CodeTwo Public Folders via Internet - remote connection of Outlook Addins (clients)
This article is meant for users of CodeTwo Public Folders. This software has been discontinued. You can check the list of currently available CodeTwo products here.
Problem:
CodeTwo Public Folders in its current version is supported as a LAN application. Yet it enables connecting Outlook Addins (clients) that are outside the network.
Solution:
The connection may be established in two ways, unsecured and secured. Let's begin with the unsecured.
Unsecured. In this type there is no default encryption and the data on the Syncing Master (server) may be insecure, it is up to the user to decide whether the data that is shared is sensitive enough to require additional protection. We assume an Outlook Addin e.g. a laptop that is outside the local network wants to be able to connect to the CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master. To do this the following must be done:
a. Install the Syncing Master on the server machine in the network.
b. Open the router settings:
- make sure the server machine that is inside the network is given a static internal IP by the router (IP leasing), and
- make sure all connections from remote computers addressed to the external IP of the router and using the TCP port configured in CodeTwo Public Folders are forwarded (redirected) to the internal IP of the server
c. On the remote client machine. go to Start, Programs, CodeTwo, CodeTwo Public Folder - Outlook Add-in, Configuration. Choose Connect to your own Syncing Master and enter the external IP of the router or its name if this is registered with a dynamic DNS service e.g. https://www.dyndns.org. Do not forget to set the correct TCP port.
If you wish, you can install the Syncing Master directly on the machine equipped with a public IP. Then, the remote Outlook Addin computer will connect directly without forwarding the connection by the router.
CodeTwo Public Folders Outlook Addin in order to connect must know the IP address of the server (or router in this case) as well as the TCP port - the communication port. It is recommended in router redirections (forwarding) to use the same TCP port (5002 is default) throughout the operation of rerouting the remote connections from the router to the server computer. Therefore, the incoming remote computer tries to connect at port e.g. 5002 and the server machine listens for connections from the router at the same port. Of course you can set a different TCP port from 5002.
How to check the connection with the Syncing Master using telnet command.
Secured connection using VPN (Virtual Private Network). The encryption that is missing by default is here supplied by VPN software that needs to be obtained by the user at their own expense, CodeTwo is not a vendor of VPN software. In this setup you need to follow the same procedure as for the Unsecured connection described above as far as points a. and b. are concerned. In c. on the Outlook Addin machine you enter the internal IP of the server machine in the network, not the public IP of the router. In addition, VPN software must be installed so that encryption is added. We regret we cannot provide instructions on how to configure the VPN software, as there are many solutions on the market. The same is true for routers - each has a different control panel and no step-by-step guide can be offered here with screenshots.
Related products: | CodeTwo Public Folders 4.0, 4.5 |
Categories: | How-To |
Last modified: | November 6, 2023 |
Created: | February 11, 2009 |
ID: | 83 |