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[wildiam]

Ok, to start with I did the searching, I read the sticky's, I read the manual, I googled and I have a good idea on how my home router and toaster are configured to allow for ftp file access over the internet. 
So where does a noob go from there? 

There is nothing IMO to show you exactly how to do this.  Both competitors WD and Linksys make this very easy for the less than average user, so where is the guide? 

1.  Do I need to go and get a domain?  Linksys uses a free year trial of TZO/DynDNS which makes it easy to access it over the web.  WD (World Book) uses a software version/web version for full featured access you pay a yearly fee.

2.  My ISP is charter do they need to know anything to allow this?

I really feel this is not documented very well anywhere.  I have seen a number of different posts that say you need to try to type: Ftp://username.Password.198.162.1.XXX:PortNumber or other variations to access your DNS323, but maybe, there should be an easier way to document this for the avaerage user.  Dare I say, "DNumb it Down"    

Maybe others have experienced this.  Please post.

Regards,
Wild♠ 

[bripab007]

I sort of see where you're coming from, but, honestly, it's not really D-Link's job to include a tutorial on every little basic configuration scenario like this that a user might encounter.

Furthermore, there's absolutely nothing proprietary or different about the DNS-323's standard FTP server than any other FTP server (the FTP SSL that they incorporated in the latest firmware might be another story), so you could just Google any old tutorial about setting up a home FTP server to accomplish this with the DNS-323.

It's sort of like saying car manufacturers should include instructions in the owner's manual on how to steer the car left and right, but, since it's been the same for just about every car made in the last 100 years, it's just understood.

But to answer your questions:

1.  No, but it does help since you won't have to remember your IP address, nor will you have to worry about it changing.  www.dyndns.org is one of the more popular ones and is free to use for basic dynamic domain names.

2.  No, however, they may be blocking the standard FTP port, 21, in which case you'll have to port foward a different incoming port through your firewall, which is a good practice anyway, as it might be a first line of defense against people just perusing for servers responding to port 21 requests.

Lastly, just download a free FTP client, like Filezilla for PC or Cyberduck for Mac OS to access your FTP.  You can create a favorite in each, so you don't have a username/password just sitting out there in your web browser history or in a browser bookmark.

[ECF]

Step 1: Log into the DNS-323/321 configuration and click on the Advanced tab and select FTP Server.

Step 2: Setup your users FTP Server Settings For user access and Save settings.

Step 3: Start the FTP server.

Note: If you are behind a router, you will need to forward the FTP port from the router to the DNS-323. Additional filtering and firewall settings may need to be modified on your router to allow FTP Access to the DNS-323 from the Internet. Once the port has been forwarded on the router, users from the internet will access the FTP server through the WAN IP address of the router.

Step 4: Setup Port Forwarding rule.

**If you are using a D-Link router, such as the WBR-2310 used in the example below, your port forwarding rule should be similar to the following:

Name -Name the DNS-323 FTP server rule.
IP Address -Enter the IP address of the DNS-323.
Public Port -Enter the public FTP port. By default, the port is 21.
Private Port -Enter the private FTP port. By default, the port is 21.
Traffic -Type Set the traffic type to TCP.

Step 5: Save settings.

If you use an FTP port other than 21, then users accessing the FTP server using an FTP client will have to specify the non-standard port, and users who are using a browser will have to specify the port in the URL (e.g. ftp://ftp.dns323.com:3000).

[fordem]

Since neither of the earlier replies mention it - D-Link offers a free "dynamic DNS" facility - log into your DNS-323, select Tools, DDNS and you'll see a link - click on it.

[wildiam]

Ok Bripab 007-Bond    You like bond and want to buy a watch.  Quartz/Auto/Black/Blue  You know about Htp and DNS323 but not too much about watches.  Sure you know just enough to get you in trouble or enough to make a decision but where do you go from there?  Did you know not to send your Omega to the NJ service center because they are having cs difficulties and backlogs longer than 12weeks?  WOW.  Well you get my point.


Sometimes you have to look a problem from each difficulty level. I know watches!  I also know about computer hardware and software enough to know I wanted a NAS, Access it from the web, Store data on my home network and back up without the use of an attached external hard drive.  I purchased the NAS-200, the WD 1TB World Book and the DNS323.  See just enough to get me into trouble.  LOL    The NAS-200 is too slow but it worked.  The WD is faster but not by much.  The DNS-323 is a far better product and with the help of this forum could possibly be the best.

So I too agree it might not be DLink's responsibility to do this but it sure might open up some sales if you have the information needed to utilize one of it's functions. 

@ ECF so if I understand you correctly, if configured as you mention and ported at 3000 the correct way to access your FTP set up from outside your network is (ftp://ftp.dns323.com:3000) right?

@ Fordem, thanks for that tip, I really did not see that.

@ All thanks for your help, I really hope this helps others.  I really love what yall have done here.  Very top notch!

Sincerely,

Wild

[ECF]

If you were going to change the FTP port to 3000 from 21 it would be accessed that way. If you are using port 21 the port does not need to be specified.

[bripab007]

Ok Bripab 007-Bond    You like bond and want to buy a watch.  Quartz/Auto/Black/Blue  You know about Htp and DNS323 but not too much about watches.  Sure you know just enough to get you in trouble or enough to make a decision but where do you go from there?  Did you know not to send your Omega to the NJ service center because they are having cs difficulties and backlogs longer than 12weeks?  WOW.  Well you get my point.

Again, I really do understand what you're saying, however, let me put it another way:

The mechanics of forwarding a port through a firewall or having a domain name dynamically linked to an IP address have not changed since the inception of either, however, there are hundreds of different routers (both SOHO and commercial-grade) out there, and each one may approach the issue of port-forwards differently or may use different language to describe what has always ever been, technically, the same thing.

Likewise, there are dozens of sites out there that'll provide free dynamic DNS entries, but each has a different look and feel to their website UI, each will have a different selection of domain names from which to choose and each will have a different tool/app for periodically updating your IP address with their records.

So...is D-Link supposed to provide a tutorial that covers every possible router/firewall UI and/or dynamic DNS hosting service a user is likely to encounter?

If not, then where do they draw the line?  Perhaps they give information on how to perform such a task on just their own line of routers/firewalls?  But that's still possibly 5-10 different routers.  And what if that makes the people that own one of the other hundreds of routers/firewalls upset?

There is no end!!!

[ECF]

Please click on this link and in the search type "ddns"

http://support.dlink.com/faq/