Windows Network Drive Integration

Swiftly connect ownCloud and your file server

Let remote workers sync files from your organization’s file server without a VPN. Share files on your file server ad-hoc with external contacts. It is easy when leveraging ownCloud as the file access platform for your existing storage, whether WND, SMB or Samba.

A lot of organizations operate a complex, organically grown IT infrastructure. When modernizing, they all face the same question: What to do with those legacy data silos? With ownCloud Enterprise, organizations can just integrate legacy silos like Windows Network Drives as external storage.

Make WNDs accessible for teamwork with Collaborative SMB

As of version 2.0 of the ownCloud Enterprise WND App, released in late March 2021, we introduce a technique we call collaborative SMB. Through an advanced mounting mechanism, it overcomes some of SMBs conventional limitations. It gives any file and folder a unique file ID that is the same for every user with matching access permissions. This means users can finally work remotely as a team on WND/SMB storage!

It’s just as seamless and easy as in consumer-grade public cloud services. But it all happens within a tight enterprise-grade framework that ensures security, accountability, and compliance. Users can leverage their favourite browser-based office suite – whether that is Collabora, Onlyoffice or Microsoft Office Online.

With collaborative SMB, ownCloud Enterprise now also supports other forms of collaborative work on WND/SMB storage. Comments right on a file or folder foster real collaboration because they can often replace lengthy and time-consuming email threads. Being able to tag files on WND/SMB storage makes file discovery that much easier and lets ownCloud apply existing rules and policies that are triggered by tags.

Users can now also lock files on WND/SMB storage while editing them, reducing the risk for file conflicts. ownCloud’s Activity Stream and optional Activity mails now also reflect changes made to files on WND/SMB storage. The Versions app reflects those changes now also, creating backup copies according to the Version app configuration.

The WND App enables administrators to attach existing network drives to ownCloud and assign specific network drives to groups or users. To determine permissions, ownCloud can either use file attributes (e.g. read-only and hidden) or the Windows Network Drive ACLs in connection with the LDAP user and group permissions.

To check integrated shares for changes, the ownCloud Enterprise WND App includes a listener. It marks changed files, and a background job updates the file metadata. The WND App then actively sends notifications to ownCloud about changes, deletions and new Files in its integrated network shares so synced files are always up-to-date.