Windows Home Server Vail Preview: User Management and Security Deep Dive

Remote Access Security Management

So, you ask.  What has changed?  Actually, not much.  Except let’s move back to the User Account options.

You will notice that there are several new Remote Access options.  For example, the last one (Server Dashboard) allows you to access the Dashboard from halfway around the world.

Unchecked:

Checked:

Notice the extra Computer?  Clicking on that brings up…  The Dashboard!

So, let’s see what each option does for us.

Shared Folder Access Only:

Shared Folder and Computer Access:

Shared Folder, Computer Access and Media:

Shared Folder, Computer Access, Media and Homepage links:

As you can see , Microsoft has provided the means to allow varying levels of remote access to your home server users.  But only those parts of the server you wish them to access.  I would say this is quite a step in the right direction.  Don’t you? Whilst you may not wish to prevent access in the home setting, in a small business, this is a great feature to ensure your employees or customers only have access to the areas of the server you wish.

In addition to the Remote Access rights, you can Deactivate the user account, which is similar to the v1 Disable account

and Remove the user account, just like v1.  Clicking on View the account properties brings you back to the following dialog where you can review and reconfigure the settings previously created.

Whilst User management may feel very similar to WHS v1, the additional granularity provided for remote access is a great feature which neatly exploits the gadget-based design of the new remote website.

If you’d like to discuss User management in Vail, our dedicated beta forums are the place to visit!

Discuss: WGS Forums