Need Info on a Customized VPN Solution

[singamalai]

We need to connect to a remote machine. It is aproprietary operating system supporting simple ascii modem dial up only. The idea is to allow our branch office to use a VPN to us, and then use our dial-up services to connect to the remote dial-up machine.

Client - A
Me sitting at US OFfice - B
branch office - C

Requirement: Establishment of Connectivity between A & C
PREFERABLE SOLUTION:
WHEN YOU WANT DATA FROM SITE ‘A’, SITE ‘C’ TRIGGERS VPN CONNECTION REQUIREMENT FOR SITE ‘A’. THE VPN CONNECTIVITY NETWORK PATH IS MAPPED THRU SITE ‘B’, WHERE SITE ‘B’ HAS A RAS SERVER WHICH IS CAPABLE OF SETTING UP VPN THRU DIALUP. WHEN A VPN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST IS RECEIVED FOR CONNECTING TO SITE ‘A’, FROM SITE ‘C’, THE RAS SERVER DIALS TO THE SITE ‘A’ DIALUP MODEM FOR A DIRECT MODEM TO MODEM DATA TRANSFER CONNECTIVITY.

I have a SonicWALL Firewall with me at B which has capability for VPN connectivity. Now what else do I need to have at B?? A DIalup Server as well with Modem??? Client A has a typical Unix Terminal kind of machines with modem attached.

SOmeone pls throw some light and help me

Thx

 

[Evilnoodle]

Will this solution be used by many users at Site A to Connect to Site C? If the answer to this is no then the best thing to do to keep things simple would be to just use a modem straight from site A to C. Also the RAS server at site B have you actualy tried to connect to site C with it? What make is the RAS server and what conectivty do you have at site A ?


James

 

[gacollier]

singamalai,

Have you thought about running Terminal Services at Site B that spawns a dial-up application to site A. Folks VPN'ing into Site B from site C would launch a terminal services client. The Terminal server at Site B could be equipped with a simple dial-up client (MS HyperTerminal for example) that anyone connected to Site B could operate. Keep in mid though, though many people could connect to the Terminal Server con-currently, only one could actaully dial the connection. Well, actually there's a way around that as well.

Let me know if that's of interest and I'll post back a possible configuration.

Greg

 

[singamalai]

Greg
thx for your reply. actually iam looking for something like that only. Instead of installing VPN on the firewall if i can install a W2K server and enable terminal services on it then the branch office guy a C will connect to this srvr at B. Then he will make a connection from srvr at B to the client at A.

if you can throw some more light on it i appreciate very much.

thx
S

 

[gacollier]

S,

Actually there may be a second less expensive choice. You might emloy a com port sharing program similiar to "Spartacom's SAPS". I've used the program on a LAN to share a dial-up connection for many users. I'm pretty sure you can make it work via a VPN as well. Here's what that scenerio would look like.

You would install SAP's server on any unit at site B. You would also have any type of VPN connectivity as well, (i.e. PPTP, L2TP, or IPSec/IKE). The SAP's client would be installed on the units at site C or B. For site C users, they would VPN into the LAN then fireup their SAP's client and the SAP's server would make the connection. Site B users would only have to fire up the SAP's client.

If you're still interested in the Terminal Serve route, here are the details. Install Win2K server and enable both Terminal Services and PPTP/RAS. You can find instructs for VPN Server here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0101.mspx#XSLTsection126121120120

And Terminal Services here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows200...windows2000/en/advanced/help/ts_set_c_015.htm

For users on the Terminal Services unit, configure a custom HyperTerminal connection to call Site A's modem.

Now folks VPN'ing into site B would lauch their Terminal Services client and fire up the custom HyeprTerminal connection and they would be connected.

Let me know which you decide. Post back with other questions.

Greg