Connect to home network through Linksys VPN Router - how??

Hi

I am just about to move into a new flat, which is serviced by BellSouth. I want to be able to VPN into my home network from remote locations such as Interent Cafes etc.

I am having a hard time in visualising exactly what I am going to need to do. I have the option of getting one static IP address and an Ethernet modem from BellSouth and have the single static address on the WAN port of the Linksys. But I may want to host an FTP server later on as well as be able to access my Windows network via VPN, so would I be better off getting a BellSouth ADSL router and a range of public addresses and host the FTP server on the network segment between the BellSouth router and the Linksys router? I have a new BEFSX41 that I have not taken out of the box yet, and was hoping to use this as the VPN server as it also has a built in firewall. But is this the right unit or would I need something like the BEFVP41, but that does not have a built in firewall?

On the Windows network I have one w2K3 standard edition server and two XP machines. I am intending to have access to the shared directories on the server over VPN only. For the FTP server I would be using say Red Hat and VSFTP.

So here is where I am unclear on this design..... If I go for the single public IP and modem when I VPN to that IP address what does the router actually do for me? What IP address would it assign my tunnel? How would I map a network drive to the Windows server? Would I be able to run net use and specify the private IP and path or would I have to do something else?

If I wanted to also put the FTP server on the inside LAN to be accessed publicly by the one static public address would I put the machine on the DMZ port of the Linksys and is there anywhere to tell the Linksys to forward any FTP connection to the private IP of the FTP  server?

I have searched the Internet and have just confused the hell out of myself! I have chosen Linksys as I want to use XP's native support to connect to the router rather than have to install a proprietry VPN client (such as the Netgear client). I have set up a VPN before and I am having a hard time visualising how the IP routing will work.

Any help will be greatly apprieciated

KevinStart Free Trial