Fileshares and Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) paths are blocked by the firewall when accessing shares on a server

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

Why are the fileshares and UNC paths blocked by the firewall when accessing shares on a server?

Symptoms
Fileshares and UNC paths are blocked by the firewall when accessing shares on a server

Cause

This is by design and due to the default rule: "block filesharing."

Resolution

To access the server via UNC path and access the shares on the server. Then modify the rule to "Allow filesharing." To do this, follow the below steps:

1. Open the "Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager"
2. Click on Policies
3. Click on Firewall
4. Select Edit
5. Click Rules
6. Double click Block local file sharing
7. Rename to Allow local file sharing
8. Under "Action", select Allow
9. Check Enabled
10. Click OK
11. Update policy on clients and server