Help!

In another thread, I asked this question but I'd like to ask here it as
as it would hijack the original poster to keep discussing it there.
https://groups.google.com/g/alt.home.repair/c/rSWfASPhOaY/m/Y1OB1NTIAgAJ

I'm trying to set up the open source "Silent Notes" Android app, which
says it shares to online WebDAV servers, to share to a LOCAL WebDAV server.

Apparently Windows already has a local WebDAV server built in so I
looked up how to set that up with self-signed certificates for encryption.

I don't really need encryption but I don't know if the Silent Notes app
will work without encryption (as the documentation says it requires it).

My two biggest hurdles are that I've never set up a WebDAV server on
Windows before and I don't know how to do the associated certificate stuff.

Also I don't have the same username on Windows as I do on Android, where
neither my Windows nor Android user has a password so I have to leave it blank.

I just want to set up the simplest WebDAV server on Windows that was
ever set up - with a share open to everyone on the LAN without credentials.

If that's impossible, then I'll add teh simplest of credentials (if I have to),
as what I'm trying to do is set up a simple WebDAV server on Windows.

Here's where I'm stumped.
I wrote it up so that you can get there in about five minutes if you want.
Then you can show me what I'm doing wrong in the last step which fails.

1. I installed that open source Silent Notes app to test it out on Windows.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.martinstoeckli.silentnotes

2. I created a few checklists in that Silent Notes app to test it out.
{amazon,costco,homedepot}

3. I realized I needed a WebDAV server on Windows so I watched this video.
How to Setup WebDAV Server On Windows 10 / 11 and Map WebDAV drive
https://youtu.be/M4DZcS6V-Zs
The video glosses over a few steps, so I clarify those steps below.

4. Win+R | control.exe
View by: Category | Programs | Turn Windows features on or off
Expand "Internet Information Services"
Expand "World Wide Web Services"
Expand "Common HTTP Features"
Set the checkbox for "WebDAV Publishing"
Control Panel | Programs | Turn Windows features on or off |
Expand "Internet Information Services"
Expand "World Wide Web Services"
Expand "Security"
Set the checkbox for "Basic Authentication"
OK

5. Start "Windows Administrative Tools" "Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager"
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools\Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.lnk
Win+R | %windir%\system32\inetsrv\InetMgr.exe

6. Navigate to the "Default Web Site"
IIS | Connections | Sites | Default Web Site
Under "Default Web Site Home" doubleclick on "WebDav Authoring Rules"
Under "Actions" make sure "Enable WebDAV" is turned on
Rightclick in the "WebDAV Authoring Rules" window
Select "Add Authoring Rule" from the context menu that pops up
Allow access to: All content
Allow access to this content to: All users
Permissions: Read, Source, Write
OK

7. IIS | Connections | Sites | Default Web Site
Under "Default Web Site Home" doubleclick on "Authentication"
Select "Anonymous Authentication" & under "Actions" set it to "Disabled"
Select "ASP .NET Impersonation" & under "Actions" set it to "Disabled"
Select "Basic Authentication" & under "Actions" set it to "Enabled"
Select "Digest Authentication" & under "Actions" set it to "Disabled"

8. IIS | Connections | Your computer name
Doubleclick "Server Certificates"
Rightclick in the windows & select "Create self-signed certificate"
Specify a friendly name for the certificate: My self-signed certificate
Select a certificate store for the new certificate: Personal
OK

9. IIS | Connections | Sites | (Rightclick on "Default Web Site")
Select "Edit Bindings" from the context menu that pops up
In the "Site Bindings" form that pops up, click the "Add" button
Set Type to "https" (Port 443)
Under "SSL certificate" select the certificate you had created
OK | Close

10. Fabricate a test domain by first checking it doesn't exist
Win+R | cmd | ping myserver.com
That ping should report that the server couldn't be found.
Find your local IP address to add into hosts as that domain
Win+R | cmd | ipconfig | look for "IPv4 Address"
For example: IPv4 Address... 192.168.0.2
Edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
192.168.0.2 myserver.com # my local webdav test server
Win+R | cmd | ping myserver.com
That ping should now report that the server was found.

