kjorviss
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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
Kevin
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
Kevin
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ASKER
Thanks Bill, just what I was looking for
Just one more thing though...
With the IP address of the FTP server, what sholud it be? Would it be addressed as part of the inside network i.e would I address it as 192.168.1.2 (part of the inside network) and if so is there the ability to set FTP connections to be redirected to that address? If my external address is 64.5.5.33, which is the one that I am going to VPN to, would that be the address that I would point an FTP client to as well, and by the virtue that a connection has been established on port 21, the Linksys would NAT to the 192.168.1.2 address. I know you can set that up on nasty Netgear equipment, but is the same true for the Linksys. I would want to be able to get users that were not going t obe using the VPN to use the FTP.
Thanks Kevin
Just one more thing though...
With the IP address of the FTP server, what sholud it be? Would it be addressed as part of the inside network i.e would I address it as 192.168.1.2 (part of the inside network) and if so is there the ability to set FTP connections to be redirected to that address? If my external address is 64.5.5.33, which is the one that I am going to VPN to, would that be the address that I would point an FTP client to as well, and by the virtue that a connection has been established on port 21, the Linksys would NAT to the 192.168.1.2 address. I know you can set that up on nasty Netgear equipment, but is the same true for the Linksys. I would want to be able to get users that were not going t obe using the VPN to use the FTP.
Thanks Kevin
Well,I haven't personally worked on the Linksys devices but here is the manual:
ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pdf/befsx41ug.pdf
Also, this page has all troubleshooting resrouces for your product
http://www.linksys.com/support/support.asp?spid=92
You would vpn into 64.5.5.33 and also ftp to that address. Basically, when someone's trying to VPN into the Linksys, it would handle it itself. But when someone's trying to FTP in to that address, the LInksys kinows that it has been set up with a server on the dmz which is servicing ftp requests.
Sure, you could host FTP for non-vpn users. That's the way it's supposed to be. After cisco systems has acquired linksys, the product guides have become even simpler. I'm sure you would be able to set it up.
ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pdf/befsx41ug.pdf
Also, this page has all troubleshooting resrouces for your product
http://www.linksys.com/support/support.asp?spid=92
You would vpn into 64.5.5.33 and also ftp to that address. Basically, when someone's trying to VPN into the Linksys, it would handle it itself. But when someone's trying to FTP in to that address, the LInksys kinows that it has been set up with a server on the dmz which is servicing ftp requests.
Sure, you could host FTP for non-vpn users. That's the way it's supposed to be. After cisco systems has acquired linksys, the product guides have become even simpler. I'm sure you would be able to set it up.
ASKER
Thanks Bill!
Kevin
Kevin
1) You can host your Redhat FTP server by simply connecting it to the DMZ port and configuring the router with the server's IP address. Don't get scared of configuring the router as it's a GUI interface and extremely simple!
2) This is what a VPN does and how it's supposed to work. when a user is connected to a VPN from anywhere in the world, he should feel that he is directly connected to the network as if sitting in the same home office. When you configure your router, you would assign a VPN pool network and it may already be assigned for you. For example, your LOCAL area network would be configured as 192.168.1.0 and your VPN pool would be configured as 192.168.3.0 and once you are connected to the VPN from an Internet cafe, your laptop would get an IP such as 192.168.3.x and you simply map drives to your machine at home using their actual IP's which would be something like 192.168.1.1,2,3 and so on.