RE: Remote Connectivity

> From: Jones, John (US)
> 
> 1: Get a router that supports VPN connections.  They aren't that
> expensive; I think they can be had for under $250.

Not an option.  I already have a DSL router from my DSL vendor, and I
don't particularly want to play with that in order to add VPN; that
means every time my vendor upgrades my router, I have to reconfigure
VPN.  It's enough of a pain to get my NAT reconfigured.  I'd rather go
the software route for the time being.


> 2: Remote desktop should work fine IF you have terminal services on
your
> W2K server or you're content with connecting to an XP PC.  W2K Server
> comes with a license for 2 TS connections, but I don't think W2K Pro
> does.  I'm not sure about XP Home (XP Pro allows the incoming remote
> desktop connection).  Your travel machine is fine.  That leaves some
> variant of VNC as probably the most logical choice.

As it turns out, UltraVNC works fine.  My biggest complaint is that it's
an utter CPU hog on the server machine, which means that running WDSC
through the remote link is not a real option.  But everything else is
cool.


> Also, if you VPN in, can't you just work on your travel machine &
upload
> results over the VPN?  That would eliminate the need for VNC/remote
> desktop/terminal services.  While your travel machine may not have
> equivalent performance to your desktop(s), eliminating the remote
> control overhead may balance out the performance.

There are a number of reasons I can't do this.  There are some programs
which run on my desktop which can't be loaded onto my laptop.  I also
have some pretty tight locks on what addresses can get into things, and
I'd prefer not to open them up to the laptop. 

Last but not least, it's nice to be able to run something on my PC to
compare it to something at a remote site and see the two side by side,
as it were.

Joe