11. Create a subfolder under C:\inetpub\wwwroot named "android"
Set that subfolder to full access by rightclicking on the subfolder
and selecting "Properties | Security | Edit } CREATOR OWNER |
Press the "Add" button & then the "Advanced" button
Press the "Find Now" button & scroll down the list of users
I selected "Guest" but I wasn't sure what user to select here.
MachineName\Guest | OK

12. In the "Permissions for android" form, select "Guest",
click to "Allow" all permissions & then click "Apply"
And then click "OK" & "OK" to close the folder permission form.

13. I think the instructions missed the "Sharing" step of the folder
C:\inetpub\wwwroot\android

14. To map a WebDAV drive and to populate it with files as a user,
rightclick on "My PC" & in the context menu that pops up,
select "Map network drive" and in the "Folder" field
enter \\MYPC\inetpub\wwwroot\android & click "Finish"
You should now have a new "Z:" drive labeled something like
"android (\\MYPC\inetpub\wwwroot)"

You can also map that network drive from the Windows command line.
net use Y: \\MYPC\inetpub\wwwroot\android
net use X: \\192.168.0.2\inetpub\wwwroot\android
net use U: \\192.168.0.2\inetpub\wwwroot\android /USER:guest
net use W: \\myserver.com\inetpub\wwwroot\android
Enter the username for 'myserver.com' = guest
Enter the password for 'myserver.com' = <blank>

15. On Android, start the Silent Notes app & click the "cloud" icon.
A Silent Notes activity will ask "Set up the online storage"
to which you click "Continue" & then you select your cloud provider
out of {FTP,WebDAV,Dropbox,Google Driver,OneDrive,Nextcloud,GMX}.
I selected "WebDAV" out of that list.
A form labeled "Online storage credentials" popped up.
Server directory URL: https://192.168.0.2/inetpub/wwwroot/android
User name = guest
Password = <blank>
[x]Accept unsafe certificates

This is where I'm stuck as I keep trying things but I must have something
wrong with the form of the Windows WebDAV server URL in Silent Notes.
https://192.168.0.2/DavWWWRoot
https://192.168.0.2/inetpub/wwwroot/android

I need a way to test the Windows WebDAV server to make sure it's alive.
(Although the "net use" command worked without error so I think it is.)

I do note that Silent Notes says it only does encryption so I had
to use the "http(s)" instead of "http" but neither works for me yet.

Maybe my self-signed certificate isn't being specified on Windows?
I don't know. I've never done half this stuff. Have you ever done it?

Can someone who wants to set up their own WebDAV server on Windows
with Silent Notes test out the steps I did above - as it should take
you only a few minutes (whereas it took me many hours to get here).

Any help is happily appreciated as it would be useful to anyone on
Windows to be able to securely share files over a local WebDAV server.

Bradley <bradley@nospam.com> wrote:

> I'm trying to set up the open source "Silent Notes" Android app,
> which says it shares to online WebDAV servers, to share to a LOCAL
> WebDAV server.
>
> Apparently Windows already has a local WebDAV server built in so I
> looked up how to set that up with self-signed certificates for
> encryption.

Do you have a Server edition of Windows? As I recall, WebDAV was
bundled with IIS. I don't remember the WebDAV server bundled with IIS
for non-Server (client) editions of Windows.

https://help.nextcloud.com/t/end-of-microsoft-support-for-its-webclient-service-on-windows-10-and-11/174121
Looks like WebDAV is dying.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV#WebDAV_clients

SilentNotes mentions support for FTP. You'll need an FTP server (not a
client). SilentNotes would be the FTP client. FileZilla Server
(https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=server) looks to be
free. Others may suggest different free FTP servers.

While the app's Play Store page says "Currently supported protocols are
the FTP protocol, ...", it doesn't say if FTPs or sFTP are supported.
However, also mentioned is end-to-end encryption, so the data
transferred via FTP can be encrypted. That still leaves unmentioned how
to pass the login credentials to the FTP server if FTPs or sFTP are not
supported.

