I’m pleased to announce that today I’ve released a new Add-In to the Windows Home Server community. The Add-In is called “WHS Port Forward”, and it allows the user to utilize the UPnP feature of Windows Home Server to open forwarded ports from your router to your Home Server. This is useful if you have installed a 3rd party application that requires incoming access from the internet. This Add-In removes the need to assign a static IP address to your server or manually forward ports on your router. Simply configure the port you would like forwarded, and let Windows Home Server handle it for you.
Note that your router must support UPnP for this add-in to work. The Add-In will do some checks and inform you if your router does not support UPnP or if you do not have Remote Access enabled on your Home Server.
Be sure to listen to the HomeServerShow.com podcast to hear Dave and I discuss WHS Port Forward. Full details and the download link are available in this forum post. I’d love to hear what services you use this Add-In for and how it works for you.
Article by Alex Kuretz
I'm Alex Kuretz, and I'm the founder of MediaSmartServer.net. I was the Lead Test and Integration Engineer at HP for the MediaSmart Server until April 2008 when I moved on to other opportunities outside HP. I've kept active in the Windows Home Server community, creating several add-ins and helping users make the most of their Home Servers.
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Nice work, Alex!
Nice. I’ve wanted this functionality in WHS for a while now.
On a related note, is it possible to have the add-in register ports for other clients on the network?
What about the possibility of a standalone version? It would be handy for users (especially gamers) who want to open a port but don’t want to learn the intricacies of their routers configuration process.
Good job!
OK, I am lost, I admit. I tried installing Whilist, adding web page. Got errors about router configuration. Belkin N1 Vision. Alll I want to do (next few days) is understand (from scratch) how to share a few photos and create a website. Can someone walk me thru, I am probably doing something stupid. For now, I want to share some photos. Ran add in Whilist, vreated website. Website is http://www.yourhomeserver.com/newsite. First error was WHS, could not configure plug and play router. Installed WHS port forward, error goes away. Still cannot view photos from remote computers. WHS says it is connected (erckv.hpmediasmart.com)Add in for port forward made error go away, but when I type http://www.yourhomeserver/newsite from a remote machine, not luck, get search page, Can someone walk a dummy thru it? I love this toy, I am just a newbie, missing something. Feel free to email raf98@gmail.com. Podcast link talks about burning a hard drive.
Ultimate goal (in priorities)
Host photo site
Host small website (3-5 pages)
Host email accounts (if possible)
Help! I know it opened ports….
tried Port Forward with my Draytek Vigor 2800, and it fails. Interesting point is that uTorrent Upnp tester works and shows Upnp working.
Is WHS able to configure your router for Remote Access? Remember that this Add-In utilizes the WHS UPnP infrastructure, so if WHS can’t configure your router, this Add-In won’t work either. If it does work with WHS and you’d like to help me debug a possible issue, please post in the forums or send me an email.
I second the request for a stand-alone version of this. This appears the be the cleanest and best looking tool in it’s class and I would love to be able to use this on Windows 7 and 2008 Server to auto-open upnp ports on startup.
Thanks for your feedback and I’m glad you enjoy the Add-In. Unfortunately making it standalone is a non-trivial task, as it utilizes the UPnP framework of WHS and I’d have to re-create that framework in order to make it standalone. I have no plans to do this.
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