How easy is a WAN setup?

[George]

Am using a WinXP-pro PC with a Linksys BEFSX41 VPN router in my office, with
DSL connection. When I am traveling and at a hotel with a laptop, I would
like to access the files on the PC 's behind the router.



1) Could someone point to some setup instructions on how to configure the
laptop and the office PC to allow this.without paying for "GoToMyPC".do I
"have" to buy a software package like "PCAnywhere?" Will I see my office
desktop come up on my hotel laptop screen, or just something like yellow
file folders that I can navigate around in?



2) Is there any way to just go to someone's desktop PC while I am traveling,
and use that to type in an IP address and maybe a password, and then be able
to access the files on my office PC back home, or even see the desktop? Can
WindowsXP provide remote desktop access? Can I skip the tunneling setup
thing on the laptop



Thanks,

George

 

[Jack]

Hi
You can set it yourself in less then an hour and it is all Free.

The content the following link would show you the options of setting you
Network so it can be accessed for any Internet Connection in the World:
http://www.ezlan.net/myip.html

The content of this link includes instructions of setting the remote control
program: http://www.ezlan.net/vnc.html

Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[Tim]

You should setup a VPN or FTP connection depending on
what exaclty you want to do. There is a program that you
can trail for free that allow remote desktop connection
over the internet. www.radmin.com

hope this helps, there is heaps of info out there re: VPN
setup

 

[George]

Thank you Tim, I was wondered how this might differ (or be similar to)
PCAnywhere?

And also how secure it would be since anytime you install software on a PC
that influences access, couldn't it have code in it that opened up the PC
more to the public or in extreme case could send back info to a 3rd party

Thanks

 

[George]

Thanks, Jack, I was wondering...

-Does this setup take into account a router...if you access my network,
wouldn't you be able to get to the router, but the router wouldn't let you
see the PC's behind it, right?

-Does DNS service solve the problem of the ISP's dynamic IP-setting? Is
this how it works...I have "one" address registered with the DNS and it
keeps up with (by monitoring what the client program is telling it) the
actual IP address of a single PC or my entire network?

-How secure are things like installing client programs behind a
firewall...especially from free services...couldn't the client program
short-circuit some security and open up a path and send things out the back
door up to anybody out there?

Thanks,
George

This looks like an easy setup, I was wondering

 

[George]

Will these remote desktop access programs work through a router and LAN...
that is...can my hotel laptop penetrate the router and its firewall, and get
all the way back to one or more PC's on the LAN behind the firewall...does
the remote software typically have to be installed on ALL devices involved
in the remote process, i.e. the laptop, office PC#1, office PC#2, etc.
Also, it sounds like with these software programs, you don't need a static
IP, is that right? Thanks

 

[Jack]

Hi.
The answer is a Big YES to the first few questions.
As for the third question.
Ultr@VNC has Encryption Add-On.
However, there is always a risk in leaving a port open there is nothing you
can do about it, and it does not matter who the service is coping from. The
risk is Not from the Service or the application, but from a Hacker that
might bump into the open port.
Jack (MVP-Networking).