Networking and Remote Access

[akenis]

-Networking
On a related networking issue, my server is assigned a static IP address outside of my router's range of 192.168.100 to 150.

DHCP router is 192.168.1.1
WAP 192.168.1.2
Server is 192.168.1.3

If I look up the DHCP table on the router it is assgning my server an address of 192.169.1.103 or something else in it's range. Why is that?

-VPN and remote
I've got the server running the www.no-ip.com client for external access. I've never had a problem connecting to my router from the road.

The server is set to allow incomming VPN with basic XP functionality. I bought a Linksys VPN endpoint router but couldn't figure out how to set it up. It uses the IPSEC protocal. Evidently the XP client setup for that doesn't allow for variable IP address that my laptop would have. Couldn't find a third party client. Any suggestions? Or is it ok to just stick with Microsoft PPPT VPN?

I've set up the router to forward port 1723 to the server and can connect to it ok, but trying to view resources and files is tediously slow. Browsing from the "view entire network" function frequently locks up or doesn't show my network. From some hotels it won't even connect to the VPN.

After establishing VPN, I then try to Remote desktop to my server using it's plain name: Home. One hotel this worked, others it didn't. I then disconnected from VPN and forwarded port 3389 to the server. I was then able to RDP straight to the server WITHOUT VPN. Is that secure? How do you transfer files from the server to the laptop when in RDP..dragging didn't work! Or how do I make the networking of VPN work better?

Remote Desktop to the server is cool to access the MVP Client. I can view all the menus and there's no video so it works pretty quick. I'd like to set up a third client (with mouse icons) for remote access. How to I set up new sageclient to run without video? Or is the web service add-on a more elegant way to program sage?

In the end it'd be cool to watch my files from the hotel. Is it better to copy them to a local source or stream them from the server somehow. Anyone have luck with the slingbox at slingmedia.com. That's a separate piece of hardware that handles streaming. I've also seen a free software utility, can't remember it. Anyone try that?

[teknubic]

Wow. Those are some high-caliber questions. Lemme take a stab...

Originally Posted by akenis

-Networking
On a related networking issue, my server is assigned a static IP address outside of my router's range of 192.168.100 to 150.

DHCP router is 192.168.1.1
WAP 192.168.1.2
Server is 192.168.1.3

If I look up the DHCP table on the router it is assgning my server an address of 192.169.1.103 or something else in it's range. Why is that?

If you have multiple NICs you might have the wrong one plugged in or the wrong one configured, depending on which way you look at it.

Originally Posted by akenis

-VPN and remote
I've got the server running the www.no-ip.com client for external access. I've never had a problem connecting to my router from the road.

The server is set to allow incomming VPN with basic XP functionality. I bought a Linksys VPN endpoint router but couldn't figure out how to set it up. It uses the IPSEC protocal. Evidently the XP client setup for that doesn't allow for variable IP address that my laptop would have. Couldn't find a third party client. Any suggestions? Or is it ok to just stick with Microsoft PPPT VPN?

What are you doing that requires so much security? Drop the VPN stuff and set your router to forward the external requests to the respective internal servers. 'Keep it stupid simple' I think is the appropriate chinese proverb.

Originally Posted by akenis

I've set up the router to forward port 1723 to the server and can connect to it ok, but trying to view resources and files is tediously slow. Browsing from the "view entire network" function frequently locks up or doesn't show my network. From some hotels it won't even connect to the VPN.
After establishing VPN, I then try to Remote desktop to my server using it's plain name: Home. One hotel this worked, others it didn't. I then disconnected from VPN and forwarded port 3389 to the server. I was then able to RDP straight to the server WITHOUT VPN. Is that secure? How do you transfer files from the server to the laptop when in RDP..dragging didn't work! Or how do I make the networking of VPN work better?

One thing about VPNs is it encapsulates your packets to be unpackaged at the other end. The hotels you were at where it didn't work were probably using the same IP range as the one you use at home. When you ditched the VPN, you had the hotels external IP. No, it's not secure but neither is that card reader at the grocery store and we all use those.

Originally Posted by akenis

In the end it'd be cool to watch my files from the hotel.

I don't know the ports off the top of my head but if you have the router forward those client ports to your Sage server -- and you have a fat pipe -- you should be able to tell the client on your laptop to connect to your dyn-dns (or no-ip as the case may be) friendly address and use it as you would on your local network.
HTH
Edit cuz I missed a paragraph question