How to add protected folders in the Admin Dashboard in a Network Shared environment

DFS, Mapped Drive, and Network Share are all related to file and folder sharing in a networked environment.

DFS stands for Distributed File System. It is a feature in Windows Server that allows multiple file shares to be grouped into a single, logical namespace. This enables users to access files from multiple servers as if they were located in a single folder. DFS also provides fault tolerance and load balancing by allowing multiple servers to host the same data. 

A mapped drive is a shortcut to a shared folder on a networked computer. When a user maps a drive, they assign a drive letter (such as "Z:") to the shared folder. This makes it easier to access the shared folder, as the user can simply open the mapped drive rather than navigate to the folder through the network.

A network share is a shared folder or directory on a networked computer that can be accessed by other computers on the same network. When a folder is shared on a computer, other users on the network can access it by browsing to the shared folder or by mapping a drive to the folder.

In summary, DFS is a feature in Windows Server that allows multiple file shares to be grouped into a single logical namespace, while a mapped drive is a shortcut to a shared folder on a networked computer, and a network share is a shared folder or directory on a networked computer that can be accessed by other computers on the same network.

Note:

For Anchor to work correctly in a Network Shared environment, you need to give it the necessary permissions (More information)

How to add a protected folder on the Anchor Admin Dashboard using a UNC path (Universal Naming Convention path).

Step 1: Log into the Anchor Admin Dashboard. Select Settings > User Roles.

Step 2:

• Navigate to the desired user role.
• Select the "action" symbol on the right (3 vertical dots).
• Click Edit.

Step 3: Select Protected Folders > Add a protected folder.

Step 4: Add the UNC path to the folder you want to protect.

UNC paths specify the location of a file or folder in a networked environment. A UNC path consists of the server name (or IP address) and the share name of the folder.

The syntax for a UNC path is as follows:

The double backslash (\) at the beginning indicates that this is a UNC path, followed by the name of the server and the name of the shared folder.

For example, if you want to set as protected a folder named "secrets" located in a shared folder called "documents" on a server named "server1", the UNC path will be:

After completing the steps above, Anchor will protect your folder. You can access the folder using DFS, UNC, and Mapped Drive paths. However, you cannot access the files using the local server path.

How to add a DFS path as a protected folder on the admin dashboard

Step 1: Log into the Anchor Admin Dashboard. Select Settings > User Roles.

Step 2:

• Navigate to the desired user role.
• Select the "action" symbol on the right (3 vertical dots).
• Click Edit.

Step 3: Select Protected Folders > Add a protected folder.

Step 4: Add the DFS path to the folder you want to protect

A DFS file path looks like: 

Where <domain> is the domain name that hosts the DFS namespace, <namespace> is the name of the DFS namespace, and path\to\folder is the path to the folder within the DFS namespace.

This is an example of a DFS path:

After completing the steps above, Anchor will protect your folder, and you can access the files it contains using DFS, UNC, and Mapped Drive paths. However, you cannot access the files using the local server path.

How to add a local server path as a protected folder on the admin dashboard

Step 1: Log into the Anchor Admin Dashboard. Select Settings > User Roles.

Step 2:

• Navigate to the desired user role.
• Select the "action" symbol on the right (3 vertical dots).
• Click Edit.

Step 3: Select Protected Folders > Add a protected folder.

Step 4: Add the local server path to the folder you want to protect

A local server file path looks like

This path specifies the location of a file or folder on the local computer's hard drive. The C: part of the path specifies the drive letter of the hard drive, and the path\to\file part specifies the path to the file or folder on that drive.

After completing the steps above, Anchor will protect your folder, and you can access the files it contains using the local server paths. However, you cannot access the files using DFS, UNC, and Mapped Drive paths.