Question

Site To Site Connection Over MPLS

Asked by: khe1977

Hi,

I have 2 sites; HQ & Remote. The set up at HQ is as follows: 3 Servers running ISA 2004, Exchange 2003 (BDC) & Windows Server 2003 (PDC).  The LAN is on 192.168.0.x subnet.

At the remote site I have set up server to act as another BDC.  The LAN here is on a 192.168.1.x subnet.

The 2 sites are connected via an MPLS setup which is managed by my ISP.  Both sites have routers in place & according to my ISP, the best way to get the 2 sites communicating is to terminate the router at HQ directly into my switch instead of the ISA box & install ISA in proxy mode & also install WINS at HQ.  I am uncomfortable with this setup as i feel security will be an issue. I have 3 questions:

a) Is what my ISP recommending the best way to do this setup?
b) I have tried to configure a site to site vpn through isa but have failed. Are there any step by step instructions available for this.
c) Can someone suggest the best setup bearing in mind that i want users authenticating at HQ & also picking their mail from exchange server at HQ

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Asked On
2006-09-11 at 19:15:45ID21985732
Tags

site

,

mpls

,

vpn

Topic

Virtual Private Networking (VPN)

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
6

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Answers

 

by: lrmoorePosted on 2006-09-11 at 20:21:01ID: 17499666

a) yes. Consider the MPLS as secure as point-point frame relay links
b) Not sure what you mean. You should not need site-site vpns between sites
c) simple routing. Just make sure the BDC is also a secondary DNS server and a WINS server. Point the local clients to it, point it to the HQ primary servers. Done.

 

by: tim1731Posted on 2006-09-12 at 00:21:18ID: 17500437

We have MPLS across 3 countrys and 11 sites all terminal server back to HQ and all internet access through the main site (via IPRISM) I had a ISA Server off the main firewall for VPN untill we changed it for an SSL VPN box

We have it setup as your ISP  recommend and you can then put MPLS aware traffic shapers in

1.Do you need WINS at both sites? (at the exchange server site Yes) but at the remote site no hardcode the wins server address into PCs ie wins = 192.168.1.*)

2.Is the DC at the remote site running DNS,DHCP

3.The newer traffic shapers will help with the speed of outlook to exchange over the link (if the link isnt big enough)Exchange to Outlook very chatty

What are you using the ISA server for?

I agree with Irmoore but I think we need to understand more of what the ISA server is suppose to be doing

 

by: khe1977Posted on 2006-09-12 at 18:38:10ID: 17508385

HI,

The remote site only came into the picture 2 weeks ago.  Prior to that I had a broadband connection at HQ which i terminated into the ISA box.  ISA is installed in firwall mode & I am using its full functionality to protect the LAN behind it.  When the remote site came up, I approached my ISP for a solution to connect both sites & they said an MPLS setup was the best way but I would have to reinstall ISA in proxy mode (just use it as a proxy server) and plug the router directly into my switch.  They setup the MPLS between both sites but i am uncomfortable in plugging the router at HQ directly into the switch, so I have been looking for a solution using ISA server.  I called the local microsoft office & they said to install ISA at both sites & configure a site to site vpn, which i have tried and failed.

Yesterday i did what my ISP said as i was desparate to get the remote site working.  I have also installed secondary DNS at the remote site along with DHCP for serving the local clients.  The setup works but i am worried about security.  How can i know if someone from outside is trying to access my LAN etc?  Also picking mail from HQ by remote clients is extremely slow.

Tim what exactly do you mean by traffic shapers

 

by: tim1731Posted on 2006-09-12 at 23:45:52ID: 17509528

The site to site traffic is secure in only incoming-outgoing traffic to and from the internet so you could setup the ISA server as a proxy or get a hardware firewall my setup is bacasilly the same as your with more sites so

I have a hardware firewall with 5 outside IP (that has basic idp,anti virus)

1= MAIL so port 25 open pointing to a barracuda antispam box (anti virus anti spam)
 = 443 to Activesync via ISA server

2.443 to SSL VPN box

3.all remote workers via the smaller version of hardware firewall mentioned above

4.dmz to web servers

5.IM and sip via barracuda IM and SIP based gateway

so I have 6 ports open and hardware devices between them and my lan this then goes through an IDP device into a switch that has a VLAN to connect services to the internet and ports only to let that happen.

All desktops goes to the internet via an iprism (put of the server range) and we have steelhead traffic shapers in each site that reduce the chatter between site IE exchange,etc and replacate the main folders at byte level between site for DR and the leased line going down.

after you get this working you will know when and if you need traffic shapers get an old packeteer of ebay and put it in line to see what traffic you have

http://www.riverbed.com/technology/
http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2004/071904peribitrev.html
http://www.packeteer.com/products/ishared/ this was a good product but have to wait and see since its been packeteered





20120131-EE-VQP-002

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