AJS 4.x Manual

Note! This Manual is for the "Windows authentication" version, which is designed to work with existing Windows server or Active Directory accounts and Windows authentication. If you want to create accounts by yourself and store their credentials in your own HTTP Commander XML database, you need to download the "Forms authentication" version! This Manual is for the Windows authentication version only!

Web file manager Free Installation assistance Manual Home page

Web folders mapping

Web folder mapping allows users to map web folder to the file system on local computer (WebDav). Users may see on a local computer and work with the same folders that they see in HTTP Commander interface with the same rights. In fact the work with files takes place online in a remote folder on server, so Internet access is necessary. All the changes made by a user apply to the files on server at the very same moment.

Advantages of web folder:

• All Windows, Mac, Ubuntu and some mobile OS allow users to map web folder
• Interface and work with files is more usual for users than web interface. The language set in local OS is used.
• No need to launch browser and wait when the JavaScript interface will be downloaded.
• Except main operations with files (creation, copy), a user may download and upload a plenty of folders/files using drag-n-drop function.
• It is possible to open files for editing in MS Office and OpenOffice, Windows WordPad, Paint and Notepad (they support work with WebDav)

• Absence of such functions as zip/unzip, search, google docs viewer, etc.

Configuring web folder mapping on Web Server side

• In the Web.config file (at root folder (HTCOMNET) of HTTP Commander), add the FileWebDavModule module (if it is absent):
  

  <configuration>
      ...
      <system.web>
          ...
          <httpModules>
              ...
              <add name="FileWebDavModule" type="HttpCommander.FileWebDAVServer.FileWebDavModule, FileWebDAVServer" />
              ...
          </httpModules>
          ...
      </system.web>
      ...
      <system.webServer>
          ...
          <modules runAllManagedModulesForAllRequests="true">
              <remove name="FileWebDavModule" />
              <remove name="WebDAVModule" />
              ...
              <add name="FileWebDavModule" type="HttpCommander.FileWebDAVServer.FileWebDavModule, FileWebDAVServer" preCondition="integratedMode" />
              ...
          </modules>
          ...
      </system.webServer>
      ...
  </configuration>
          

• Turning off ASP.NET URL authorization on WebDav folder.

  Make sure the following section is present in application's Web.config file.

    <location path="hcwebdav">
      <system.web>
        <authorization>
          <allow users="*" />
        </authorization>
      </system.web>
    </location>
  

  (Path attribute must match IdentifierWebDav parameter.)

• For IIS 6:
  • Configuring anonymous IIS authentication on WebDav folder.
    This step is required mainly because of denied override by default for authentication section of application configuration. Therefore we can't set different authentication settings for sub-folders in application. (For Windows HTTP Commander Authentication mode.)
    • Create "hcwebdav" folder in the application folder¹. (Folder name must match IdentifierWebDav parameter.)
    • Open IIS Manager.
    • Expand "Web Sites", "Default web site", "HTCOMNET".
    • Right-click the "hcwebdav" folder in the tree and select "Properties" in the context menu.
    • In the properties dialog, open Directory security tab, click Edit button in Authentication and access control group.
    • Check Enable anonymous access and uncheck all other boxes on the Authentication method dialog.
    • Click OK button on the Authentication method dialog, then OK button on the Properties dialog.
    • Remove "hcwebdav" folder.
      Authentication settings configured for that folder now stored in applicationHost.config file. That is exactly what we are looking for and "hcwebdav" folder can be safely removed (to avoid conflict with WebDav module).
• Add "Wildcard application maps" in IIS:
  • Open IIS console: Control panel->Administrative tools->
    Internet Information Services->Expand "Web Sites" and then "Default web site"
  • Right-click the "HTCOMNET" folder and select "Properties" in the context menu.
    In the HTCOMNET properties dialog box, open "Directory " tab and click Configuration button.
    In the new dialog box click "Insert" button at the "Wildcard application maps" list.
    Insert a path to the "%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_isapi.dll" and uncheck the "Verify that file Exists", click Ok.
    Screenshot

     

• Make sure that IIS built-in WebDav is prohibited:
  • Open IIS console: Control panel->Administrative tools->
    Internet Information Services-> "Web service extension"
  • Check that WebDav extension is prohibited.
    Screenshot

     

