Mac OS X Server v10.6: Using Server Preferences to manage port mapping with AirPort products

Products Affected

AirPort Express (Late 2008), AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Generation), AirPort Extreme 802.11n (1st Generation), AirPort Extreme 802.11n (2nd Generation), AirPort Extreme 802.11n (3rd Generation), Mac OS X Server 10.6, Time Capsule 802.11n (1st Generation), Time Capsule 802.11n (2nd Generation)

Symptoms

After installing Mac OS X Server v10.6, Server Assistant allows you to enable management of AirPort base stations or Time Capsules on the network (this can also be enabled in the Security pane). This feature allows the server administrator to control the ports mapped by the NAT service running on an AirPort base station (802.11n-based) or Time Capsule.

If you choose to allow AFP or SMB file sharing on your server to be exposed to the Internet, you may encounter a conflict between Server Preferences and the file sharing services provided by the AirPort Base Station.

Resolution

Exposing file sharing services to the Internet is not recommended; you can disable file sharing from the AirPort Base Station by following these steps:

  1. Open AirPort Utility.
  2. Select the Base Station or Time Capsule in the list.
  3. Click the Manual Setup button.
  4. Click the Disks icon at the top of the window.
  5. Click the File Sharing tab.
  6. Deselect the "Enable File Sharing" checkbox.
  7. Click the Update button at the bottom right of the window. This will apply the new settings to the AirPort Base Station.

After completing these steps, Server Preferences will be able to manage port mappings for file sharing services. You do not need to disable file sharing from the AirPort Base Station if you are managing the other services from Server Preferences. 

If you are using a Time Capsule, disabling File Sharing will also disable the drive for Time Machine backups.

Alternatively, using the VPN service provided by Mac OS X Server would eliminate the need to map the file sharing ports on the server, and would retain the file sharing and Time Machine functions of the AirPort base station or Time Capsule. Client computers would then access the servers shared volumes over the VPN connection. Refer to Server Preferences Help for assistance with configuring the VPN service.

Additional Information

Server Preferences has the ability to manage the following services/ports on the Airport Base Station: 

  • Remote Login (SSH) - 22
  • Screen Sharing Service (VNC) - 5900
  • AddressBook Service - 8800, 8843
  • iChat Service - 5222, 5223, 5060, 5269, 7777
  • Mail Service (SMTP, IMAP, POP) - 25, 110, 143, 587, 993, 995
  • Web Service - 80, 443
  • VPN Service (L2TP) - 500, 1701, 4500
  • VPN Service (PPTP) - 1723
  • File Sharing Service (AFP, SMB) - 548, 139

For more information about commonly-used ports, see this article.

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