LInksys RV082 & remote client

[hstevens]

I want to be able to access my server in my office, so I recently installed a Linksys RV082 router on my office LAN, which consists of 14 Window XP Pro SP2 workstations and a Windows Server 2003 SP1. Internet access is via a static IP DSL line.
From my home using a DLS line, I can connect using either QuickVPN or PPTP, but that's all that I can do. I cannot "see" the server or any other workstations behind the router on the office LAN.
I have tried disabling the Windows firewall on the client PC, but without success. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[smah]

By "see", exactly what do you mean? Are you referring to an icon in Network Places - and if so, to you really need to "see" it?

The QuickVPN software will allow name resolution with the RV082 usually; it works well if you populate the DNS Local Database section on the RV082 DHCP configuration page.

The PPTP connection does not provide name resolution, but will still allow you to access remote resouces by IP address (you could modify your home computer's hosts file for name resolution).

 

[hstevens]

Thanks for the reply--
By "see", I meant that I had hoped that after connecting via VPN or PPTP at home, I would be able to go to Windows Explorer on my remote PC and access the data files on the server on my office LAN. My expectation was that it would be like accessing another workstation on my office LAN that shares it hard disk.
I will look at the router DHCP setup regarding the DNS configuration. Thanks again

 

[smah]

Windows Explorer essentially shows what's in Network Places, and that will be unreliable by VPN. You can map drive letters by IP address (or possibly name -see above) and that will work fine. You can also connect directly via IP address (or possibly name) using //servername/share/ in the address bar of Windows Explorer.

 

[smah]

Sorry, that should have been:

You can also connect directly via IP address (or possibly name) using //ip address/share/ (or possibly //servername/share/) in the address bar of Windows Explorer.

 

[hstevens]

My server has a static IP address, so I tried mapping to its specific address, using the format \\ip address of server\share name
Now I can access the server share using either QuickVPN or PPTP.
Thanks a million...

 

[smah]

Glad you were able to decipher my incorrect slash notation. That's what happens when thinking Windows & SMB network while using linux & web - BSS (Backward Slash Syndrome)

FWIW, name resolution will work when connected via QuickVPN if you fill in the local DNS database table in the router's DHCP section. You can even add the router itself to that table, so that you can access it as

http://rv082

or whatever.