Automatically Connecting a VPN before a backup

Usually this done only when you have a site to site hardware VPN tunnel that is always connected. I know of no way of starting the VPN connection automatically though it may be possible.. However, that would only work if the computer was left logged on. The only sure fire way to make it work would to set it up so that the VPN ran as a service. There are those who say they have successfully done this, but I have never seen it in action, and it is definitely not part of Microsoft's published procedures.

You could set up a hardware to hardware (site to site) VPN tunnel for about $500 US in total for equipment (using Linksys RV042 routers). This would allow you to do the back up as well as have many other useful features including; improved security, better performance, and all devices at both sites readily available to all users (or filtered).

Are you using PPTP or L2TP for this to log into the 2003 Server?

See this page for ideas on automation of a connection

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/c3f953ab-2af4-4811-9c70-9a67e5237e121033.mspx?mfr=true 


Once connected probably using something like rysnc would be better to back the data from the PC to the Server and then pick it off the server with tape or whatever.


This way if the connection gets interupted the backup session will not be ruined and the next time it reconnects it can pick up from where it left off.. and the other nice thing would be with rsync if only a small amount of data changes then only those changes would get submitted.

Great link prueconsulting, those tools, autodial and rasdial, could be very useful. However, to me it implies they are just for dial up connections. Am I reading it wrong and have you used them?
--Rob

Very slick prueconsulting !  Tried it out, that in conjunction with scheduled event should work great for Andrew.
--Rob

Glad ya like.