Help - Can XP Pro Be Used For VPN Server?

[JB]

Hi all:

Very very novice here. Here is my situation. Your
knowledgeable assistance is appreciated.

My wife has a small womens store in Duncan with an office
computer running Windows XP Pro on cable modem with a non-
fixed ip address.

My shop is in Mill Bay 30 miles from hers and I am
running Windows XP Pro on cable modem with a non-fixed ip
address.

Our daughter has the same business as her mothers but
farther away in Victoria with a computer running Windows
XP Pro on cable modem with a non-fixed ip address.

We have Windows XP Pro at home on cable modem with
a "static" ip address.

Can that system at home be configured to act as a server
and allow all of us to then run a VPN?

If so, can you point me to information or articles please
on how to set up the computer at home as a VPN Server? I
cannot find any on how to set up a VPN server using XP
Professional.

If not, do I have to go out and buy a server program to
meet what we want to do? That seems rather extreme.

I have read on how to set up each of our locations to
make a VPN connection to a server and that appears
straight forward.

And can we use that server at the same time as a working
computer if we have someone there?

Thanks in advance.

JB

 

[Sooner Al]

Yes, you can use XP as a PPTP VPN server. The downside is that you can only have one incoming VPN
connection at a time, not multiple incoming VPN connections to one particular XP box.

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

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prcg_cnd_dbem.asp

You would be better off either running a server class platform like Windows 2003 Server or
purchasing dedicated VPN end-point broadband routers like the Linksys BEFVP41 or RV042 or similar...

http://www.linksys.com/products/group.asp?grid=34&scid=29

I would lurk/post to the DSL Reports VPN forums for a lot of help with the issue of using a
dedicated broadband VPN router...

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vpn

--
Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights...