Member Avatar for nickelson

Dear daniweb users.

I am having a problem and im struggling for some days now. I have a server at home and i wanted to install an IIS7 FTP server. It went all fine untill i wanted to add user isolation to make it more secure.

i followed this guide: link

And my problem is exactly the same as this thread.

I granted all rights to all the directories needed. Im logging in with a username that has an adminnistrator role tho it says its inaccessible.

Its also pretty strange because without user isolation it all works fine. I can connect and puts me in de ftp root directory. It just seems that something with rights doesnt go correct when using virtual directories.

my directory architure is C:\FTProot\domain\

I also tried it with C:\FTProot\LocalUser\%User% but that as well gives errors which are saying the home directory is inaccessible.

I hope u guys have some tips to make this ftp user isolation work correctly.

Thanks in advance

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As discovered, this kind of “home directory inaccessible” error usually comes from a mismatch between the isolation mode the FTP engine uses and the actual folder layout on disk. Seeing the exact path the FTP process attempted to open is the fastest way to confirm the mismatch; once the expected path is known, either adjust the physical folders to match or change the isolation/virtual-directory configuration so the server and filesystem agree.

Common troubleshooting checklist:

  • Confirm which user-isolation mode is in use (local users vs. network/domain users) and the folder naming convention that mode expects.
  • Verify the physical folder that the FTP worker tries to open actually exists (including any implied domain or network-name segment).
  • Ensure NTFS permissions allow the authenticated account to traverse the parent path and access its user folder. Grant only the minimal rights needed (traverse/list on parent, read/write on the user folder), and watch for inherited deny entries.
  • Check FTP authentication and authorization rules so the account is allowed access (anonymous vs. basic, specific user/group rules).
  • Enable FTP logging or a filesystem tracing tool to capture the exact access-denied events and paths. A short, targeted trace usually shows whether the problem is path-selection, token expansion, or a permission failure.
  • Test with a simple, known-local account and minimal folder structure to isolate identity vs. configuration problems.

If the environment uses domain accounts or complex mappings, consider creating per-user virtual directories or explicitly mapping home folders instead of relying on automatic token expansion. Keep privilege grants tight and restart the FTP service after making configuration changes to ensure the new mapping is picked up.

Member Avatar for nickelson

Dear daniweb users.

I am having a problem and im struggling for some days now. I have a server at home and i wanted to install an IIS7 FTP server. It went all fine untill i wanted to add user isolation to make it more secure.

i followed this guide: link

And my problem is exactly the same as this thread.

I granted all rights to all the directories needed. Im logging in with a username that has an adminnistrator role tho it says its inaccessible.

Its also pretty strange because without user isolation it all works fine. I can connect and puts me in de ftp root directory. It just seems that something with rights doesnt go correct when using virtual directories.

my directory architure is C:\FTProot\domain\

I also tried it with C:\FTProot\LocalUser\%User% but that as well gives errors which are saying the home directory is inaccessible.

I hope u guys have some tips to make this ftp user isolation work correctly.

Thanks in advance

edit:

I resolved the problem by running process monitor link. I saw that the FTP server threw the user to C:\inetpub\ftproot\LocalNetwork\%User% Where LocalNetwork the name of my network is.

The problem with that path was that it did not exist. My directory path as I set it up in the ftpserver was: C:\inetpub\ftproot\LocalUser\%User%

So i changed the directory to C:\inetpub\ftproot\LocalNetwork\%User% and the ftp server worked with user isolation!! :D

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