Networking offices via VPN ??

[Etop Udoh]

The question came up again about networking offices, but this time it
was narrowed down to being
able to dial into the computers in each office thru the T1 or DSL
connection via VPN.
They have a peer to peer network setup in each of the
offices....will VPN still work ?
They will probably have static ip's, and I'm thinking they will need a
VPN Router at each office,
am I correct with that assumption ?
I considered using something like PcAnywhere but then they would have
to buy license for every
computer.
How would I set up a VPN connection for each office ? Do I need
any special software ?
I think VPN capability is built into Win2k and WinXP.....

thanks...


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[Kurt]

A VPN will connect the two offices. A router at both ends is the way to go.
There are a couple of ways to set them up depending on what hardware you
select. You can route, which is my preference because some IP phone systems
and other broadcast-based technologies will lock onto devices at the wrong
end if the sites are bridged. Obviously, bridging is the other way. Before
you consider this you need to be sure that a T1 can handle the load. 1.5Mbps
is damn slow nowadays. If you have DSL available check out what's offered.
Here in the nethers of Washington State, I can get 10Mbps DSL for about $100
at each end. If I use the same ISP at both ends all of the routing stays
within their system and point-to-point speeds are blazing (don't expect 10,
but 6 - 8 is WAY better than a T1 - way cheaper, too). If that's still not
enough bandwidth, consider thin clients (Remote Desktop). You'll need a
Windows server, enough licenses to handle all local and remote connections
(and extra Terminal Server licenses if connecting from non-professional
desktop computers - or better, upgrade XP Home workstations to XP Pro).
You'll need a fairly skookum server with lots of RAM. RDP uses very little
bandwidth. Since it is encrypted, you won't need a VPN.

....kurt