How to set up port forwarding on extreme with NAS

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Level 1

5 points

How to set up port forwarding on extreme with NAS

I've purchased a NAS (Synology DS211j with 2 caviar HD) over a month ago. Setting up the NAS for wireless connection locally was easy. I've been trying for 3 weeks on how to set-up port forwarding on my airport extreme base. I''ve researched and read countless threads on port forwarding and still cannot grasp the concept and the step by step provided. I need somebody that's patient enough to hand hold and guide me through this frustrating problem.

Equipment:

Comcast cable modem connected into Airport Extreme Base

Synology DS211j connected to Airport Extreme Base

Problem:

Cannot connect to my DiskStation via internet from wherever

confused whether to use FTP or Personal file sharing or whatever is the most suitable for my needs

Just need to access files on my DiskStation view/upload/download from wherever I'm at, whether on PC or Macbook Pro

Thanks in advance!

Marcus

iPhone 3GS, iOS 4.3

Posted on Jun 6, 2011 1:53 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

148,453 points

Jun 6, 2011 4:20 PM in response to Marcus Yee1

Think of your NAS device as a standalone file server. Just like a file server, you would need to assign it a static IP address, and then, reconfigure the NAT router for port mapping/forwarding to the NAS at this address.

With the 802.1n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) you could also take advantage of its DHCP Reservation feature to assign a "static" IP address from its pool of DHCP-supplied addresses. Most NAS devices support a multiple of file transfer protocols. The two most common are SMB (Windows & Linux) and AFP (Macs). You will just need to open the appropriate ports on the AEBSn for either or both of those protocols.

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Answer 2

Marcus Yee1 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 6, 2011 4:47 PM in response to Tesserax

Thx, Tess for the intro. Yet, it's still foreign to me. I feel like a patient while at a doc's office. All these technical/medical terms LOL. I see these terms in the airport utility set-up, but not sure what to input. Tess, I've been reading a lot of your responses regarding help on Airport set-up to NAS and I still have a big ? on top of my head. I've tried some of your advices regarding opening up diff port #s, adding IP addresses, etc..... Is it really easy or am I just lame?

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

148,453 points

Jun 6, 2011 7:58 PM in response to Marcus Yee1

Here are the basic steps to configure your NAS for port mapping:

AEBSn - Port Mapping Setup

To setup port mapping on an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn), either connect to the AEBSn's wireless network or temporarily connect directly, using an Ethernet cable, to one of the LAN port of the AEBSn, and then use the AirPort Utility, in Manual Setup, to make these settings:

1. Reserve a DHCP-provided IP address for the host device.

AirPort Utility > Select the AEBSn > Manual Setup > Internet > DHCP tab

On the DHCP tab, click the "+" (Add) button to enter DHCP Reservations.

Description: <enter the desired description of the host device>

Reserve address by: MAC Address

Click Continue.

MAC Address: <enter the MAC (what Apple calls Ethernet ID if you are using wired or AirPort ID if wireless) hardware address of the host computer>

IPv4 Address: <enter the desired IP address>

Click Done.

2. Setup Port Mapping on the AEBSn.

AirPort Utility > Select the AEBSn > Manual Setup >Advanced > Port Mapping tab

Click the "+" (Add) button

Service: <choose the appropriate service from the Service pop-up menu>

Public UDP Port(s): <enter the appropriate UDP port values>

Public TCP Port(s): <enter the appropriate TCP port values>

Private IP Address: <enter the IP address of the host server>

Private UDP Port(s): <enter the same as Public UDP Ports or your choice>

Private TCP Port(s): <enter the same as Public TCP Ports or your choice>

Click "Continue"

(ref: "Well Known" TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products)

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Answer 4

Marcus Yee1 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 7, 2011 12:12 AM in response to Tesserax

Thanks, Tess. I will check at my work to see if I can see my DiskStation.

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Answer 5

Apr 23, 2015 5:45 PM in response to Marcus Yee1

Post from the distant future!

I wasn't able to get connect to my Synology with AFP outside of the local network until I disabled File Sharing in the Disks tab of the Airport Configuration Utility. I also reserved a static IP for the Synology and mapped the Personal File Sharing port to the static IP of the Synology (in Network tab).

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