[dba-Tech] Extranet VPN for testing customers' web sites/web API solutions

[Jim Lawrence]

Hi Guys:

I have come late to this conversation but I will add some of my thoughts to using a personal site VPN. There are a number of medium and high-end routers that have OpenVPN pre-installed on them (https://www.bestvpn.com/best-vpn-routers/). A friend has a medium priced router, on his site and we have been using the router to allow us to remotely connect and service a few of our websites. He has a number of servers running on a hyper-v server and by re-routing access via the port number we can work adjacent with complete isolation.

I have not setup the server end but have the OpenVPN client installed on a couple of my stations. 

OTOH, I have a SSH/server/client setup on all my stations and servers which allows me to securely access any station or server, on my network, from anywhere in the world. Of course SSH protocol is only command line. I understand that SSH is now on all windows servers(?). 

When a graphic display is needed I have been using the X2Go application (http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php)...it runs using SSH. An associate has been using the product on a client's site (30 to 50 stations) and it has been reliable. Note: depending on the motherboard and/or graphic card, the app can take advantage of hardware acceleration.

Jim  

PS Shamil; Is the Russian government's limitations on the use of some VPN services going to affect your company's business?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gustav Brock" <gustav at cactus.dk>
To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 3, 2017 11:46:38 AM
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Extranet VPN for testing customers' web sites/web API solutions

Hi Shamil

If all you need a VPN connection with no fancy features, it comes natively with the server.
I located this short guide:

https://www.thomasmaurer.ch/2012/07/how-to-install-vpn-on-windows-server-2012/

/gustav
________________________________________
Fra: dba-Tech <dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com> på vegne af Salakhetdinov Shamil via dba-Tech <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Sendt: 3. august 2017 18:40:31
Til: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Cc: Salakhetdinov Shamil
Emne: Re: [dba-Tech]  Extranet VPN for testing customers' web sites/web API solutions

Hi Gustav --

I have just tried to setup SoftEther on my cloud VM and on my desktop. Setup worked well but then I have got stuck with it. I should remove it I suppose.

Yes, TeamViewer seems to be overpriced but it just worked like a charm. And I have used free version.

Is there anything comparable to TeamViewer, less expensive - with the feature to just setup a VPN to my cloud hosted MS Windows Server 2012 from my desktop and from my customers desktops?

Thank you.

-- Shamil


>Thursday, August  3, 2017 6:13 PM +03:00 from Gustav Brock <gustav at cactus.dk>:
>
>Hi Shamil
>
>Great.
>I've always found TeamViewer to be overpriced, so let's hope that SoftEther will be successful.
>
>/gustav
>
>-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
>Fra: dba-Tech [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] På vegne af Salakhetdinov Shamil via dba-Tech
>Sendt: 3. august 2017 15:47
>Til: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues < dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com >
>Cc: Salakhetdinov Shamil < mcp2004 at mail.ru >
>Emne: Re: [dba-Tech] Extranet VPN for testing customers' web sites/web API solutions
>
>Hi Gustav et al --
>
>I have setup TeamViewer (v12.0.81460) on cloud MS Windows Server 2012 VM to allow unattended access (maybe basic access would have been enough I haven't checked).
>I have also setup TeamViewer (v12.0.81460) on my destop Win10 system.
>Then I have run TeamViewer and setup VPN using it to my MS Windows Server 2012.
>I have opened port 80 on cloud VM - and I have got access to the server web app running on this port - default IIS web app.
>Then I have setup my custom web service on port 4321, opened this port for TCP on server and I have got access to the custom web service via VPN and port 4321.
>
>So VPN works well - not sure how TeamViewer sets up VPN access internal - does it use netsh or not.
>
>I the coming days I will also try to use SoftEther VPN Open Source (   https://www.softether.org/  ) to setup VPN instead on TeamViewer.
>
>-- Shamil
>
>>Thursday, August  3, 2017 2:46 PM +03:00 from Salakhetdinov Shamil via dba-Tech < dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com >:
>>
>>Hi Gustav --
>>
>>OK, I will give it a try and I will post here in the coming days on my testing results.
>>
>>-- Shamil
>>
>>
>>>Thursday, August  3, 2017 1:34 PM +03:00 from Gustav Brock <  gustav at cactus.dk >:
>>>
>>>Hi Shamil
>>>
>>>I can't tell about the VPN infrastructure as that must be a courtesy of your hosting provider, but as you have a VM and not just a web server, I guess no ports are blocked.
>>>
>>>The only way to find out if the netsh command will work, is to check it out. Even though port 80 is default for the HTTP protocol, I would explicitly specify it as you suggest.
>>>
>>>/gustav
>>>
<<< skipped >>>

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