksysbycisco.com

Configure Your Network

Follow the first two steps in the General Directions to verify your network is properly configured. Then, configure your home server with a static IP address.

Reserve an IP Address

To set a static IP address for Windows Home Server

See the following links for directions:

UPnP Router Configuration

The Linksys BEFSR41 broadband router supports UPnP – a standard that simplifies router setup. If you enable UPnP in the Linksys BEFSR41, Windows Home Server may be able to automatically configure your remote access settings.

Open the Web browser on your computer and enter the address for the Linksys router in the address field. The default IP address is 192.168.1.1.
At the login screen, leave the User Name field blank and enter the router password. The default password is admin.
Click the Administration tab, the Management page should be selected. If not, click the Management tab.
For UPnP, click Enabled, and then click Save Settings.
Close the Web browser.

With UPnP enabled, open the Windows Home Server Console, click Settings, click Remote Access, and then click Repair. Windows Home Server will attempt to automatically configure the Linksys router to forward Web site requests to your home server.

Manual Router Configuration

If you prefer to not use UPnP, you must manually configure your router to forward the following ports to the IP address of your Windows Home Server:

Service or Protocol	Port
HTTP	TCP 80
HTTPS	TCP 443
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)	TCP 4125

HTTP is the protocol that your Web browser uses to view Web pages. You use this protocol to view your default Web page for Windows Home Server.
HTTPS is the protocol that your Web browser uses to view secure Web pages. You use this protocol to view your Remote Access Web page for Windows Home Server.
Remote Desktop Protocol is the service that is used to connect to your home computers via the Remote Access Computers tab.

To manually configure your router

Open the Web browser on your computer and enter the address for the Linksys router in the address field. The default IP address is 192.168.1.1.
At the login screen, leave the User Name field blank and enter the router password. The default password is admin.
Find the screen with UPnP settings and disable UPnP.
Click the Applications and Gaming tab, the Port Range Forwarding page should be selected. If not, click the Port Range Forwarding tab.
Enter the settings as in the screenshot below. The IP address should be the IP address of your home server.
Click Save Settings, and then close the Web browser.

With port forwarding manually configured, open the Windows Home Server Console, click Settings, click Remote Access, and then click Repair. Windows Home Server will run the configuration test to verify network settings.