How to setup remote access to my home network?

[joe]

I'm looking for some suggestions on how I can access my home network while I'm away on business. I have a file server that I store scanned documents and other data that I need to access while I'm on the road. I though of using e-mail but the docs are too big to send in an e-mail. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[jason]

OK do you have a firewall/router at home? What is the operating system of your server?

[joe]

I have a Linksys router connected to my Bell DSL modem. I'm running windows 2003 server on my file server. thanks

[jason]

Hi Joe, ok well you should be able to get remote access to your server. First you'll need to "port forward" tcp port 3389 to the IP address of your windows server. To do this you need to connect to your Linksys via web browser and look for port forwarding. Create a new rule to forward any source address on port 3389 to the IP address of your server.
Before enabling remote access on your server you need to ensure you have a strong password. You cannot enable remote desktop without a password. If you are using the standard administrator account you should rename it to something else. Set a minimum 7 character password with upper and lower case characters.
Next you need to enable remote access on your server. Right click my computer select properties, select the remote tab and at the botton enable remote access.