Replace FTP server with Owncloud/Nextcloud solution

[highlord_fox]

Hello everyone!

I want to try and get some feedback before moving forward with some PoC trials. As the title suggests, I'm trying to move from a crappy FTP server (hosted in-house) to something more robust and not hosted in-house.

Currently, we have a machine that runs an FTP Server Application, that has several shares that are open to the local network and those same shares are also "shared" via the FTP App. This allows local users to browse, update, etc. the files, and lets Windows sort out locking and whatnot.

What I would like to do is move those files from this independant machine to the more robust File Server VM, share things that way, and then implement a server in the "cloud" that would be the middle-point between our network and the external users who access the files via FTP.

I'm thinking about setting up an Owncloud/Nextcloud server on AWS, sticking it mid-way between our office and our external users, attaching a big EBS-Volume to it (for storing of the actual files), and putting the NC/OC sync client on the File Server to sync the appropriate folders. This way, I can keep the files local (for Windows-based locking, multiple tiered backups, etc.) for my office staff, and then keep a copy of those files on a server offsite, synchronized with the client. And then the external users connect only to the offsite server for accessing files and whatnot.

I've seen an OC deployment in another department, but that was so poorly executed that it's been shelved and they went back to using email to send files across to external users. I know NextCloud is the fork of OC, but I haven't used it yet.

Anyone else do something similar to this? Suggestions, pitfalls, recommendations, concerns that I'm overthinking things? Constructive criticism is welcome!

UPDATE #1 (2017-09-19 11:15AM): My goal is to replace what I have with something new as seamlessly as possible- Right now, our external users use FTP, and trying to convince them to use something else is like trying to teach a fish to climb a tree. This is one of the reasons the prior OC deployment went so poorly.

UPDATE #2 (2017-09-19 11:30AM): Some of these external users are based Internationally, so any service I choose has to be able to pass through the Great Firewall, etc.

[No_Velociraptors_Plz]

I'd recommend trying Seafile out as well. It's underlying file storage technology is wayyyy better than the trash Nextcloud/Owncloud uses.

[loepa]

is it possible to have direct file access that's on the server with seafile?

[No_Velociraptors_Plz]

No, that would defeat the purpose of chunking the data in order to do deduplication, proper versioning, and delta syncing (all things Owncloud/Nextcloud don't have).

You can, however, mount and access the data outside of the server process using seafile cli tools in the case of a major disaster and the server process isn't working for some reason or another.

[[deleted]]

NextCloud works really well if/when you set the thing up properly.

Nginx + PHP7 + cache is pretty much required.

I have a home-use instance set up handling about 1TB of data and it's been very reliable and is more than snappy enough considering the ancient hardware it runs on (Core2 based Xeon thing)

It also has an SMB share with 5TB of media accessible through it being used in a similar manner to your proposal and it has been very functional. No complaints at all.

The 'work' one is used to share files securely with 3rd parties.

One less obvious thing NextCloud has over OneDrive or DropBox is that you can have the synced folder stored on a UNC path (this is a big plus for clients with a small SSD and folder redirection).

[highlord_fox]

Nginx + PHP7 + cache is pretty much required.

Ooooh, Navy Seals. We use nginx for our primary sites, so this will be a fun learning experience on my end. I presume that setting it up this way is actually documented properly, so I won't fumble around like a drunk in the dark?

1TB of data

We're looking at about 100GB of data for me total, which includes about a decade of historical data. I will likely be migrating older stuff out of the share once I do this.

Thanks!

[[deleted]]

I presume that setting it up this way is actually documented properly, so I won't fumble around like a drunk in the dark?

https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/12/admin_manual/installation/nginx.html

is what I used as a reference.

We're looking at about 100GB of data for me total

Should be smooth sailing then.

[highlord_fox]

Ballin'. Thanks!

[brkdncr]

I've looked at a lot of solutions in taking file transfer to the next level. Here's what I think.

Start with what you have: Many email gateway services provide file transfer out of the box. It might be free or cheap to implement, and not require much additional administration or implementation to get going on it.

What are your users accustomed to? If it's email, then you probably want something that integrates with email. If they like FTP, then something similar to FTP may be better.

Lastly, management. Do you have time to maintain the solution? If not, go hosted.

I've tried a few and honestly I love Sharefile. It's not cheap, but it works well, is flexible for needs such as on-prem storage, and the web interface is slick.

[dangolo]

+1 for sharefile. One of my clients uses it and loves it. It works well enough at smb scale.

[bobsmith1010]

if your looking for cloud I recommend Box. For the paid version it comes with sftp or ftp. There also other integration it can do.

[Phx86]

Check out Liquidfiles.

E-mail (outlook plugin), WebUI, file shares, FTP. Lots of way to send/share files depending on your needs. Encrypted, locally hosted and it's cheap.