On Tue, 16 Jan 2024 19:30:03 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
> Do you have a Server edition of Windows? As I recall, WebDAV was
> bundled with IIS. I don't remember the WebDAV server bundled with IIS
> for non-Server (client) editions of Windows.

Every Windows version since XP has a webdav server built into its iis.
https://www.sevenforums.com/software/419824-there-any-free-webdav-server-programs-out-there.html
> https://help.nextcloud.com/t/end-of-microsoft-support-for-its-webclient-service-on-windows-10-and-11/174121
> Looks like WebDAV is dying.

Webdav is alive and well.
https://medium.odrive.com/how-to-easily-setup-a-webdav-server-on-windows-and-sync-to-it-8469b9259435

> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV#WebDAV_clients

A client is different than a server.

> SilentNotes mentions support for FTP.

SilentNotes supports webdav too.
https://www.martinstoeckli.ch/silentnotes/

"Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol,
Dropbox, Google-Drive and One-Drive."

> You'll need an FTP server (not a
> client). SilentNotes would be the FTP client. FileZilla Server
> (https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=server) looks to be
> free. Others may suggest different free FTP servers.

Besides FTP not being webdav, Silent Notes supports webdav.

https://github.com/martinstoeckli/SilentNotes
"Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol, Dropbox,
Google-Drive and One-Drive."

> While the app's Play Store page says "Currently supported protocols are
> the FTP protocol, ...", it doesn't say if FTPs or sFTP are supported.
> However, also mentioned is end-to-end encryption, so the data
> transferred via FTP can be encrypted. That still leaves unmentioned how
> to pass the login credentials to the FTP server if FTPs or sFTP are not
> supported.

FTP isn't webdav. A client isn't a server. Silent Notes supports webdav.

Patrick <patrick@oleary.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Jan 2024 19:30:03 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
>> Do you have a Server edition of Windows? As I recall, WebDAV was
>> bundled with IIS. I don't remember the WebDAV server bundled with IIS
>> for non-Server (client) editions of Windows.
>
> Every Windows version since XP has a webdav server built into its iis.
> https://www.sevenforums.com/software/419824-there-any-free-webdav-server-programs-out-there.html
>
>> https://help.nextcloud.com/t/end-of-microsoft-support-for-its-webclient-service-on-windows-10-and-11/174121
>> Looks like WebDAV is dying.
>
> Webdav is alive and well.
> https://medium.odrive.com/how-to-easily-setup-a-webdav-server-on-windows-and-sync-to-it-8469b9259435
>
>> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV#WebDAV_clients
>
> A client is different than a server.
>
>> SilentNotes mentions support for FTP.
>
> SilentNotes supports webdav too.
> https://www.martinstoeckli.ch/silentnotes/
>
> "Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol,
> Dropbox, Google-Drive and One-Drive."
>
>> You'll need an FTP server (not a
>> client). SilentNotes would be the FTP client. FileZilla Server
>> (https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=server) looks to be
>> free. Others may suggest different free FTP servers.
>
> Besides FTP not being webdav, Silent Notes supports webdav.
>
> https://github.com/martinstoeckli/SilentNotes
> "Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol, Dropbox,
> Google-Drive and One-Drive."
>
>> While the app's Play Store page says "Currently supported protocols are
>> the FTP protocol, ...", it doesn't say if FTPs or sFTP are supported.
>> However, also mentioned is end-to-end encryption, so the data
>> transferred via FTP can be encrypted. That still leaves unmentioned how
>> to pass the login credentials to the FTP server if FTPs or sFTP are not
>> supported.
>
> FTP isn't webdav. A client isn't a server. Silent Notes supports webdav.

Oh, wow, gee, I had no clue SilentNotes support WebDAV. Uh huh. What a
putz.

