Server File Access

[etoipi]

It's been decided that a variety of files, contained on a share on our Server 2003 R2 server should be set up for remote access, editing, and saving, where previously Server 2003 was just used to give a directory listing, where the files could be downloaded for local use. I'm not keen on using something like Dropbox, not least because at $15 / user / month it could work out quite expensive, and there would be a lot of junk left on all the teachers devices of rarely used documents! I'm slightly partial to using Google Docs, on the basis this can handle conflicts and two users editing the same file at the same time really rather well - and all the files remain in the cloud on the basis that you can't edit Google Docs not in a browser - with thinking being that anything on this share in MS Office is moved over to Google Docs, and then a shared folder is created in everyone's Google Drive (we're a Google Apps for Education user). This of course has the downside of time.

What I was wandering is if there is something built into server that would allow for this two way sync whilst outside of the school network, not involving the use of FTP, and not requiring devices to be bound to Active Directory (although, of course, staff would use their Active Directory credentials to authenticate before viewing / uploading files). We would be open to a move toward Server 2008 R2 / Server 2012 if this would make life easier, as a) this is something on the cards and this could be the final tipping point and b) it would be a one of expense rather than Dropbox's monthly plan.

How does anyone else achieve this? Am I missing an obvious solution?

[dhicks]

What I was wandering is if there is something built into server that would allow for this two way sync whilst outside of the school network

 

Not built-in to your Windows Server 2003 machine, but OwnCloud will do this. We have it set up here on a separate (virtual) server to our live (Windows Server 2008 R2) file server, it mounts each user's home folder and makes it available to them via its web interface or via its sync client available on various platforms.