First time configuration
If you connect to the Internet through a hardware router/firewall you will almost certainly have to configure your router in order to get HFS to work properly. The critical task is called "Port fowarding".
You can get help about this on the HFS Forum, and at Portforward.
Many firewalls also require that you give HFS permission to send and receive files.
Initial state
When you have done this, double-click the file named "HFS2.1.exe" to start your server. It looks like this:
Click the "enlarge button" at the foot of the graphic to view the thumbnail image at a bigger size.
(PHnote>change pic after 2.1 release!)
(PHnote>change pic after 2.1 release!)
(PHnote>change pic after 2.1 release!)
Adding an upload folder
Next, add an upload directory so that your friends can easily send you files. (This must be a real folder (see HFS: Glossary). To do this:
- Create a new folder on your hard disk eg. C:\Uploads, by using Window's Explorer.
- If you have "Add to HFS" in the context menu, simply right-click on the folder and click this option.
- The alternative is to drag&drop the folder "Upload" to the left pane of the server window named "Virtual File System".
- Use Set Upload → upload for accounts → anyone
- You can password-protect "Upload", but most user's don't do this so that all their friends can upload files without any restrictions.
- You may care to type (or paste) http://localhost/ into your Internet browser to check what your site's users will see when they access your site.
PHnote Add picture.
Adding a download folder
Next, add a download directory so that your friends can easily download files. (This can be a virtual folder (see HFS: Glossary), but for first-time use, it's probably easier to use another real folder. To do this:
- Create a new folder on your hard disk eg. C:\Downloads, by using Window's Explorer. Copy some test files there, of the type you imagine your friends will want. MP3s, for example.
- If you have "Add to HFS" in the context menu, simply right-click on the folder and click this option.
- The alternative is to drag&drop the folder "Downloads" to the left pane of the server window named "Virtual File System".
- You probably should password-protect "Download", but, assuming your system is reasonably secure (ie. you have at least an updated firewall), it's safe to leave it without any restrictions for a few hours.
- You may care to type (or paste) http://localhost/ into your Internet browser to check what your site's users see when they access your site.
In this example, the folder "For j" is used.
Addresses to give out
Your friends can now download any files you add to the folder C:\Downloads on your hard disk. You can either give them the address of your site,
or of the item (the folder "For j")
In order to make it more readable, you may care to use the HFS "URL Encoding" facility (Main menu in "Expert mode"). Uncheck "Encode spaces" to remove the % signs which conventionally represent spaces. The item them becomes a little clearer:
Password protection
You can protect folders, files, or your complete site, by assigning passwords.