How to use VPN?

[ljCharlie]

I have a few dumb questions. If you don't mind, please help me out. I have configured a VPN access server and a client. The client computer is connected to the vpn access server fine. What I don't get is, now that I'm connected what do I do? How do I check my emails, calendar, access server resources etc.? I've read quite a few articles about VPN but the articles never mention anything after the user get connected to the vpn server. What do I do after I got connected?

ljCharlie

[mbossman2]

once a client connects to the network via VPN, they are essentially part of the network, so you will have to grant permissions from access, provide email server locations etc, just like adding a new machine to the network from scratch.

[ljCharlie]

Many thanks for your response. However, will you elaborate on that? What do mean by grant permission from access? Are you referring to the domain controller have to grant permission to the client that is connected to the network permission to access its resource? I'm not sure what you mean by "adding a new machine to the network from scratch". Do you know of a link that talks about this? I like to know what to do after the client is connected to the vpn server.

ljCharlie

[mbossman2]

OK, if your system is one that has never seen the inside of your office, like a home PC (hence does not have all the settings etc) you will need to do these steps:

1) Make sure that the remote PC is part of the same workgroup that all the other PC's at the central site are.
2) make sure that the PC has a unique name.
3) you will need to make sure that file and print sharing are ON.
4) for email, your email client must be set for the work email server (otherewise it will happily download all your email on the ISP email server and nothing more)
5) for printing, you may have to have the printer drivers (for the work printers) installed on the remote PC.
6) you may have to map certain drives if your PC doesn't pick them up automatically.

Remember, a VPN connection is kind of like dragging an immensely long network cable from the office to the house, so you must meet all the regular criteria to connect to the network via VPN as you do when you are physically connected to the LAN. With laptops that spend time in both the office and remotely, all of these things are normally already set, for home PC's they must be set by the home user.

Suggestion (altho it might drive the IT Sec people nuts) is to make your home network workgroup the same name as your workplace workgroup. Do not, however, make your IP address range the same (this could cause untold nightmares), you will pick up a DHCP address when you enter the work LAN from your VPN head end device.

[ljCharlie]

Many thanks for your explanation. So if at home I have my own domain server then my computer will not be able to connect to the vpn server and use its resource, correct? Second, when I double click on the VPN connection in the Network Connection on my computer at home and a window popup for my user name and password to authenticate, is this login mean the vpn server allow me to be connected, or is this mean the vpn server allow me to be connected to the office network and also loading all my mapped drives and printers? According to your statement, "you may have to map certain drives if your PC doesn't pick them up automatically", I assumed the login script from the domain server at the office will be run once my computer is connected to the office network. Is this true?

ljCharlie

[mbossman2]

no, your computer can access the VPN box at the central site and if you have the correct logins and permissions in the box, you will pass and login. Unfortunately, just like having a PC in a different workgroup (or IP subnet) on a network, you will not have visibility to any of the networks resources.

as to your second question...that will depending on the scripting set up by IT, they may have already done this (it can be included when the VPN client installed on the remote PC or embedded in the domain controller...dealers choice)

No offense, but are you trying to access via VPN the office LAN with a non-work issued PC? Is IT aware of this? usually IT takes care of all of this prior to issuing VPN access.

[ljCharlie]

Many thanks for your help. I'm the network coordinator in this small office of about 10 people. Our boss wants to access our server and resources from home and there are various ways to do it but I heard that vpn is one of the most popular ways to accomplish this. However, I have not setup a vpn before. So what I'm doing now is experimenting and finding all the resources before I can answer my boss if we can or can't do in our enviroment.

So back to the subject, I have read a few articles about setting the client and server vpn but none of them mention about the login script. How do I accomplish that? And for the login script to work, do I have to setup the vpn server on the domain sever?

Somehow, I thought that once the client is connected to the domain server from home using vpn, his profile at the office and all the mapped drives and printers are going to be mapped automatically as if he were in his office. Am I wrong on this? If it is possible to accomplish, will you point me to some articles that actually talk about accomplishing this task?

Again, thank you.

ljCharlie

ljCharlie

[glc]

Before you go with a VPN, look into the GoToMyPC service. This is secure desktop remote control.

www.gotomypc.com