Sigh. I started posting a really long answer on Meta Gaming linking to MSO threads about a feature request that would hardly fly with Jeff

when I was almost done I saw the asker, @PopularDemand

>_>

I answered anyway.

@badpssockpuppet At first I thought you were talking about this one-line answer. I was going to suggest you redefine your notion of "a really long answer"

@MichaelMrozek That's a one-liner, followed by a freehanded-circle-free image. I would've expected you to suggest a FHC instead.

Then the answer would have been as long as required, with the circle inserting all implicit content.

I've never been much for the FHC craze. I use fixed rectangles myself

I guess you can't just make a soul up, you either have it or you don't.

@badpssockpuppet He had to have it removed so he would have room for the fire that flickers through his eyes.

I'd link to the sandbox post with that image, but I think someone ruined it.

Look mah, I pulled a Jeff: meta.gaming.stackexchange.com/posts/1955/revisions

Ze young man in the SO Tavern ('allo @kivetros and welcome to the other better Tavern) would like some help here people. Eyeballs!

I'm so depressed... No new versions of Debugging Tools for Windows in over a year.

@kivetros I saw this line and can't help but think "there's gotta be a better way"

> I am trying to set up a VPN on my company's network so that my boss can work on FileMaker from home

Why wouldn't this be a viable option? gotomypc.com/remote_access/remote_access

It would save you a lot of headache on the VPN...

oh hey guys

thanks drachenstern

gotomypc? oh lord no

Why not? There was a question there in the first place

@drachenstern yeah, but then he'd be encouraging those awful commercials.

@Shog9 I happen to like Twit.tv quite a bit so I want to encourage those awful commercials :\

because using filemaker is like dragging your tongue across a sea of razorblades already

is so conflicted, yeah?

using filemaker over gotomypc

is twice that, and with bees

That sounds like a DSL problem :p ... across a network it isn't so bad to RDP that sort of thing. But I see the problem.

Ok, so that's a tad of clarification, thanks

if you're not familiar with filemaker

@drachenstern Huh... It's that dude from the old ZDTV channel. Didn't know he was still around

(and if not, consider yourself lucky)

we have our 'database' 'hosted'

(Filemaker is an Access-alike)

@Shog9 oh yeah, he's got quite the little network. I like Windows Weekly and Home Theater Geeks, as well as TWIT

which means that it's on filemaker server, running for everyone to modify

you connect to fm server via calling up the server's ip within filemaker

and opening whatever file is hosted

so i want to VPN him in to the network so he can work on the files directly, without having to VNC anything

So I see the problem, I think

please do elaborate

You don't have an RRAS server at the office (here RRAS is a MS specific name, but the concept holds)

the concept being?

You're trying to VPN between two desktops, and I've never personally heard of Windows supporting that (so if it works then I'll have been educated here)

You gotta have a server on the office end for him to VPN to

it's supposed to work in win7, according to The Internet

what do i need to make this server happen?

i've got a MSDN subscription, so if MS made it, I can get it

I suppose SBS, but if it works in Win7 I would pursue that first. I see the limits of my knowledge on VPNs are starting to show through. What commercial VPN software have you solicited the workings on?

SBS?

and i do not at all understand your last question

Small Business Server <- links to very unhelpful website

Have you considered buying something for VPN from desktop to desktop that works through dynDNS specifically

i did not know that something like that existed

here's how my job goes:

I can only presume that it does

@Shog9 at least it's authoritative

I'm a CS major, still in university, I know enough to be dangerous, and my girlfriend's dad / boss has great faith in me.

@kivetros yeah, I think we've all had one of those at some point :\

@kivetros oh, lol, you're where I was a number of years ago, joy.

@drachenstern Yes. But the clipart dude's eyes are gonna haunt me now. I'm pretty sure that was Sylar from Heroes.

i'm a sysadmin that does not know how to be a sysadmin

@Shog9 lol

@Shog

@kivetros then you should meet @Zypher ;)

*@Shog9 thanks for the ms-sponsored rapegaze

@kivetros anytime...

who's @Z

@Zypher

@kivetros he's the resident sysadmin for SEI

ah, right on

So as best I can tell, you need to do this:

PC (office) (VPN "server" software, open firewall port)
 |
 |
Smoothwall (open firewall port)
 |
 |
Cradlepoint (I think this goes here, also, not sure how it meshes with the rest)
 |
 +- INTERNET!!!
 |
DynDNS
 |
 |
CableModem or DSL Modem (should not have to worry about ports here)
 |
 |
PC(Home) (VPN "client" software, Open Firewall Ports)

brilliant diagram

@kivetros I try ;)

fwiw i've got smoothwall attached to the modem

afiak the cradlepoint router is our dhcp server

i have been working with networking stuff for maybe a week so sorry if i say something completely stupid or wrong

any idea if i'd be able to do this with server 2003? only server box i have available for this sort of thing is an old clunky dell poweredge

Yeah, Server 2003 should let you do that, hang on lemme google

good deal

techrepublic.com/article/… <-- here's an article about making it the bottleneck for the network. You do NOT need it in that position. It just needs to be on the switch and able to get to the internet

oh wow

thanks a lot man, i'll get right on setting this up

ah okay

yeah that's what i was gonna do anyway

So long as Server 2003 can get on the internet and the network that's all you need it to do.

do i have to allow protocol 47 or something

Yeah, but most people setting up RRAS put it as the middlepoint on the network

and open port 1723

@kivetros something like that, look for a couple walkthroughs, come back with more specific questions.

well the problem is

Also, the SU chats on chat.stackexchange.com might get you more targeted than we can here

i've got 1723 open but there's nowhere on my stupid router to allow GRE protocol 47

So the thing about that is this:

hmm, i'll head over in a moment

+-- stuff we all drool about playing with
|
+-- high end network gear for large campuses (port 47 GRE stuff)
|
+-- large switch banks, nice gigabit switches
|
+-- the equipment most of us have
|
+-- dreck that most non-techies use

If you don't see an option for it, forget about it.

Really?

so if there's no option to allow or block, it's probably allowed?

yep

that just made my life so much nicer

Also, if you're ever setting up an email server, don't make it a widely available mailer ;)