We’re thrilled to unveil the Production Release of MyWorkDrive Server 7, featuring seamless integration with Entra ID (Azure AD) for native authentication without Active Directory or SAML, alongside support for Azure file shares and Blob Storage via API.
For a detailed overview please click here to review our Version 7 support article, watch the video, or see the full Server setup video below.
API Connections to Azure Storage
API connections to Azure Storage (Azure Files, Azure Blob) can be utilized in addition to local or SMB for file storage. Explore our comprehensive Azure storage article for comparisons and configuration options.
Entra ID (Azure AD) Identity Authentication
Instead of relying on Active Directory on a Domain Joined server, Version 7 introduces the choice to use Entra ID as the identity provider. Refer to our guide on leveraging Entra ID for Identity for more information. Version 7 continues to support Active Directory with SAML for SSO (Entra ID, Okta, OneLogin,ADFS, etc).
Named Account for SMB Storage
Users can now employ a named account (also known as a service account) for connections to SMB Storage when utilizing Entra ID identity. Find detailed information in our article on Local/SMB storage.
Advantages:
MyWorkDrive Version 7 eliminates the dependency on Active Directory for customers with users in Entra ID.
Improved Performance: Access to Azure Storage via API reduces latency, enhancing performance, even for lower-tier storage options.
Improved Access: SMB Port 445 is typically blocked by ISP’s and is not needed when accessing files with MyWorkDrive over https.
Managed Identity Support: Managed Identity is supported for Azure-hosted servers, enabling access to storage accounts without storing credentials on the server.
Entra ID Support: Permissions can be defined using Entra ID users and groups, providing more control without relying on NTFS permissions or storage keys.
Requirements:
A Windows server (Physical or Virtual) can be located on-premises or in the cloud. Notably, being domain joined is optional, and Active Directory is not utilized when employing Entra ID identity.
User accounts in Entra ID are required (P1 or P2 licenses are not necessary).
To utilize Azure Storage shares, an Azure Storage account is mandatory. You may either have existing shares to connect to, or an Azure File Share can be created during the setup process.
Significant Changes
Installer Changes
The installer now prompts users to choose between Entra Id (Azure AD) and Active Directory during installation, with no option to switch later.
Server Setup Wizard Updates
The updated server setup wizard guides users through server provisioning using Entra ID authentication and connecting to Azure Storage. It supports various storage types and can create an Azure Files share.
Managed Identity Support
Version 7 supports Managed Identity for Azure-hosted servers, allowing access to storage accounts without storing credentials on the server.
Key Storage Differences
Entra ID changes SMB behavior, with users defining the account for accessing shares as the named user in MyWorkDrive.
Granular Permissions on Shares
Granular permissions are now defined during share creation using Entra ID users and groups, not relying on NTFS permissions.
Public Sharing
Public sharing links work with Local Storage, SMB File Shares and Azure File Shares and Blob Storage, but not for Azure File Shares using Entra ID without managed identity.
Supported Clients
The Release of MyWorkDrive version 7 supports the Web Client and Windows/MacOS install clients. The mobile client has not yet been published to stores.
Network Architecture and Latency
For optimal user experience, it’s recommended to place the MyWorkDrive server on the same network as the File Shares or Storage.
Additional Fixes and Updates
The mapped drive client for Windows includes progress bar and speed improvements.
Cluster of Locks and Sessions are now optionally available separately from configuration syncing.
Encoding enhancements for extended ASCII character sets
Numbers bugs fixes and component upgrades
Upgrading Existing MyWorkDrive Servers
Upgrading existing MyWorkDrive servers to version 7 to migrate them from Active Directory based identity to native Entra ID authentication is unsupported. No upgrade path exists between MyWorkDrive server Active Directory identity and Entra ID due to differences in storage provisioning and user access. To deploy a MyWorkDrive server with Entra ID identity native authentication, it’s advised to set up a new server and configure it from scratch. Azure AD SAML identity for Active Directory based MyWorkDrive servers will continue to be supported in version 7.
Customers are advised to test version 7.0 in a separate or standalone environment.
Contact sales@myworkdrive.com if you need additional trial keys or existing license key activations for test environments. The Server download requires a login or trial account to download. Click the links below to get started.
