Inter-Site VPN File Transfer - Good Practices?
I have 3 sites connected with site-to-site VPNs using RV042.
The service is ADSL with 3000kbps down and 500kbps up.
So, file transfers from site to site are necessarily limited by the 500kbps upload speed that's available.
(We're considering upgrading the speeds and that's one good reason for this question).
I'm in the middle of running some tests because of the following:
- I know that external ftp transfers do work at the limits of the ADSL
- Windows file transfers through the VPN, like copy and paste, are *very* slow. They seem to start up quickly enough but the tranfer rate seems very low. (I'm measuring this now.)
- I want to compare doing Windows transfers (as above) to doing ftp transfers over the VPN.
In the end, we want to do useful/responsive file sharing between sites.
One consideration would be to set up a file server at one site and then use ftp over the VPN between sites but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble or if using ftp is going to be any better than the Windows transfers or if there isn't even a better way to get decent transfer rates. I'm not even sure I can sell this approach to the users.
What are good practices for site-to-site file sharing like this?
The service is ADSL with 3000kbps down and 500kbps up.
So, file transfers from site to site are necessarily limited by the 500kbps upload speed that's available.
(We're considering upgrading the speeds and that's one good reason for this question).
I'm in the middle of running some tests because of the following:
- I know that external ftp transfers do work at the limits of the ADSL
- Windows file transfers through the VPN, like copy and paste, are *very* slow. They seem to start up quickly enough but the tranfer rate seems very low. (I'm measuring this now.)
- I want to compare doing Windows transfers (as above) to doing ftp transfers over the VPN.
In the end, we want to do useful/responsive file sharing between sites.
One consideration would be to set up a file server at one site and then use ftp over the VPN between sites but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble or if using ftp is going to be any better than the Windows transfers or if there isn't even a better way to get decent transfer rates. I'm not even sure I can sell this approach to the users.
What are good practices for site-to-site file sharing like this?
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
This is a Windows XP Pro (mostly) peer to peer network with shared files - no server OS system on it, no DC, no AD.
Inter-site addressing by IP only, no name service inter-site. So, inter-site computers are not in My Network Places.
One way (the best/only?) to see a remote computer is
Start/Run \\[IPaddress]
Then, from this display of shared folders:
- Copy paste
- Map a folder as a local drive. Copy/Paste to local.
Or:
ftp
To me, setting up ftp servers on all the peers seems like way too much work and maintenance and the interface probably isn't familiar enough to the users.
But, at some level, setting up a file server for ftp might make sense.
Another concern is "version control" if files are actively shared amongst users. There is no discipline that I know of that is currently in place.
Inter-site addressing by IP only, no name service inter-site. So, inter-site computers are not in My Network Places.
One way (the best/only?) to see a remote computer is
Start/Run \\[IPaddress]
Then, from this display of shared folders:
- Copy paste
- Map a folder as a local drive. Copy/Paste to local.
Or:
ftp
To me, setting up ftp servers on all the peers seems like way too much work and maintenance and the interface probably isn't familiar enough to the users.
But, at some level, setting up a file server for ftp might make sense.
Another concern is "version control" if files are actively shared amongst users. There is no discipline that I know of that is currently in place.
You could setup a linux based file server with samba and then have rsync on each configured to synchronize the data.
You could use subversion, but the problem is that it either will be in a single location. or you would have to look at trying to synchronize deal with subversion at each location and then have each synchronize with the other which makes things complicated.
The other option is to have a process that while doing sync preserves/saves a copy to subversion in one location.
You could use subversion, but the problem is that it either will be in a single location. or you would have to look at trying to synchronize deal with subversion at each location and then have each synchronize with the other which makes things complicated.
The other option is to have a process that while doing sync preserves/saves a copy to subversion in one location.
ASKER
We've decided to upgrade the links. So that will help.
I ran some tests and it appears that ftp isn't all that much better than Windows file transfers in general. Is there experience with VPN inefficiency and choice of encryption methods? I know there's some inefficiency there....
I ran some tests and it appears that ftp isn't all that much better than Windows file transfers in general. Is there experience with VPN inefficiency and choice of encryption methods? I know there's some inefficiency there....
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
This is being done site-to-site with dedicated hardware. RV042s.
The choices for encryption, etc. are many - how much does it matter re: VPN efficiency?
The choices for encryption, etc. are many - how much does it matter re: VPN efficiency?
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
No answer dealt with VPN encryption selection vs. performance - maybe that's not too relevant.
win2k3 R2 or newer.
You would have a DC or a RODC with a local Fileserver that is a target as well as a member of a replication group for a share \\domain\sharename.
The DFS replication can be configured to manage the amount of bandwidth it uses for the replication such that it does not saturate your outbound connection.