You might encounter a sudden inability to connect to a Windows-based file server from your Mac.

If you find that you suddenly can't connect from a Mac to a Windows file-server (when you always could before), there's a real possibility that your Windows admin(s) have tightened security for their/your Active Directory domain - and rightly so !

The error message is: 'There was a problem connecting to the server "IP address here." URLs with the type "smb:" are not supported.'

In order to restore your ability to connect to the server again, we've found the following successfully remediated the issue:Set your Mac to use an available DC (domain controller of said AD domain) for DNS. Your VPN client might "automagically" do this for you - some do, some don't.

Next, be sure to connect to the server by it's FQDN (fully qualified domain name), for example:
[ Via the Finder > Go menu > Connect to Server... ( ⌘ K ) ]
smb://server.yourcompany.com
with your usual user/account name and password. It should work for you now.

If on the other hand, you've ever had "DAVE" installed, other steps are required, give us a call if you'd like support with either option.

Background header image for this post by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash