Topic: VPN solution required.

[cyberlair]

Hi new requirements have come up to supporting remote VPN site users. Currently there are about 5 users connecting through Windows VPN client. Now there will be 3 offsite offices that will need access to the network. I thought of installing a hardware VPN router @ each site. The router would establish the VPN connection and maintain it to the SME 7 server. I was wondering if this would work and can anyone recommend a good hardware VPN router to do this with?

Thanks

[networks]

Hello, i am also interested in this solution, do you try some router ? do you solve this question ?
Thanks

[shawnbishop]

How about setting up a VPN between multiple SME Servers?, maybe that will solve the problem??

[Elliott]

I've been using a Netgear ProSafe VPN FVS318v3 to connect my LAN to a remote partner's LAN for about 18 months now without a problem. I do NOT connect it to and SME server though. Instead I put one of these boxes on each end and the give the box an IP on my SME network and then add a Local Network route to that box for the other end of the VPN.

This way the VPNs are handled as a separate entity from the SME management. Some people may not like that but I prefer my static VPNs to be handled on an isolated piece of hardware.

[danfulton]

How about setting up a VPN between multiple SME Servers?, maybe that will solve the problem??

Hi,

I'm interested in this solution - can I do this without installing any additional software on SME Server? Or is the solution the OpenVPN solution documented somewhere on this site?

We already have individual users using VPN at remote addresses (they are using the VPN connection built into XP), wuld installing OpenVPN break this functionality?

Cheers

Dan

[haymann]

We already have individual users using VPN at remote addresses (they are using the VPN connection built into XP), wuld installing OpenVPN break this functionality?

I haven't used OpenVPN for SME to SME, but I am using OpenVPN and the default PPTP VPN (that the XP client can connect to) with no troubles. They seem to coexist just fine.
Ryan

[p-jones]

my 2 cents worth...

I picked up a client about a year ago and inherited a VPN which connects his branch office to his main office. It has a CISCO 800 at each end and connection is via the Cisco VPN client.

In 12 months it has NEVER gone down. Runs 2 MS Servers, Including Exchange and a VOIP phone system plus about 12 clients. The owner also has a tendency towards fiddling....


Have worked with OpenVPN but for stability, this beats it by a mile.

Despite the fact that Cisco is not the cheapest gear around, as far as Total Cost of Ownership goes, I would think this is looking good. I certainly dont make any bucks out of looking after it. There is nothing to do on it. (But the MS servers make up for it !!!)

Dont ask me how it is set up - I never inherited the admin password and no one on site knows it but that is another issue to deal with when the need arises.

[p-jones]

Perhaps I should add that I have had an SME server running at each end of the VPN while I have been doing major upgrade work. No problems at all. I would have liked to have left them there but the operation relies heavily on MS SQL & MS Exchange Features not available in SME so SME Servers are of limited long term use in this situation.

[girkers]

Have you also looked at the option of a private network provided by an ISP. The company I currently work for have about 6 remote offices and they have connections back to the main office via an ADSL connection. This ADSL connection connects "directly" to our main office and there is no data cost across our internal network, the network is provided on Cisco 800 series for the remote offices.

This sort of connection may cost a little bit more as with us the ISP manage it but it saves me have to get my CCNA.