Can two machines access each other over the internet?

[Don J]

I am currently accessing folders between two PCs using the shared folders
feature of Windows XP. The PC's are in the same room talking to each other
through a common modem, the other side of which is connected to the internet
through Comcast Cable.

I would like to move one of the PCs to another room. A direct connection
between the rooms is not possible. If the machines are going to talk to
each other it will have to be through Comcast Cable and the internet.

Is what I want to do even possible? How do I prevent unauthorized access?

Don J

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[Shenan Stanley]

I am currently accessing folders between two PCs using the shared
folders feature of Windows XP. The PC's are in the same room
talking to each other through a common modem, the other side of
which is connected to the internet through Comcast Cable.

I would like to move one of the PCs to another room. A direct
connection between the rooms is not possible. If the machines are
going to talk to each other it will have to be through Comcast
Cable and the internet.
Is what I want to do even possible? How do I prevent unauthorized
access?

Answer to your subject:
Yes. There are secure and insecure ways.

A question to you (quoting one part of your post to set it up):
"I would like to move one of the PCs to another room. A direct
connection between the rooms is not possible."

Why not? You are moving it to ANOTHER ROOM. If they arfe getting their
internet from the same provider/same cable modem, etc - then you can utilize
a router and all internal traffic will be over the internal network.
Private, secure, easy and faster than you could get over the Internet. Know
that unless you have an unbelievably generous internet service provider -
you will never again transfer lareg files from one machine to the other in a
matter of minutes because your pipeline has shrunk 10+fold.

Example - they communicate over the local network now. That's likely
100mbit. You want them to communicate over Comcast, and let's say (although
it's doubtful) that Comcast gives you 10mbit downstream and 5mbit upstream -
then the fastest you will ever be able to send files from one of those
machines to the other is 20 times slower than what you were used to before.

If the machines are staying in the same house - I'd buy a $60 Wireless
router, $40 PCI or USB 2.0 wireless card for the machine being moved and
still use the same internet connection/router between the two machines (so
they remain on the same LAN.)

You could setup a VPN to have a secure file sharing (so you VPN to the other
machine - making a virtual LAN of sorts - and then they are both on that
'virtual LAN' and can talk like they do now - except 10-50 times slower.)

You could just setup Remote Desktop and use the resources of one computer
while remoted into the other and copy files back/forth that way (with the
right ports open in the firewall/routers for each machine.)

 

[Rock]

I am currently accessing folders between two PCs using the shared folders
feature of Windows XP. The PC's are in the same room talking to each other
through a common modem, the other side of which is connected to the
internet through Comcast Cable.

I would like to move one of the PCs to another room. A direct connection
between the rooms is not possible. If the machines are going to talk to
each other it will have to be through Comcast Cable and the internet.

Is what I want to do even possible? How do I prevent unauthorized access?

Why not a wireless router and wireless NIC?

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

Hi
The issue is Not clear.
When the computers are in the same room how they are connected to the
Internet?
Two computers cannot connect to the same modem at the same time unless you
have a Router, or you have a Cable account with two external IP (which is a
very dangerous solution to share info between two personal computers).
Whatever you have now would not work when you move the computer to another
room since you cannot use two modems with one account.
The usual solution is to use a Wireless Cable DSL Router and a Wireless card
on the computer that is moved away.
May be you should read this and get a starting point. The content of the
following links will provide you with a basic tutorial about Sharing
Internet and using Wire & Wireless; it is short and to the point. Few of the
pages were written by me ages ago. You might ignore the prices, and the
specific choice of hardware, stick with the principles, they are still the
same. Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing -
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=105 Hubs, routers, switches,
DSL, LANs, WANs...? - http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=48
Wireless Principles - http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=122
Connection Diagram With Cable/DSL Router:
http://www.ezlan.net/network/router.jpg Wireless hardware:
http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Hardware.html My New Wireless does not work -
http://www.ezlan.net/wireless.html Wireless - Basic Configuration:
http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html Wireless - Basic Security:
http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.html
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[Don J]

The building is a hotel like institution. That is why I cannot directly
inter-connect rooms. It is like being in different houses in the same town.

I am interested in setting up a VPN. All the books I have that go into
details don't match what can actually be done. I need some step by step
procedures. Among other things, how do you set the IP Address?

Don J

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[Shenan Stanley]

The building is a hotel like institution. That is why I cannot
directly inter-connect rooms. It is like being in different houses
in the same town.
I am interested in setting up a VPN. All the books I have that go
into details don't match what can actually be done. I need some
step by step procedures. Among other things, how do you set the IP
Address?

Server:
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/networking/xp_vpn_server.htm
Client:
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/networking/xp_vpn.htm

You could setup a Dynamic DNS account with someone like DynDNS.com and an
update client on one or both machines so that you only have to remember some
simplistic name instead of having to worry about getting the new IP
everytime the 'hotel-like institution' gives the machine a new address. ;-)

 

[Enkidu]

I am currently accessing folders between two PCs using the shared folders
feature of Windows XP. The PC's are in the same room talking to each other
through a common modem, the other side of which is connected to the internet
through Comcast Cable.

I would like to move one of the PCs to another room. A direct connection
between the rooms is not possible. If the machines are going to talk to
each other it will have to be through Comcast Cable and the internet.

Is what I want to do even possible? How do I prevent unauthorized access?

Find a provider of online storage on the Internet. Allow access from
both machines (you may have to share a user/password), Put the files you
want to transfer up on the storage facility, Grab them from the other
machine.

or use a GMail account. GMail allows you to have nearly 3GB of storage.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Find a provider of online storage on the Internet. Allow access from both
machines (you may have to share a user/password), Put the files you want
to transfer up on the storage facility, Grab them from the other machine.

or use a GMail account. GMail allows you to have nearly 3GB of storage.

Cheers,

Cliff

There's also an app called NetDrive, which will allow file sharing.

The problem with it, as with any of this particular VPN usage, is speed.

HTH
-pk

 

[NoConsequence]

You could setup a VPN to have a secure file sharing (so you VPN to the other
machine - making a virtual LAN of sorts - and then they are both on that
'virtual LAN' and can talk like they do now - except 10-50 times slower.)

You could just setup Remote Desktop and use the resources of one computer
while remoted into the other and copy files back/forth that way (with the
right ports open in the firewall/routers for each machine.)

These solutions only work IF they OP is going to have two cable
modems. If they only have one, then the second machine won't be able
to access the first over the cable.

The best bet is a broadband router, and then either run a long
ethernet cable from the relocated machine to the router or go
wireless, although the relocated computer will run a LOT slower over
the wireless link.