How?

[Balaso]

K, here is a scenario I need help with. I have a program that needs to run on several computers from a 2003 server. I can set it up within a lan to connect to a network drive on the server and things work great. My question is how can I do the same thing from a computer outside of the Lan? I wonder if VPN would work? I know it's supposed to run with several machines, but can the one server do both VPN and run the network drive? Any Ideas would be great.

[E.J.FUDD]

balaso, i jsut had to do that with a program called bestcase bankruptsy..

i have 2 computers across the river in indiana that talk to the 2003 servers in louisville ky.

i vpn the network drive,and copied a shortcut to the exe icon onto local machine however i needed 2 files to put into the local system 32 file (may be this program only)

what i am stumped is why the freasle frackin outlook wants to act like a whore and not work on these 2 computers.

[Balaso]

cool, now can you tell me how to get the friggin vpn to work? More specifically, how to vpn the network drive?

[E.J.FUDD]

i came through a soho 3 router. there was a tab [vpn]

vpn has a default however

using the ipsec i am coming through on an ip that was assigned pre migration. i did have a lot of trouble with the whole ordeal.. and i did have to map the network drive once vpn'd . ...this was soley mapped to the file and print server.

so basically its 2 different apps you gotta run. like if you were going to remote desktop..(btw you might want to see that first.

but like i said i am still having trouble trying to get the damn outlook to get mail from the exchange server.

workstation side:
1. cmd..ping the ip of server location
2.hopefully your using windows xp. go through the wizard for vpn.
  you should be armed with the ### and passwords to the router/server you want
  fill in the blanks (i had to manually do this under tcip properties)
3 try and connect. if this works you can...

are you behind a router or is the server pointing out naked???
4. open browser and open map network drive.../ or remote desktop wizard if you want to do it that way
5. you should be able to see the files and grab the exe icon copy and pasting instead of send to desktop (admin for user at workstation though) and i personally put a shortcut on desktop for the entire drive that i mapped.

sounds easy, and sometimes it has been, but by god these two comps gave me shit and i did the very same thing to 5 all together.

[Balaso]

hmm, I know how to do the workstation side, and I can map a drive...the area giving me fits is getting the VPN on the server to play nice. For some reason it won't let me connect to it through vpn, even on the Lan side. Oh yes btw, the server is on the inside of a router, but the router does support vpn passthrough.

[E.J.FUDD]

is port 7979 open on your router?...this as i am told is a default pass through for vpn.

and i asked cookie last week why i couldnt vpn, he suggested to make sure the same setting as were on the router were on the server as well.


and this is where the word expertise does not apply to me.


(what error code are you getting when you try to vpn..(get/got 800)

[Balaso]

I get this error on the server side of the router so something is setup wrong on the server or this machine. I'm thinking it's the server though.

[E.J.FUDD]

um, just outa curiousity..
woudlnt you vpn FROM your workstation to the server in this case..not the other way around?  thats what i did to network to the drive.


and dont you have to check the lil box to allow vpn/remote/and drive mapping (different places) on the workstation side if you were doing it that way??


ok i think i get it fixed for you...

1. take workstation---- lift above your head and drop.
 repeat untill pieces are to small to pick up

2. take server and find nearest window from a high office...

no really balaso, i dont know what im doing over here...how the hell am i to help you over there..

[Balaso]

I'm not going from server to workstation. What I meant was I tried to connect a workstation to the server that was on the same side of the router as the server. I was seeing if it was the router causing the problem but it's not, or at least it's not the only problem.

[E.J.FUDD]

oh well crickie....

if your inside the router, then all you need to do is map the network drive...you shouldnt have to vpn the damn thing....its already in your network.

you just have to go from server side..

cmd ipconfig/all for the workstations intranet ip....
get the workstations computer name..
and users name(it may be easier to have it in admin(dunno but that it seemed to help for me.)

from server 2003, administration add the user
im sure youve done this to get the error...but then that is a vpn error...you dont need a virual network being that you are already in and part of that network.

i take it that the server does not recognize this computer.

[E.J.FUDD]

also...per say...example.

this is just what i went through to track a problem or to isolate it..

equipment and arrangement
2003 file and print server dell 1800 dual 2.8 xeons 2 gig ram 2 sata ata hdds
2003 exchange dell 2800 dual 3.8 xeons 3 gig ram 3 73gig hdds
soho 3 router
18 workstations + 2 in another location + 2 vpn/remote desktop laptops.
all intranet workstations are pointed to server then pointed out.

was having difficulty arranging all this..

but i was getting multi errors on some simple crap.

so i took a "cold"(mine that never saw this setup before) laptop and plugged
it into a line
went cmd
type ipconfig/release then renew. got internet connection and auto with the intranet ip assignment 10.0.0.29
then i went for remote desktops y the wizard..jsut typed  computer name and ip and user and password...(i had to enable this on the workstation side)
and presto no problems for remote desktop
then i wanted to view some files that are one the file and print server..
should be able to map network drive and browse button/dropdown you should be able to see everything that has a shared access..
presto i was in.
so therefore i am not sure that you would even need to vpn if you are inside the router.
but i am so new to this i am shiney'r than the new equipment.

ps..i still have one clients laptop that doesnt want to behave. yet i am using the same crap as all the others, it has been my enigma for the past week.
i  

[Balaso]

I know I don't need to vpn on the server side. I was only doing it to see why I couldn't connect from the outside. By trying it from the inside, I eliminated the router as the problem. Now I know that it's not the router, but something setup wrong on the server. Cookie? If you read this, plz help!

[E.J.FUDD]

balaso...ok so we are at the beginning of this conversation again...its where i had trouble..

if you can bounce around INSIDE the intranet with network drive map mapping and remote desktop fine, then it is the router.

call up the router ip config pages find all your numbers...if you can set an ipsec password this is of course good.

cookie told me it would be best to use a static ip if your running into trouble.

[sK_Cookie]

okay okay cookie is here to help.

first the router that you are using has to specifically support VPN.  VPN are used for external (as in not inside you routers domain ie wired or wireless connected to it).  

Most off the shelf routers do not support vpn only certain ones.  Inside you router you need to go to the VPN screen and do a default setup.  Next you need to change to static IP addressing for your lanned pc's.  Then you need to make sure that settings for ip in the router match your server and then do the vpn authentication through your 2003 server(note some routers support this, some do not need to check your router).  After that remote desktop would be used to run any applications unless you have a novell network admistration config running.  

if you have more questions please post and I will keeping tabs on this post to answer your questions.

[Balaso]

LOTS of questions. Let me think about what you said, once it absorbs I will ask...