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On 1/16/2024 9:48 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Patrick <patrick@oleary.com> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 16 Jan 2024 19:30:03 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
>>> Do you have a Server edition of Windows? As I recall, WebDAV was
>>> bundled with IIS. I don't remember the WebDAV server bundled with IIS
>>> for non-Server (client) editions of Windows.
>>
>> Every Windows version since XP has a webdav server built into its iis.
>> https://www.sevenforums.com/software/419824-there-any-free-webdav-server-programs-out-there.html
>>
>>> https://help.nextcloud.com/t/end-of-microsoft-support-for-its-webclient-service-on-windows-10-and-11/174121
>>> Looks like WebDAV is dying.
>>
>> Webdav is alive and well.
>> https://medium.odrive.com/how-to-easily-setup-a-webdav-server-on-windows-and-sync-to-it-8469b9259435
>>
>>> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV#WebDAV_clients
>>
>> A client is different than a server.
>>
>>> SilentNotes mentions support for FTP.
>>
>> SilentNotes supports webdav too.
>> https://www.martinstoeckli.ch/silentnotes/
>>
>> "Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol,
>> Dropbox, Google-Drive and One-Drive."
>>
>>> You'll need an FTP server (not a
>>> client). SilentNotes would be the FTP client. FileZilla Server
>>> (https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=server) looks to be
>>> free. Others may suggest different free FTP servers.
>>
>> Besides FTP not being webdav, Silent Notes supports webdav.
>>
>> https://github.com/martinstoeckli/SilentNotes
>> "Currently supported are the FTP protocol, the WebDav protocol, Dropbox,
>> Google-Drive and One-Drive."
>>
>>> While the app's Play Store page says "Currently supported protocols are
>>> the FTP protocol, ...", it doesn't say if FTPs or sFTP are supported.
>>> However, also mentioned is end-to-end encryption, so the data
>>> transferred via FTP can be encrypted. That still leaves unmentioned how
>>> to pass the login credentials to the FTP server if FTPs or sFTP are not
>>> supported.
>>
>> FTP isn't webdav. A client isn't a server. Silent Notes supports webdav.
>
> Oh, wow, gee, I had no clue SilentNotes support WebDAV. Uh huh. What a
> putz.
>

My concern (initially) with setting up a WebDAV, would be:

1) DNS. Having a domain that will correctly handle reverse lookup.
Clients can use reverse lookup as a first level of node validation.
We used to hate this on Unix, because it spoiled all the "home user fun".
I had to get a manager to intervene with IT, just so I could remote in
and do Xwindows over dialup. The manager was also doing this (remote X11),
so as soon as I mentioned it, he was on it. (The modem pool deserved
real IP addresses, not schlock, or the Unix boxes would not accept
my connection from the modem pool.)

2) Certificate chain. Nobody is going to issue a certificate for
a non-routable address (192.168.1.2). And if you make your own certificate
(I've tried a couple times), then the client will insist on a chain of trust,
and your certificate by itself is not enough. You might finally make a
certificate in the correct file format, fill out enough fields to "fake it",
but a single certificate with no one to vouch for it, is pretty useless.
It's the clients that whine like bitches, and if you say "make an exception",
they make the exception... then they whine some more. It's "fuck you pal"
from dawn to dusk with this stuff.

Clicking a button on Win10 Programs and Features : Windows Features,
the IIS configuration will likely be a struggle, but do-able after
some amount of work.

I just don't see (1) and (2), bending to intent.

It's not like the old days of client/server, where
you could just work your 127.0.0.1 magic and done.
And there was no crypto to speak of. No certificates
to ruin your fun.

WebDAV is on 80 and 443, and since I have a vivid imagination,
I would expect an Anderoid to only accept 443. Nobody is going
to make this easy for us.

So sure, "why won't someone do a setting up webDAV for us article?".
Well, I think it's because the process has rough edges and
all you get from the exercise, is paper cuts. It's going to be
like my email server experience, all over again :-/

Where it gets interesting, is once you step out the door, you
have your Anderoid in hand, and you are now outside the LAN perimeter,
and need Port Forwarding on the router. Now you really want that 443
port and the certificate and so on. Now you need a domain and
a dyndns or whatever. Now the LetsEncrypt gets easier. And the idea
would be, even when the Anderoid is in the house, you'd still have it
pointed at the WAN side and that brand new domain you bought.

Paul

Some points I will be able to clear up iI think, but setting up a locale WebDav server is quite specific to the hosting computer.

