Re: VPN --Hardware/software confusion -- MIDRANGE-NONTECH

Copy to you in case you not yet on the list where this discussion belongs,although it also has elements of SECURITY, but possibly not 400 specificsecurity.

I am also somewhat of a babe in these woods, who passes buck to techsupport to help get things setup so they working correctly.

Dial up connection requires software, that is not needed for the directconnect. While there are books on this stuff, and lots of IBM manuals, theworld of what can be done with Telco and Internet is constantly shifting... can you connect to the 400 using VOIP?

A direct connect, whether it is DSL VPN, T1, T3, whatever, is like havingyour end users Twinax, Client Access, whatever, always connected to the400, like they were in the same building as the 400.

There is a problem with DSL across state lines. We have a remote site withsmall # connections where we only needed like 1/4 DSL bandwidth, but to goacross state line, you have to have 100% of DSL, so I suggested doing 1/4DSL to another site in the same state, that has heavier usage, then fullDSL from there, in other words, using DSL like Twinax Daisy Chain.

The Telco stuff connects to a Cisco router which simulates an IBM modem,with cable to the 400, or remote controller or whatever at some locationwhere we have multiple users.

There's also people with laptops wandering around the planet, who hook upto the Internet, use VPN from wherever they are. They may even be using awireless connection to the Internet. Is that stuff encrypted? Do theyhave their ports shut down when PC locked in trunk of car so it notbroadcasting "steal me" to some thief cruising parking lots listening foropen wireless ports. Do they have their 400 passwords setup so theirlaptop remembers the sign on for them? Is there an easy way to inspectwhat's connecting to our 400 to see if they obeying security guidance?

Some technology comes along, seems to be very secure for a while, then thehackers and badware people figure out how to break in, so we hear stories... can this be true, how is that possible ... malware into RFID?

So the books help you with the old theory before the new bad stuff riskscame along.

We are operating on a version of BPCS that needs a security upgrade that Ihave been unable to persuade management that we need to get. This means Iam real happy that a Microsoft front end is doing the VPN serving, andrunning interference on a lot of bad ware. For example, for about everyone good e-mail to our company, there are about 100 spam and viruse-mails. I told the Microsoft guru that for my home e-mail I have my ISPrun interference on this, and it works fine. He says the volume we getting(XX,XXX bad e-mails a day) is more than our company ISP can handle.

Sorry I not responded, to a thread that I could respond to,sooner. Something has blown up where I work that is like gasoline priceson steroids.


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Al Macintyre
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BPCS/400 Computer Janitor ... see
http://radio.weblogs.com/0107846/stories/2002/11/08/bpcsDocSources.html