VPN Setup on Windows 2003 Server

[Nathan Spear]

I am looking for advice on where to install RAS Services in an all
Windows Server 2003 AD with Windows 2000, XP, MAC and Linux clients.

I would like to install it on a BDC. Is that recommended? If not, my
next choice is on a server running Visual Source Safe, after that I
would go with Exchange.

Advice?

Also, what VPN client is recommended for MACs and Linux to connect to
a Microsoft VPN?

 

[Sam Salhi [MSFT]]

Recommendation is to use Radius Authentication. You can have the Radius
server (IAS) reside on the DC. But it's not recommended to have the DC on
the Edge of your network
Radius will help you authenticate all your clients for VPN and Wireless

 

[Bill Grant]

W2k/W2k3 doesn't have BDCs!

As Sam said, you may be better off using an IAS server for
authentication if you have lots of non-MS clients. You can run this service
on a DC, and validate the users using RADIUS authentication. Your remote
access server can then be just a member or standalone server. In fact, it
doesn't even need to be a Windows machine.

If you stay with normal Windows authentication, you can install RRAS on
either a DC or a member server. You can even use a standalone server, but
you would then have to authenticate to its local database, not to AD.