> Apparently Windows already has a local WebDAV server built in so I
> looked up how to set that up with self-signed certificates for encryption..
> I don't really need encryption but I don't know if the Silent Notes app
> will work without encryption (as the documentation says it requires it).

I didn't know that Windows offers WebDav out of the box with IIS, all users I had contact with installed a NextCloud instance.

An SSL connection with a certificate is not necessary, in fact this does make it harder to establish the connection, because when you generate a self signed certificate, one needs to tell the client that it should be trusted. SilentNotes uses end-to-end encryption, so while in transit the repository is always encrypted, regardless of whether the connection itself is encrypted or not. In your case it is a local address in the LAN anyway, so I would recommend to use plain http:// .

> I need a way to test the Windows WebDAV server to make sure it's alive.

You can check whether the connection is alive with the Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer), there you can enter the URL e.g. http://192.168.1.42/MyWebDav/SilentNotes/ and it will ask for the credentials if they are required. If the explorer can connect, SilentNotes should be able too. Enter only the path to the directory, not a file name.

Bradley wrote:
> Turn Windows
> features on or off   Expand "Internet Information Services"
>   Expand "World Wide Web Services"
>   Expand "Common HTTP Features"
>   Set the checkbox for "WebDAV Publishing"
It's been a couple of years since I setup webDAV on windows, but all
sounds about right
> I need a way to test the Windows WebDAV server
Got another windows device? use the webDAV client from a CMD window,
something like
net use ? \\webdavservername@ssl/folder
(but don't rely on the windows client for long term use, it's flaky in
my experience, and every few months it finds a new way to break).
if the client is actually a windows server, you need the desktop
experience role/feature installed.

Paul wrote:

> 2) Certificate chain. Nobody is going to issue a certificate for
> a non-routable address (192.168.1.2).

That's OK, because nobody needs to, IPs aren't baked into certs, only
FQDNs.

Get free certs from LetsEncrypt or use openSSL to make your own cert and
import your own CA's root so it's trusted by your client.

Andy Burns, 2024-01-17 11:58:

> Paul wrote:
>
>> 2) Certificate chain. Nobody is going to issue a certificate for
>> a non-routable address (192.168.1.2).
>
> That's OK, because nobody needs to, IPs aren't baked into certs, only
> FQDNs.
>
> Get free certs from LetsEncrypt or use openSSL to make your own cert and
> import your own CA's root so it's trusted by your client.

LetsEncrypt requires a public domain name. It will not work without that.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

Arno Welzel wrote:

> LetsEncrypt requires a public domain name. It will not work without that.

They won't know whether the client resolves the hostname via public DNS
server, private DNS server, or hostsfile ...

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

> Arno Welzel wrote:
>
>> LetsEncrypt requires a public domain name. It will not work without that.
>
> They won't know whether the client resolves the hostname via public DNS
> server, private DNS server, or hostsfile ...

It's not about your client. It's about them validating the cert at your
web site that you got from them. It's about /getting/ the cert.

https://letsencrypt.org/how-it-works/
" First, the agent proves to the CA that the web server controls a
domain."
"The first time the agent software interacts with Let’s Encrypt, it
generates a new key pair and proves to the Let’s Encrypt CA that the
server controls one or more domains."

VanguardLH wrote:
> Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>
>> Arno Welzel wrote:
>>
>>> LetsEncrypt requires a public domain name. It will not work without that.
>>
>> They won't know whether the client resolves the hostname via public DNS
>> server, private DNS server, or hostsfile ...
>
> It's not about your client. It's about them validating the cert at your
> web site that you got from them. It's about /getting/ the cert.
As I think I said earlier, if you create your own CA to sign your own
cert, just import the root cert into Android's cert store, so it trusts
your cert.
If you use LetsEncrypt, android should already trust it.
> https://letsencrypt.org/how-it-works/
Yes, that's how they automatically issue certs, they make the expiry
short to discourage you doing it manually, if you don't like their way
use openSSL and roll your own.
> " First, the agent proves to the CA that the web server controls a
> domain."
> "The first time the agent software interacts with Let’s Encrypt, it
> generates a new key pair and proves to the Let’s Encrypt CA that the
> server controls one or more domains."