• To allow '+' for ASP.NET 2.0, 4.0 in IIS 7, 8, 8.1, 10 set the allowDoubleEscaping="true" in configuration\system.webServer\security\requestFiltering section of your web.config file.
• To allow '&' and '%' for ASP.NET 2.0, IIS 7, 8, 8.1, 10 add key "VerificationCompatibility"=dword:00000001 into registry on path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ASP.NET (or download and apply file AllowAmpInAspNet.reg).
  If you run the application pool under 32-bit mode on a x64 Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012 or 2016, also add key "VerificationCompatibility"=dword:00000001 into registry on path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ASP.NET.
  This change of the register also will allow to use long url-addresses when opening in MS Office.
• To allow '&' and '%' for ASP.NET 4.0 set the requestPathInvalidCharacters="" in configuration\system.web\httpRuntime section of your web.config file.
• To allow trailing dots ('.') for ASP.NET 4.0 set the relaxedUrlToFileSystemMapping="true" in configuration\system.web\httpRuntime section of your web.config file.
• Note! Microsoft Windows Shell (Mini-Redirector) client does not support '%' in WebDAV item names. You cannot name your items like "Demo%Folder".

Using web folders on client side

• A URL of a web folders looks like "http://www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET/hcwebdav/" or "http://www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET/hcwebdav/0/". "www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET" should be replaced with real path. "hcwebdav" is an artificial path component serving to identify WebDav requests. This is not a real folder in the application root folder! Don't remove this component from URL! You may change this suffix with the IdentifierWebDav HTTP Commander setting (hidden by default). If for the AnonymousEditingOffice parameter indicated value of true, is mandatory presence of a suffix "0" — "0" path component classifies this WebDav URL as normal WebDav URL requiring authentication. If you need to designate a specific folder, then append the folder path after /hcwebdav/ or /hcwebdav/0/ suffix, for example, "http://www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET/hcwebdav/foldername" or "http://www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET/hcwebdav/0/foldername".

  Anonymous WebDav URLs include "1" path component. For example, "http://www.yoursite.com/HTCOMNET/hcwebdav/1/7361fc3a/". These WebDav URLs resemble public links in that they do not require authentication. The fragment following "1" is a link key authorizing access to the file/folder.
  See parameter AnonymousEditingOffice.

• Note! By default, you cannot map web folders on server versions of Microsoft Windows Operating System like Windows Servers 2003, 2008, 2012 and 2016! By default, WebDav client is not installed on these OSs. See related FAQ question.
• How to map folder:

  • For Windows XP. (This approach of mapping folders uses WebDAV Mini Redirector WebDAV client of Windows XP. In http requests it identifies itself as "User-Agent: Microsoft-WebDAV-MiniRedir/5.1.2600".) Open Windows Explorer, click Tools > Map Network Drive, type URL to the Folder field, click Finish.

    Screenshot

       

  • For Windows XP. Open Windows Explorer, click Tools > Map Network Drive. Map Network Drive dialog appears. Click "Sign up for online storage or connect to a network server" link. Add Network Place Wizard opens. Follow instructions for Add Network Place Wizard.

    Screenshot

       

  • For Windows XP. Open Windows Explorer, open My Network Places. Click Add a Network Place link in the Network Tasks group on the left sidebar. Add Network Place Wizard opens. Follow instructions for Add Network Place Wizard.

    Screenshot

     

  • For Windows XP with Add Network Place Wizard. (This approach of mapping folders uses Web Folders WebDAV client of Windows XP. In http requests it identifies itself as "User-Agent: Microsoft Data Access Internet Publishing Provider DAV".) Open Add Network Place Wizard. Click Next twice, specify URL in the Internet or network address field. Specify port number along the server name (80 for http, 443 for https). For example, the URL may look like: http://demo.element-it.com:80/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/, http://demo.element-it.com:80/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/0/, https://demo.element-it.com:443/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/ or https://demo.element-it.com:443/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/0/. Click Next. Authentication dialog appears. Enter valid credentials. Click Finish. New Windows Explorer window opens. Authentication dialog appears again (even if you checked "Remember my password" checkbox before). Enter credentials one more time. Windows Explorer window shows content of the web folder.

    Screenshot

                   

  • For Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7 and above. Open Internet Explorer, Main menu > File > Open.... In the Open dialog specify URL of the WebDav folder and check "Open as Web Folder" checkbox. Specify port number along the server name (80 for http, 443 for https). For example, the URL may look like: http://demo.element-it.com:80/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/, http://demo.element-it.com:80/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/0/, https://demo.element-it.com:443/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/ or https://demo.element-it.com:443/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/0/. Click OK.

