[AccessD] VPN

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Sun Jun 3 22:06:33 CDT 2012


I have used Hamachi since forever.  Recently they limited the number of users on any given (free) 
network to 5, which is pretty much useless.

So I am on the hunt.

My situation is as follows.  I have several different SQL Server databases, all running on a server 
here at my office.  These are low traffic DBs but they are for entirely different clients.  Using 
Hamachi I built a VPN for each client, different LAN name, different password, only the people I 
allowed could join the networks.  The Hamachi software allowed me to set up "types" of networks 
including mesh (everything could see everything), and hub and spoke where everything could see the 
hub but the spokes could not see each other.  That is really what I need.  In my case the spokes are 
individual's computers in "virtual companies" and nobody wants other people seeing / accessing their 
computers.

What I am hoping to accomplish is to get some Linux widget being my VPN "server", allowing me to do 
the same kind of thing.  As I said I have always used Hamachi and it was slick and worked (mostly) 
but I cannot afford to buy the new Hamachi licenses, these are non-profits and I do not charge them 
for what I am doing.

So does anyone know of an "equivalent" to what Hamachi does?  I am even willing to go buy an (under 
$200) "router" box to do this, however whatever it is needs to be easy to set up.  There is the 
potential to have dozens of users that I have to manage access for and I really don't want to get 
bogged down in that job.

What would be ideal would be a VM on Hyper-V running Linux running MySQL and an easy to manage 
firewall app for setting this stuff up.

What I have figured out how to do is a VM on Hyper-V running Windows 2003 X32 running SQL Server and 
Hamachi, which was working just fine until a couple of months ago when LogMeIn decided to play 
nasty.  Sigh.

-- 
John W. Colby
Colby Consulting

Reality is what refuses to go away
when you do not believe in it



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