VPN Question

[ExarKun]

Ok I have a Client that wants to be able to access all of data remotley from over 800 miles

First setup would be the main server and computer in Florida
the second setup would be in North Carolina, NC would have to have complete access to all of florida's Databases, accounting software etc,

Both have broadband connections with different carriers

VPN is my thought then, NC could load up say quicken and pull the quicken data straight from florida??

Yes no is this not the way it should work?

Some input please

Thanks

[Jon]

Very good question. I would like to know the answer as well.

[Ghosthunter]

VPN is basically a secure tunnel to a network.

First you need a VPN Gateway, which would be on the Florida side since that is where the main server is. The VPN Client will be in North Carolina, once NC has a VPN Established, then it will be just like that person is on ther network in Florida, except not as fast. The NC will have a secondary or a virtual adapter with a secondary ip address, that will be on the network in Florida.

From there you can do whatever you need to do, depending upon how the rest of the software is setup.

The big question is getting a VPN Gateway, that is reliable, but not very expensive. I cannot help you there, since I have always used either Intel VPN Gateway, or Cisco Concentrators, which are both on the very expensive side. Someone else here might know of a much cheaper VPN Gateway solution.

Good Luck!

[reader]

Symantec makes a product called "Raptor" that provides a VPN firewall and password security for Windows NT.

But, to my knowledge, Raptor doesn't work with XP.

Microsoft addresses the issue under XP at the following link for the client side:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gomobile/vpns.asp

64-bit XP does not currently support Microsoft's IPSec tunnelling, according to Microsoft. But Microsoft market's an "Internet Security and Acceleration Server."

http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/

For a pretty good explanation of what's going on (better than MS) check out "Firewall Servers" site:

http://www.firewall-servers.com/virtual_private_network_applications.html

You can also get quotes on prices for a number of VPN system through ITG GlobalSecure.

http://www.itglobalsecure.com/en/products/p_cat_vpn.htm

IBM will rent you a VPN site for $150 a month and Linux, I believe, has a FREE program that works with that OS.

I use VPN tunnelling every day and it is reliable. My Linksys BEFSR41 only supports one tunnel at a time from my home network. If one tunnel has been opened and not closed, you can't initiate another tunnel from any other computer on the network. In other words, the router matters in small office situations, where a number of people might need to simultaneously login through a tunnel.

It is completely mobile. You can log in from anywhere provided you have the Tunnel software and keys. So if your FL office had the hardware/software for the Tunnel, NC and anyplace else could use it as a secure link to upload/download files. But clients cannot Tunnel between one another without going through the secure server.

[cyberskye]

Just realize that VPN is a concept more than a package/product. There are several tunneling and authentication protocols, and several degrees of security you can implement. Once the authentication/authorization steps are complete, it's all the same - you are on the LAN you are connecting into.

Have fun,

Skye

You can set up *nix boxes on both endpoints to act as your gateway(s). You don't need any commercial software to do this.

As I re-read your post, you are probably talking about creating a WAN. VPN generally refers to telecommuters connecting into HQ over a public network using a tunneling protocol. You are talking about having a single network spread out geographically. A rose is a rose, however ;)