Re: VPN server

[MacWheel99@xxxxxxx]

I am not an expert on this ... but think of VPN as being like the
communications.

I think that internet access & VPN access are two separate animals.

In the olden days we had point to point modems.
One modem one computer installation talking to one modem another computer
installation.
If you wanted a 3rd set, ma bell called that multi-point & charged an arm & a
leg, so we simulated this by having multiple pairs, and special kinds of
modems & controllers that were really multi-point as far as the computers
were concerned, but point to point as far as ma bell concerned.

VPN is like having multi-point without having to fake out ma bell.

Also in the olden days, our choice was individual dial up, over the public ma
bell such that if an authorized person could dial in, then a hacker could
dial in, and you have the same kind of risk with internet access today ... or
we had a leased line between the points, where only the two points were
involved, in theory ... but we knew damn well that there were security
problems.

VPN can be like having a private leased phone line that is multi-point.

So for example, suppose you have several sites that now connect to your 400
via modem, over a variety of phone line arrangements.
You can replace all of that with a VPN which simulates what you now have.
The 400 THINKS it is talking to a modem to a phone line to the other end.
The other end THINKS a phone line talking to modem to controller.
But in reality the modems & point to point phone line have been replaced with
VPN & hardware that supports it.

The same VPN can carry the 400 traffic, some other computer network such as
WiNT, regular voice phone calls, faxes, and more between your various sites.
This can save a pile of money over paying for separate phone lines for fax,
voice, computer, etc.  You can have all people in your office who are on a PC
have modems in their computers, but those modems go through VPN to internet,
so you can budget the bandwidth you want to pay for, instead of having a
bunch of phone lines for a bunch of different purposes that sit idle 1/2 the
day & you overwhelmed with voice phone call lines tied up while fax & e-mail
sitting idle but still paying for them, or several people need internet
connections & your voice phone lines sitting idle.

I don't know how you handle dial up.
Some person via telecommuting wants to reach the 400 & you want to save money
by VPN them access but they not want a bunch of phone lines at home ... they
want to dial up like normal into VPN & this invites security risk.

MacWheel99@aol.com (Alister Wm Macintyre) (Al Mac)