Andy Burns wrote:

> if you create your own CA to sign your own cert, just import the root
> cert into Android's cert store, so it trusts your cert.

Even more deeply buried than it used to be, but ...

Settings, Security & Privacy, More Security & Privacy, Encryption &
Credentials, Install a Certificate, CA Certificate

On 1/17/2024 12:13 PM, Andy Burns wrote:
>> if you create your own CA to sign your own cert, just import the root
>> cert into Android's cert store, so it trusts your cert.
>
> Even more deeply buried than it used to be, but ...
>
> Settings, Security & Privacy, More Security & Privacy, Encryption &
> Credentials, Install a Certificate, CA Certificate

All this security stuff confuses me because I have no need for it.
I don't even have a password or pin on my phone. I don't need it.
Nor do I have a password on my user/admin account on Windows.

I don't need it.
Not when everything is on my own LAN I don't.

But I do want to pass files back & forth between Android & Windows.

Do I need a certificate on Android or only on Windows to set up WebDAV?
I don't even want a login & password but I'll use whatever I have to use.

On Samsung Android 13, the settings seem to be buried as deeply as the
Pixel buried them, but there's not a one-to-one correspondence I can see.

Settings | Security and privacy | Other security settings | Credentials
storage | Install from device storage | Install from device storage |
CA certificate

Can someone explain to me if all I want to do is use a local WebDAV server
on a Windows PC that doesn't even have a password for the user/admin
account, whether or not I need two things that I do not have working yet.

1. Do I need to have a user/password in order to use WebDav from Android
to Windows over my own LAN (and can I use "guest" or "everyone")?

2. Do I need to create a certificate for a WebDAV server on Windows and
do I need ANOTHER certificate on Android too?

Given I have no need for either a password or a certificate, can I get away
without either or must I have them?

I ask because if I must have them - then I can concentrate on making them.

On 17/01/2024 23:03, Bradley wrote:
> On 1/17/2024 12:13 PM, Andy Burns wrote:
>>> if you create your own CA to sign your own cert, just import the root
>>> cert into Android's cert store, so it trusts your cert.
>>
>> Even more deeply buried than it used to be, but ...
>>
>> Settings, Security & Privacy, More Security & Privacy, Encryption &
>> Credentials, Install a Certificate, CA Certificate
>
> All this security stuff confuses me because I have no need for it.
> I don't even have a password or pin on my phone. I don't need it.
> Nor do I have a password on my user/admin account on Windows.
>
> I don't need it.

You do.

> Not when everything is on my own LAN I don't.

You still need to take basic security steps. Your phone or PC may be
stolen, and then likely you're in deep shit, just how deep depending on
the abilities of who it ends up in the hands of.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Bradley wrote:

> Do I need to create a certificate for a WebDAV server on Windows

As far as windows is concerned, no; but SilentNotes might insist on it

> and do I need ANOTHER certificate on Android too?

On PCs browsers, client certificates seem to be going out of fashion, I
have setup a webserver on android with client certificates for a
specific requirement.

No, as long as the WebDav directory is onyl accessible from your local LAN and not from the WWW there is no need for a certificate.

SilentNotes does not need it and the repository will be encrypted anyway, regardless of whether you use http:// or https:// . Creating a self signed certificate will make it more difficult, because you need to add it to the trusted certificates on each device and such certificates will expire, so the work repeats itself.

