What ports do I need to open on my firewall for filesharing if I have a requirement for remote users connected via a MPLS network to connect a network file share?
Which firewall ports to open
Hi John J Odonnell,
Opening those ports is asking to removing your Firewall. I would advise you strongly rethink your needs here. The message “suggesting” you use a VPN is really your only choice here. You need a VPN solution. Most network consulting firms can help you implement a secure remote access solution for a reasonable cost. If you want to connect to shares, you’ll need 135 tcp, 88 udp, 445 tcp, 137 and 138 udp, and 139 tcp. Windows is strange in how it selects it’s authentication. At times, it will use 445 and other times wants to use 137/138. You might be able to force it to use 445 only, but it’s not a guarantee that it will work. You can also change the order which your systems look up computers (netbios, dns, etc). Search on MS’s site for restricting it. You’ll never need tcp 53 unless you are doing zone transfers.
Hope this helps,
Which firewall ports to open
That thing you want to do is quite dangerous for your machine. Opening a port on your computer is not recommended because it can be an opportunity for an attacker to penetrate your system. If an attacker scans your machine with a tool, it will reveal all the open ports on your machine. The most common ports that are left open are for TCP, FTP, and SMTP.
They are open because there are services on the computer that uses them. If you open a port, it will appear among the open ports. An attacker can check what kind of service is using that port and what kind of exploit can be used to break it free. I suggest not opening a port.
If a program cannot access outside connection because the Windows Firewall is blocking it, unblock it instead of opening a port. This way, the port will only be opened when the program requires it or when you are using the program. It will be closed automatically when the application or service is exited. To unblock a program, click Start, Control Panel, “Network and Internet Connections”, and then Windows Firewall.
In Windows Firewall window, select Exceptions tab. Click Add Program.
In “Add a Program” dialog, select the program you want to exclude or unblock from Windows Firewall. If it’s not listed, click Browse, navigate to the location of the program, select the EXE file, and then click Open. Click OK all throughout.
And that’s it. The program is now unblocked from Windows Firewall. MPLS is the short term that refers to Multiprotocol Label Switching. It is a protocol used for shaping and speeding up network traffic flows. This protocol lets nearly all packets to be passed on at Layer 2, which is the switching level, instead of passing it up to Layer 3, which is the routing level.
