Yup - we use it in my office into a SBS2003 setup.

It's not that bad TBH, although you'll have to check your router for access through the firewall, etc

has anyone achieved VPN with server 2000/2003?

sweet cheers guys. the main reason about the VPN:
one of the bosses had heard about it and wanted it implemented on their network so he could "work from home" (lazy) lol

:lol: :P

Well internally at least, DNS would need to be installed before running dcpromo so that'll take care of most internal DNS queries and then a forwarder can just be setup in the DNS console for external stuff.

How did you know the naming convention in my house Ian :lol:

Don't forget, DNS will be up the wall in resolving these names as they'll all have to be internal addresses.

When you say connect it to the internet, what are you trying to achieve?

If you just want internet access, point your default gateway to your router?

As Ian says, is VPN access necessary if some people just want E-mail for example?

Outlook Web Access is pretty easy to set up and allow through to the server without comprimising security too much...

As for the domain stuff, as it's just an internal domain it doesn't matter too much. I think the original way of thinking with AD was to use your internet registered domain name (corsasport.co.uk for example) then structure your internal PC and office names around it, such as:

pc1.london.corsasport.co.uk
pc38.liverpool.corsasport.co.uk
pc114.jamaica.corsasport.co.uk

and so on...

I'd be considering more what you're actually going to use a VPN for, rather than just wanting one. Is it essential that users get RDP to their own computers? Can anything like webmail/CMS done internally not be made external facing?

shouldnt matter what domain name you use dont think it has to be registered

[Edited on 19-04-2004 by keninski]

Ok. yeah weve currently got all that sorted with internet acces of the other machines running through a router.(h/w)

But in the future the company would like to have remote access (VPN) to the network. The company is in the process of upgrading to fixed IP with thier ISP.

So after the fixed IP is obtained... what next?:boggle:

Cheers
:thumbs:

If you want to browse the internet on machines in the office, just route a connection in using dedicated hardware, you don't need any external facing machines unless you want to leave it on all the time and make it massively secure. Personally I wouldn't go to these lengths unless you need the functionality of an expensive router on the cheap.

If i am to connect a server running server 2003 to the internet

How do i go about setting up a registered domain name for the network that this server (DC) is going to control?

Or does it not matter what network domain name i use

Its currently set like this...

"computername.companyname.office" (first thing i thought of) :o

Cheers
:thumbs: