VPN question

[JoJoGabor]

Yep if there is a firewall, ports will need to be open. Cant remember the numbers off the top of my head.

Alternatively buy a nice SSL VPN device such as the Citrix Access gateway which work over standard https

[lilelvis2000]

Well he's got Windows 2003 server. So that's the VPN server. and yes his two employees will be using MS VPN clients.

Won't client's building management have to open some ports on their firewall and forward these to my client's server? The server is already on a static IP from the building IT (cost him £75! ouch). My guess is they will need to do some work to allow this to happen, which could cost a pretty penny.

I'm not a guru on these things....my clients usually set me up with either a pre-configured laptop or CD so I've no clue about firewalls and ports.

Probably be a whole heck of lot cheaper to stick with LogMeIn.

[Spacecadet]

tell him to his own internet connection, i'm in rented office space and the price difference between using the supplied, shared connection and getting BT ADSL business meant it was worth it to get the BT one.

Of course it depends how open the office leasing company are to new lines being put in, but where I am, in one of the larger serviced office space providers, they seem pretty helpful

[JoJoGabor]

How many users? What end-point VPN are they connecting into?

I assume it is using Microsoft PPTP/IPSEC

If its just a few users just set up each laptop with the MS VPN client to conenct in to the remote VPN server. You dont need static IP addresses, all modern VPN clients will handle a NATing router.

If there are loads of users you may want to setup a permanent VPN tunnel, but if the network is shared this is going to be hard to secure.

[lilelvis2000]

A small client of mine wants to install a VPN. easy enough. except he's in one of those virtual office places. So his network is shared with the building. I'm guessing to setup a VPN I'd have to get his building IS guys to provide an external static IP and have their router forward the VPN ports to my client's Windows 2003 Server? am I right?

The client, not very techy savvy. has already bought a hardware router with VPN tunnel. lol as if that will do anything. Well I did tell him in a polite manner.

He wants to install VPN becuase he says LOGMEIN is slow...that's the first time I've heard logmein is slow....