Bradley schrieb am Donnerstag, 18. Januar 2024 um 00:03:21 UTC+1:
> On 1/17/2024 12:13 PM, Andy Burns wrote:
> >> if you create your own CA to sign your own cert, just import the root
> >> cert into Android's cert store, so it trusts your cert.
> >
> > Even more deeply buried than it used to be, but ...
> >
> > Settings, Security & Privacy, More Security & Privacy, Encryption &
> > Credentials, Install a Certificate, CA Certificate
> All this security stuff confuses me because I have no need for it.
> I don't even have a password or pin on my phone. I don't need it.
> Nor do I have a password on my user/admin account on Windows.
>
> I don't need it.
> Not when everything is on my own LAN I don't.
>
> But I do want to pass files back & forth between Android & Windows.
>
> Do I need a certificate on Android or only on Windows to set up WebDAV?
> I don't even want a login & password but I'll use whatever I have to use.
>
> On Samsung Android 13, the settings seem to be buried as deeply as the
> Pixel buried them, but there's not a one-to-one correspondence I can see.
>
> Settings | Security and privacy | Other security settings | Credentials
> storage | Install from device storage | Install from device storage |
> CA certificate
>
> Can someone explain to me if all I want to do is use a local WebDAV server
> on a Windows PC that doesn't even have a password for the user/admin
> account, whether or not I need two things that I do not have working yet.
>
> 1. Do I need to have a user/password in order to use WebDav from Android
> to Windows over my own LAN (and can I use "guest" or "everyone")?
>
> 2. Do I need to create a certificate for a WebDAV server on Windows and
> do I need ANOTHER certificate on Android too?
>
> Given I have no need for either a password or a certificate, can I get away
> without either or must I have them?
>
> I ask because if I must have them - then I can concentrate on making them..

On 1/17/2024 7:01 PM, Java Jive wrote:
>> All this security stuff confuses me because I have no need for it.
>> I don't even have a password or pin on my phone. I don't need it.
>> Nor do I have a password on my user/admin account on Windows.
>>
>> I don't need it.
>
> You do.
>
>> Not when everything is on my own LAN I don't.
>
> You still need to take basic security steps. Your phone or PC may be
> stolen, and then likely you're in deep shit, just how deep depending on
> the abilities of who it ends up in the hands of.

I will do whatever I have to do to get WebDAV working with Android.

But I have to say I'm so confused that I don't know what's the next step.

I already (think I) enabled the Windows native WebDAV server
1. But I did that without a specific username/password.
2. And I have no idea if the steps I did "created" the certificate.

I need help.
a. If I need to create a username & password on Windows, I can do that.
b. If I need to create a certificate on Windows, I probably can do that.

Can you help me?

What do I need to do next just to make sure the Windows WebDAV server is
working (with or without Silent Notes on Android and/or on Windows)?

Please just tell me what I need to do next because I'm not at all sure if
the Windows WebDAV server is working (so there's no point in trying to get
Silent Notes to work with it until I can get Windows WebDAV working).

What do I need to do in order to set up Windows WebDAV the way you suggest?

I'm not sure if you have seen my other posts, SilentNotes doesn't need a https:// connection so a certificate is _not_ necessary. Also a password is not necessary as long as the directory is not reachable from the internet.
All users I had contact with and sync the notes with a local WebDav directory installed a NextCloud instance.

On 1/18/2024 1:47 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Do I need to create a certificate for a WebDAV server on Windows
>
> As far as windows is concerned, no; but SilentNotes might insist on it

Does anyone else NOT see the Silent Notes' developer's comments on this thread?
1. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/orJgqYaCAgAJ
2. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/p90Y4YcfAwAJ
3. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/VdavXvUkAwAJ

I think most of us on Usenet have Google Groups filtered so we won't see
what Martin Stoeckli has been trying to say - which I only found out
accidentally when I looked in the Android URL to run an unrelated search.
https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/

Here are his posts which I'm assuming NOBODY has seen because he's probably
using Google Groups to post and all of us have filtered out Google Groups.
=========== cut here =============
1. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/orJgqYaCAgAJ
Some points I will be able to clear up iI think, but setting up a locale
WebDav server is quite specific to the hosting computer.

> Apparently Windows already has a local WebDAV server built in so I
> looked up how to set that up with self-signed certificates for encryption.
> I don't really need encryption but I don't know if the Silent Notes app
> will work without encryption (as the documentation says it requires it).

I didn't know that Windows offers WebDav out of the box with IIS,
all users I had contact with installed a NextCloud instance.

An SSL connection with a certificate is not necessary, in fact this does
make it harder to establish the connection, because when you generate a
self signed certificate, one needs to tell the client that it should be trusted.

SilentNotes uses end-to-end encryption, so while in transit the repository
is always encrypted, regardless of whether the connection itself is encrypted
or not. In your case it is a local address in the LAN anyway, so I would
recommend to use plain http:// .

