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  4.  / Best way to connect to offices over the internet?
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1
shaxs
Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 15:46

  • shaxs

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 116

  • Since: 2004/6/1 2


Hello Xoopsters!

I am networking a small office to include 3-4 printers on printer servers. They also will have a satellite office in a few months which they want to be able to connect to their main office via the internet and share files and print to their printers ect. I was thinking a VPN connection would be the best route. They do not want to buy a server to handle everything, so I was thinking of a VPN router from linksys? I have never set one up before, so I was wondering if anyone here has?

My question is, do I just need one VPN router at the main office, then setup the VPN router to accept connections (do you also tell the router what usernames and passwords are acceptable?) then setup a VPN connection on the remote site to dial their IP address of their broadband, effectively connecting the remote computer to the router and the resources networked at the main office. Is this how it works?

Does anyone have a better idea on how to connect the two?
2
talunceford
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

whttp://www.clarkconnect.com Its free, its secure, and its easy to install. Plus the forums are of great help, kinda like the XOOPS community here! All you need is an older machine to install it on. P2300 works fine.....
3
jmass
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 16:33

  • jmass

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 524

  • Since: 2003/12/18


If you are connecting a satelite office to the main office a VPN is a great way to go. There are several options in VPN config. For this I would go with a gateway to gateway tunnel rather than an end point to gateway setup.

Check out the LEAF project on sourceforge. This should be all you need. You could go Linksys... But where is the fun in that.

I am not trying being rude here, but your questions demonstrate that you do not know what you are really going to be doing. Do some reasearch on the LEAF project on setting up a gateway to gateway VPN with RSA security. There are several very good how-to's.

If you need extra help after checking these resources out, let me know and I would be happy to lend a hand. My company has set up dozens of VPNs and we even have created our own solid state VPN appliance based on LEAF. It is pretty hard the first time (most fun things are), but once you understand it, it is not too bad.

JMass
4
shaxs
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 18:02

  • shaxs

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 116

  • Since: 2004/6/1 2


Thank you for your reply. I will check out these different options. I am very computer literate, but this will be the first time I have setup any kind of VPN like connection. The only thing to keep in mind is that this has to be SIMPLE to use once it is setup. This is going to be used by people who are barely computer literate.

Is leaf easy to use for computer "slow-tards"?
5
jmass
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 18:10

  • jmass

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 524

  • Since: 2003/12/18


I did not mean to imply that you were not computer literate. I can just tell that you are not understanding the general concept of a gateway to gateway tunnel VPN. If done right, the users will have no idea that they are using it at all. They will just use the pc, mapped network drives, db resources, etc. like they were actually at the remote location.(though a bit slower)

Leaf will never be a concern of the general users because as far as they know they will be accessing local resources. Other config options may require participation on the user end, that is why I suggested the gateway to gateway tunnel. I told you to RTFM so that we could discuss this at a much more meaningful level than if I have to simplify everything. If I thought you were not a capable admin, I would have not even bothered to reply

Anyways the offer to help with the details is still on the table.

JMass
6
shaxs
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 19:16

  • shaxs

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 116

  • Since: 2004/6/1 2


No offense taken whats so ever. I really appreciate you pointing me in a different/better direction. I will mess around with LEAF and see how it goes.

-Jason
7
shaxs
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 19:28

  • shaxs

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 116

  • Since: 2004/6/1 2


I see that LEAF is a linux based peice of software? Am I looking at the wrong one? I need a windows xp compaitble program.
8
jmass
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 19:58

  • jmass

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 524

  • Since: 2003/12/18


Seriously, your killing me.

Yes it is Linux based, like all good things in life

I will give you a breif diagram:

< network of Windows XP machines at location A >
|
|
|
< LEAF Firewall >
|
|
|
< Internet >
|
|
|
< LEAF Firewall >
|
|
|
< network of Windows XP machines at location B >

The machines at location A can talk to the machines at location B with out knowing what type of machines they are passing through.

99% of the routers and firewalls your Internet traffic passes through is not windows based. Who cares! As long as they speak TCP/IP (or UDP) they can communicate.

There is no client software involved in this solution! That is the beauty of it.

All of this is covered in a lot of detail on the LEAF site.

RTFM

JMass
9
shaxs
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 20:09

  • shaxs

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 116

  • Since: 2004/6/1 2


Oh yes, I understand that. Just as my windows based machine doesnt need to know it is accessing a unix machine when viewing a web page. I maybe forgot to mention that the client does not wish to buy a server. They are trying to keep costs low. Thats why I was thinking a VPN router.

EDIT: Yes, I did forget to mention that. I am an idiot.
10
astaldaran
Re: Best way to connect to offices over the internet?

  • 2004/8/11 20:10

  • astaldaran

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 73

  • Since: 2004/5/9 1


Well if you are gonig to have a server anyway, one option might be active directory. At the same time it might not be neccisary.
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