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VPNs and Connectivity

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by lumbini

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Hi,
I am interested in setting up a VPN Server. Apart from the Leased line or ISDN line that I must subscribe to, to keep the connection up and running, I am concerned about the ability of my clients to be able to gain access to Internet connections when they travel.
Whats the point of having a 24 hour VPN Server online and waiting for connection when my remote users who travel with Laptops cant gain access to the Internet from where ever they are. For this purpose, I am assuming that a Global ISP who provides local dialup connections should be used. This Global ISP would have local dialup lines (points of presence) in each location or Country.

Does anyone know of a better method to allow roaming Laptop users to gain Internet connectivity while they travel from Country to Country or if the suggested method is the best suited, then which Global ISP's would offer the best packages.

Best Regards,
Nigel.

8 replies

by umbral-echo

Once a dial-up connection (including public telephone lines - from a hotel room perhaps) is established, and the VPN is created over the dial-up connection, the client should be able to access the network as if they were connected to it. Address translation, such as the service provided by Network Address Translation or Internet Connection Sharing will function, as will connections to a Proxy Server on the network. Since NAT and ICS are free with Windows 2000 they might be the most cost effective choice. This will provide Internet for a dial-up client.

You will need to properly configure the RRAS server (VPN server) to hand out an address in the 192.168.0.0 range of addresses to use these connections, but it works well for our organization.

The trouble with this is that it would be a long distance call, but that is unavoidable when you don't have access to a dedicated line.

I have one client who locates Internet Coffee shops in major cities because the costs are generally cheaper than a long distance call. The staff are normally not too difficult to persuade to use the connection with your own laptop.

There are tons of Internet providers who say that they have global coverage, but they are usually limited to larger cities in reality. Depending upon which country your rep is in the coverage can be good or bad. A search on the Internet for "Internet Service Providers" can bring up a wide range of choices, but you might find yourself making more long distance calls to connect to the network through a nearby major city (Though they can sometimes be cheaper than a long distance call from another country).

by umbral-echo

There are now networks of servers that provide a telephony gateway using the Internet in effect to make a long distance call without the long distance charges. Again, the trouble is that you need to have a telephone gateway at both ends to use this effectively. Again, a search of the Internet for "Internet Telephone" will call up a ton of these relatively new companies. One that comes to mind is Ibasis at http://www.internet-telephone-site.com/

In theory this would allow you to make a call locally to the gateway server, who will forward it across the Internet to another gateway in the city you are calling so you can connect without long distance charges to your RRAS server and open a VPN connection. There are so many variations on this theme that you had better look it up yourself to get all the facts. I've even seen some that offer Internet access without connecting to a private network.

by buffalodan

Earthlink or mindspring, AT&T, many major nationwide ISP's now offer 800 dial up number's specifically for a mobile workforce. This comes at an additional cost, but it may be worth looking into...

For greater control however, corporate long distance phonecards can be purchased and distributed to your mobile work force.
With the cost of out of state long distance calls being brought down due to competition, this might prove to be a more cost effective method for garunteeing your workforce has access to the internet.

by ebob

Yes, a global provider with POPs wherever your mobile force might find themselves is likely a good bet.

Concert, Sprint and IBM Global all claim to be able to support this. So does (I'm not kidding) Compuserve and AOL (although I do not necessarily support those claims).

As well, a lot of hotels are finally starting to provide broadband from the rooms which gives many of your mobile users an extra bit of freedom.

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