VPN setup between home PC and office LAN using broadband connections

[mitch7]

I need to set up a VPN to allow access from home to the office network, and I must confess that I have no idea how to do it. Dial-up is too slow (otherwise I could use RAS) and the speed of broadband makes a VPN solution very attractive, at least if it is not too difficult/expensive. The solutions I have seen assume the use of Windows 2000 Server, which I want avoid if possible, at least until the budget allows. The office LAN is NT4 Server SP6/Win98SE clients with ADSL internet acess through an NT4 workstation running Sygate 4.0, set up as a multi-homed gateway. The home PC (Win98SE) also has a DSL broadband connection but with a different ISP. Do I need additional hardware? If so what, and what else do I need to do?
Thanks in advance for advice and suggestions.

 

[lanceja]

I know nothing of Sygate so bear with me.

Is your Sygate box plugged into the ADSL modem?

Does SyGate have the capability of doing VPN?

If there is no actual reason for the Sygate box, you can install a VPN capable routers on both sides of the Internet connection. (Linksys makes 2 4port versions while Netgear has a 8 port version. Would suggest you go with the same model on both sides.) Cost: approximately $110 - $125 X 2 (since you are going to need 1 at home and 1 at office)

You will then put one router in home and other at office. At that time you can get on the routers web sites and download instructions on how to setup VPN connections.

Hopefully this will help you some. Good luck.

 

[mitch7]

Sygate is used purely to distribute the ADSL connection to every PC on the LAN, as the router does not have enough ports. It supports multiple VPN tunnels, but not IPSec. It is not clear from their website whether it can act as an endpoint. The Sygate box was also going to be used as a mail server, but as this didn't happen in the end it can probably be dispensed with and the router connected directly to the network hub.

Can RRAS for NT 4.0 be used on both the NT Server and the remote computer? Then no further investment in hardware would be needed, though if it has to be made so be it... (up to a point, anyway). One or perhaps two users at the most would need to connect to the office LAN from home.

As far as I know, Netgear only have the DG814 in their ADSL router product range, and I can't find any ADSL routers in the LInksys range.

 

[robert5]

Mitch
I did this cheap and quick
Started with NT server and small office network(4 clients win 98)
1) add 2nd NIC to NT server
hook dsl modem to this nic
use TZO.com service to give dns static IP
NT 4.0 server will do the routing
set up RAS to take VPN calls (see

http://www.wown.com)

2)I use win98II client from home cheap dsl
connection set up again from (

http://www.wown.com)

use netbeui protocol gives some security
or use software fire wall if you want
GOOD LUCK