# Read file access to Ignition server

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-file-access-to-ignition-server/30538>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [December 9, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-file-access-to-ignition-server/30538 "2019-12-09T13:52:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kaushik.shah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/34f0e0/32.png) [@kaushik.shah](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/kaushik.shah)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-file-access-to-ignition-server/30538/1 "2019-12-09T13:52:20Z")

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Hello,

This is more kind of an IT question but I am sure I will find the answer here.

We have 2 different server’s (Ignition and External Vendor) installed on the 2 different virtual machine under same physical server ! Now, there is a need for Ignition to look at the another virtual machine’s folder directory every second and read a file.

Let say, if I create a shared folder between these two (do I have to allow the access of that shared folder to the admin of Ignition server ? since, I am reading the file through gateway script there is no way to pass the credential that way)

Thanks !!

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-file-access-to-ignition-server/30538/2 "2019-12-09T13:55:11Z")

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Ignition runs as a service under a system account that normally doesn’t have access to network shares. You’ll want to set up specific mapped drives for the service to access:

[https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC79/Mapping+a+Network+Drive](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC79/Mapping+a+Network+Drive)