How to establish a WebDAV server in Windows 8/7

WebDAV is an FTP-like protocol that you can use to remotely access or share your files on the Internet. In contrast to FTP, WebDAV can be better passed through the firewall and has password protection and encryption. Let's start by introducing how to build a WebDAV server in Windows.

First, you must install Internet Information Services (IIS) and WebDAV publishing. In Win7, click "Start", enter "Windows features", and then press ENTER. In Win8, on the Start screen, type "Windows features", select "Settings" on the right, and then select the shortcut that appears.

Be sure to select the following:

Internet Information Services (IIS)

IIS Management Console

WebDAV Publishing

Windows authentication

Next, to turn on WebDAV publishing, you must open IIS Manager. In Win7, click Start, enter IIS, and then open the shortcut that appears. In Win8, on the Start screen, enter IIS, and then open the shortcut that appears.

To configure Windows authentication, select Default Web Site and double-click the authentication icon. The list of authentication types displayed will appear according to the type you previously installed, but if you are using IIS only to use WebDAV, I recommend that you disable anonymous and turn on Windows authentication.

Next, select Default Web Site again and double-click WebDAV Authoring Rules, and then click Enable on the right. Then click "Add Authoring Rule" on the right and configure the permissions and the options you want.

To test whether the IIS and Web server are running, open a browser and enter "localhost" and press ENTER.

If you turn on Windows authentication, you will be prompted to enter your username and password, please enter the name and password of your Windows account here. If there is a problem with the login, make sure your account name is correct-open the Computer Management console and check the local user list for confirmation.

Once the validation is complete, you will see the default IIS page, if you have not deleted or changed it.

To test whether the WebDAV server is working, open the Command Prompt window and enter: NET use * http://localhost. It maps the network drive to your WebDAV folder and displays the files in your IIS Web server directory.

If you want to provide access to other places, you can add some virtual directories. Right-click Default Web Site and select Add New Virtual Directory.

To allow you or others to access WebDAV server shares over the Internet, you must configure the firewall, open the "80" port for unencrypted access, open the "443" port for encrypted access, and configure the corresponding port for the router. After properly configured, to access WebDAV via the Internet, you will use an Internet IP address or a domain name or hostname.

When you use Windows authentication, your WebDAV password is encrypted, and if you choose to use normal port 80 HTTP, the rest of the session is sent in plaintext. But you can also encrypt an entire session by opening SSL encryption in IIS and using an HTTPS address when configuring/accessing a WebDAV share.

If you want to see your file list in the browser, open "directory Browsing" in IIS, select "Default Web Site", double-click "Directory Browsing", and click "Enable" on the right.