Set Up a Secure File Transfer Server

To set up a secure file transfer server, follow these steps:

1.   Install VShell as recommended in the installation instructions. Since VShell uses your existing Windows user accounts and privileges, there is no need to set up another user list.

2.   Start VShell and select the Access Control category.

3.   In the Permissions group, add the users and groups to whom you want to give SFTP access. Be sure that the SFTP option is checked for each of these users and groups.

4.   Select the Virtual Roots category.

5.   Add the root folders that you want to use to the Virtual Root list and assign users to those folders. (For more information on multiple access points, see the "Multiple SFTP Root Access Points" section below.)

6.   If you want to use the %MYDOCUMENTS% and other variables in the SFTP root path, check the Load the user's environment option.

7.   Press either the Apply or OK button to save your configuration.

Multiple SFTP Root Access Points

Using VShell's SFTP Root feature, you can define multiple root access points for different groups or individual users. The ability to define a specific set of folders for a group of users based on membership in a Windows ACL furthers VShell's integration with Windows server operating systems.

From a practical perspective, discrete groups of users, ranging from internal employees to contractors to external business partners can each be assigned different root access points in the familiar Windows Control Panel environment. This is illustrated in the examples below.

1.   A remote business partner sees only a set of folders residing on a volume containing information specifically oriented towards external partners.

2.   Internal employees on the LAN and telecommuting employees connecting over the public internet are given access to a virtual directory structure spanning multiple drive volumes containing human resources and financial information.

3.   Administrators have access to the entire file system whether they connect over the LAN or internet.