> I need a way to test the Windows WebDAV server to make sure it's alive.

You can check whether the connection is alive with the Windows Explorer
(not Internet Explorer), there you can enter the URL e.g.
http://192.168.1.42/MyWebDav/SilentNotes/ and it will ask for the
credentials if they are required.

If the explorer can connect, SilentNotes should be able too.
Enter only the path to the directory, not a file name.
=========== cut here =============
2. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/p90Y4YcfAwAJ
No, as long as the WebDav directory is onyl accessible from your local LAN
and not from the WWW there is no need for a certificate.

SilentNotes does not need it and the repository will be encrypted anyway,
regardless of whether you use http:// or https:// .

Creating a self signed certificate will make it more difficult,
because you need to add it to the trusted certificates on each device
and such certificates will expire, so the work repeats itself.
=========== cut here =============
3. https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/URMgMHvb5ls/m/VdavXvUkAwAJ
I'm not sure if you have seen my other posts, SilentNotes doesn't need a
https:// connection so a certificate is _not_ necessary.

Also a password is not necessary as long as the directory is not reachable
from the internet.

All users I had contact with and sync the notes with a local WebDav
directory installed a NextCloud instance.
=========== cut here =============

I do NOT see any of Martin Stoeckli's posts (he's the Silent Notes developer).
Do you?

I can't tell from the Google Groups search engine what headers Martin used
but I'm guessing nobody can see his posts because he's using Google Groups
to post from instead of a Usenet account (and all of us filter out GG posts).

Bradley wrote:

> Does anyone else NOT see the Silent Notes' developer's comments on this
> thread?
>
> I think most of us on Usenet have Google Groups filtered so we won't see
> what Martin Stoeckli has been trying to say

I only see 'whitelisted' google groups users, so hadn't previously seen
his replies

On 18/01/2024 09:14, Bradley wrote:
>
> What do I need to do in order to set up Windows WebDAV the way you suggest?

I'm not making any suggestions re WebDAV because I've never bothered
with it. I was saying that you need to enable basic security to prevent
unauthorised access to your PC and your phone in case either is stolen &
to prevent hacking.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Bradley wrote:

> I will do whatever I have to do to get WebDAV working with Android.

Minimally for Win11 Home (n.b. this may not be considered "safe" but you
haven't asked for safety)

control panel/programs and features, turn features on/off

under iis, tick all of
web management/iis management console
www services/common http features/webdav publishing
www services/common http features/folder browsing
www services/security/basic authentication

Then do each of the following either at the top level for the the whole
server, or just for the "Default web site"

under webdav authoring rules, enable webdav, add an authoring rule for
all content, and your user in the format "computername\username" with
read+write permissions,

in webdav settings, allow anonymous property queries

under authentication, enable basic authentication

under folder browsing, enable browsing

====

from SilentNotes click the cloud icon
webDAV
http://aa.bb.cc.dd/
user=hostname\username
pass=yourpwd

on the IIS machine, you'll see a file appear...

"C:\inetpub\wwwroot\silentnotes_repository.silentnotes"

if it doesn't work, you'll want to install other IIS components for
logging ...

It's worked twice for me, then each time has broken afterwards, not
pointing fingers at IIS or at SilentNotes, but as it's not me wanting to
use the app, I can't spend much time trying to look for random breakage :-(

proof from the IIS log that it did work at least once

2024-01-18 14:32:20 192.168.1.22 PROPFIND / - 80 andyscomputer\andy
192.168.1.15 - - 207 0 0 32

2024-01-18 14:32:20 192.168.1.22 PUT /silentnotes_repository.silentnotes
- 80 andyscomputer\andy 192.168.1.15 - - 201 0 0 19

Good luck ...

Bradley wrote:

> Do I need to have a user/password in order to use WebDav from Android
> to Windows over my own LAN (and can I use "guest" or "everyone")?

The "guest" account by default is disabled on Windows, I wouldn't try to
enable and use it, it might open 1000 rat holes, just use whatever
account you use day-to-day.

"everyone" isn't a user, it's a "special" built-in group.