How do I make my pc talk to my work pc ?

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How do I make my pc talk to my work pc ?
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Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 10:39 am Post subject:
Just sent them an e-mail to ask about the VPN. I won't hold my breath for a reply. It is Friday after all, they are probably on the way to the pub.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45685
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 10:47 am Post subject:
Who's your ISP at home?

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 10:52 am Post subject:
erm thinking hard here. Work is BT home is...(rings home to check) Tiscali

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28244
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 12:27 pm Post subject:

I have had a look at Tiscali and can find no mention of VPN, and in fact checking again with NTL:

Quote:

You may use VPN when obtaining access to ntl Internet and/or Interactive Services, but we do not provide technical support and by using VPN, you acknowledge that your services may be adversely affected by such use. If you use VPN and this affects our network performance or any users of ntl's services, we reserve the right to instruct you to stop using VPN and you must comply with this request.

Which I think is a loosening of their position

At one point they also forbade servers of any kind, but woke up and smelt the coffee

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 12:55 pm Post subject:
I tried looking for a reference to VPN also, the only place I found it mentioned was in a section to do with business teleworkers. Just had a stroke of luck with our IT people, they have just e-mailed me back saying they will phone me later to talk me through setting it up.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45685
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:
Jolly good

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:11 pm Post subject:

If you're only 5 minutes from work, and you need something this weekend - I'd ask for a key!

Its going to take rather considerably longer than 2x (ie return) 5mins to obtain and install software, reconfigure two routers, let alone set them up as a VPN. My guess would be that it would involve a lot of shuttling to and fro (or phone calls to someone at the other end) to get it working for the first time.
If you are going to need/use such access in future, its going to be worth the investment in time, but if you "don't know much about it" it ain't going to be quick to do properly.

VNC allows you to "remote control" a computer across a *network* (thus potentially, across the internet).
A router has to be setup to direct *incoming* traffic appropriately (so-called "port forwarding"). "Incoming" means *originating* outside - I'm not talking about *replies* from web and mail servers.
Calling in from home, you are "incoming traffic" at the office.
A firewall exists to screen out *un-authorised* incoming traffic. Again, that's you. You'd need to set things up so that you *AND ONLY YOU* are added to the permitted incomers. This becomes much easier if you DO have a fixed IP address from your home ISP. (Think of it like caller ID...)
A "virtual private network" (vpn) involves the encryption of your network traffic during its journey across the (public) internet, thus hopefully preventing evesdropping. But both ends have to be able to encrypt/decrypt the other...

Like I said, if you're really just 5mins away, for this weekend, it'd be easiest to get a key!

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:16 pm Post subject:
Well VNC is password protected, which is quite a reasonable security precaution for most purposes. I still fancy that port forwarding would probably be easier than VPN

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:24 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

Well VNC is password protected, which is quite a reasonable security precaution for most purposes.

But that's only on the VNC computer. To get access to that, access to the network from outside has to be opened up. And you really don't want Code Red or whatever having access to all the office...
(Or am I being paranoid about Windoze insecurity?)

Quote:

I still fancy that port forwarding would probably be easier than VPN

Are these alternatives? I thought one could establish a VPN between routers, with the VPN traffic being forwarded as might be required?

Another potential consideration - is the office using DHCP? Is there a fixed IP for the VNC office target?

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:40 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

jema wrote:

Well VNC is password protected, which is quite a reasonable security precaution for most purposes.

You only need to open one port, and only VNC is listering on that port. This does not let anything nasty in.

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:41 pm Post subject:
Now you are all starting to talk in a different language again I've just come off the phone with our IT support people and they have set up access rights for me and they are going to e-mail me a step by step guide to setting up my home pc. Aren't they nice. Thanks to everyone for helping with this.

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 05 1:48 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

If you're only 5 minutes from work, and you need something this weekend - I'd ask for a key!

Got the keys (it's like fort knox) The alarm company gets giddy if we unset the alarm at weekends and we spend ages on the phone convincing them who we are.

Besides that would mean I'd have to go out in the cold

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:25 pm Post subject:
And... did you need the key? What have you learnt? (OK, apart from 'get the IT dept to sort it'....)

Fullup

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Under water

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:46 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

And... did you need the key? What have you learnt? (OK, apart from 'get the IT dept to sort it'....)

Didn't need the key luckily.

I went down the VPN route following the guide that I was sent. First bit was easy enough, that enable me to make the connection. Second bit had me stumped for a while, I couldn't find a way of looking at the files on the server.

I tried all sorts, until I realised my idiots guide was missing a bit. Once I worked the '\\' bit and remembered the server name I was away.

Only thing to remember now is to leave the printer turned on it took ages to finish printing the reports that were queued up waiting this morning.

Thanks for everyones help.

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28244
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 05 2:44 pm Post subject:
Glad it worked for you, especially the full VPN

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