Virtual Private Networks between friends!

Windows XP Network >> Virtual Private Networks between friends! Some friends and I have broadband internet connections at
our homes, and are looking for a way to connect our pcs
together over the internet for file sharing.

As far as I can tell, VPN seems to be the best way to do
this, I can set my pc up to allow incoming connections,
but cannot figure out how to make a connection.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be much
appreciated.

James

Windows XP1201

Windows XP Network >> Virtual Private Networks between friends! quoted form http://www.ChicagoTech.net
Summary
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) allow users working at home, on the road or
at a branch office to connect in a secure manner to a remote corporate
server using the public Internet. VPN server or host is a computer that
accepts VPN connections from VPN clients. A VPN server or host can be a
NT/W2K server or W2K/XP Pro. VPN client is a computer that initiates a VPN
connection to a VPN server or host. A VPN client can be an individual
computer running MS Windows NT version 4.0, Windows 2000, 9x. VPN clients
can also be any non-Microsoft Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
client or Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) client using IPSec.

Basic VPN Requirement

a.. User Permission. Enable a user to access the VPN. To do this, go to AD
Users and Computers, select the user who need to access the VPN, click
Dial-in. Check Allow access on the Remote Access Permission (Dial-in or
VPN).

b.. IP Configuration. The VPN server should have a static IP address and
assign the arrange IP addresses to VPN clients. The VPN server must also be
configured with DNS and WINS server addresses to assign to the VPN client
during the connection.

c.. Data Encryption. Data carried on the public network should be rendered
unreadable to unauthorized clients on the network.

d.. Protocol Support. The TCP/IP is common protocols used in the public
network. The VPN also include IP, Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX),
NetBEUI and so on.

e.. Firewall Ports. When you place a VPN server behind your firewall, be
sure to enable IP protocol 47 (GRE) and TCP port 1723.

f.. Interface(s) for VPN server. If your network doesn't have a router or
the VPN is also a gateway, your computer must have at least two interfaces,
one connecting to the Internet and another connecting to the LAN.

g.. One interface for VPN client. The interface can be a dial-in modem, or
a dedicated connection to the Internet.

--
For more and other information, go to http://www.ChicagoTech.net

Don't send e-mail or reply to me except you need consulting services.
Posting on MS newsgroup will benefit all readers and you may get more help.

Robert Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN, Anti-Virus, Tips & Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.

"James M" <EMail@HideDomain.com> wrote in message
news:0b3001c3af75$bddeb730$EMail@HideDomain.com...
> Some friends and I have broadband internet connections at
> our homes, and are looking for a way to connect our pcs
> together over the internet for file sharing.
>
> As far as I can tell, VPN seems to be the best way to do
> this, I can set my pc up to allow incoming connections,
> but cannot figure out how to make a connection.
>
> If anyone has any suggestions they would be much
> appreciated.
>
> James

Windows XP Network >> Virtual Private Networks between friends! Hi.. The question is:

Me and a friend want to connect our seperated domains ( win2003 ) together by means of VPN. However, i am not intressted in making all my other computers depended of Internet access through the VPN server, just the AD server 2 AD server.

As I can see from MS examples they always put the VPN server on the outside ( externaly ) / directly connected to the internet. Have not seen an example of where the VPN server is protected by NAT / router and where MS have used port forwarding to reach the backend VPN partner! Must the VPN servers WAN interface have a public IP? Is there some way to work around the public IP criteria?

And lastly, which ports does the VPN server use for communication? To be able to make use of port forwarding?