Setting up an OS X Server

Setting up a Server behind a Router

Introduction to Port Forwarding.
Turn on the server on your Mac.
Open your Mac's firewall for that server's port.
Give your Mac an appropriate static IP Address on your Router's sub-network.
Set up your Router to pass external access requests to the Mac running the server (Port Forwarding.)
Determine your external IP Address for use out on the internet.
Connecting to your home File Server from the Internet.

Turn the Server on

Most of OS X's built-in services are easy to start. Just launch System Preferences, go to the Sharing Preference pane, and use the Services tab. Select the service you want to start in the list, in click Start the button. E.g. personal file sharing (shares your Public folder with another Macintosh):

Some other services, such as BitTorrent, are activated by running the application that hosts the server. (In that case, you will need to manually open the firewall.)

The above picture points to Personal File Sharing, which is for Macintosh systems only. Pick whichever service you wish to use.

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