    Screenshot

         

  • For Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10. Open Windows Explorer, select Computer on the left pane, click Map Network Drive on the tool bar. In the new dialog open the "Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures" link at the bottom, click "Next" button twice. Insert the link of the web folder in the "Internet or Network address" field, click "Next".

    Screenshot

                   

  • For Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10. Open Windows Explorer, select Computer on the left panel, click Map Network Drive on the tool bar. Map Network Drive dialog appears. Select a drive letter in the drive drop-down list. Copy the link to the Folder field. Click Finish button.
    Screenshot

       

  • For Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista. Note! You should install Microsoft Web folders update to be able to use mapping and Office edit features. In some cases WebDav don't works without this fix installed. Complete list of fixes.

  • For Windows using command line. Execute the following command: net use "*" "http://server-name/link/to/webdav/folder" /savecred /persistent:yes
  • For MacOS: In the "Finder" menu, open Go->Connect to Server, insert the link of the web folder in the "Server address" field, click "Connect", in the new dialog select "Guest" or "Registered user" (for Windows authentication), click "Connect".
  • For Ubuntu: Open Go->Location... Copy the link of the web folder to the location field and repace "http://" with "dav://" or "https://" with "davs://".
• Where to find mapped folders:
  • For Windows XP. Open My Network Places in Windows Explorer.
    Screenshot

     

• WebDav over http and https protocols.

  Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 WebDav client refuses to authenticate over http protocol when WebDav server uses basic authentication method. You have to use https protocol.

  WebDAV Mini Redirector WebDAV client of Windows XP refuse to authenticate over http protocol when WebDAV server uses basic authentication method. Authentication dialog shows, but client does not send credentials to the server, requests are not sent at all.

  WebDav server of HTTP Commander uses Basic authentication in the following cases:

  • when HTTP Commander authentication mode is Windows and IIS authentication is Basic (vs. Windows);
  • when HTTP Commander authentication mode is Forms, Forms with Windows users, or Novell EDirectory

  Symptoms:

  • In Windows 7, Windows Explorer asks for user credentials three times, then fails with an error message stating it is unable to access the folder.
    Screenshot

     

  • In Windows Vista, Windows Explorer does not ask for credentials, it displays an invalid folder error message a number of seconds after you clicked the Next button.

    Screenshot

     

  To enable authentication over http protocol, see Error message when you try to connect to a Windows SharePoint document library... > Workaround > configuring registry.

  • For Windows XP. You need to assign 1 to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters\UseBasicAuth registry value. Value type is DWORD. For changes to take effect, issue the following commands:

    NET STOP MRXDAV
    NET START WEBCLIENT
                    

  • For Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10. You need to assign 2 to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters\BasicAuthLevel registry value. Value type is DWORD. For changes to take effect, restart the WebClient service or reboot the machine.

• https protocol and server certificate

  To configure https protocol, the web server should have a valid SSL certificate. You may install self-signed certificate to the server as described in How can I use HTTP Commander with SSL?, deploy custom certification authority in your corporate network, or obtain a certificate from one of the widely known authorities. Note that a self-signed certificate is untrusted by definition, unless you've installed it to the "Trusted Root Certification Authorities" store on each client PC. Connecting to WebDav server over https with invalid certificate is tricky business. Windows Explorer at first refuses to establish the connection at all, it keeps asking for user credentials eventually failing with confusing error message, stating that the web folder is invalid. The other time Windows Explorer connects to a web folder at one dash.

  We recommend you to obtain a real certificate from well known authority, or deploy Active Directory Certificate Services if all WebDav clients are bound to internal network.

• WebDAV on Windows 7 x64 operates slowly. Cause: the WebDAV client sends a lot of requests to the Web Server and introduces an artificial delay between requests.
• If you experience problems with mapping web folders on your server, try to map a folder on element-it demo server: https://demo.element-it.com/examples/demowindows/hcwebdav/ (user: demo, password: demo).
• If you try to download a file that is larger than 50000000 bytes from a Web folder on a Windows OS, you might receive the following error message.
  Screenshot

   

  
  For fix this problem add (or change) "FileSizeLimitInBytes"=dword:4294967295 (4Gb) key into registry on path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters and restart OS (or WebClient service).
  For more info see KB900900.
• See also additional tuning properties in the register: WebDAV Redirector Registry Settings.

1. "hcwebdav" folder serves the role of configuring anonymous access with IIS Manager. It is not required for correct functioning of WebDAV in HTTP Commander. On the contrary, IIS may interfere in processing WebDAV requests if this folder exists. We recommend to remove this folder after at the end of configuration.