Simon wrote:

> Matty wrote: 
> You can away without a fixed address if you use a vpn router that
> supports dynamic dns, then users connect to the dynamic dns name and
> should the IP address change the router updates the dynamic dns server
> of this fact.
> If you go down the windows route can can use a single nic in the server,
> keep it on the lan and direct the inbound vpn connections to it using
> port mapping on the router.
> simon

Simon is correct. However, if your router does not do this you can still
use a dynamic domain name by installing a DDNS client. Suggest that you
have a look at the following:

http://www.dyndns.com/
http://www.dyndns.com/services/
http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/
http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/
http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/hardware/
[url]http://www.dyndns.com/support/kb/archives/why_we_recommend_software_clients.html[/
url]

Note: the last recommends software clients, and I agree. But I've been
updating my multiple DynDNS domains with hardware for quite some time
(BEFVP41's) and seldom have a problem. The disadvantage (for me) in
using hardware clients is that I typically don't know that the DDNS has
gone down or not been updated until I check the VPN links and find that
they've been disconnected (like this morning :-). I would have noticed
the problem immediately had I been running the software client instead.
That said, I can probably count on 1 hand the times that the VPN's have
disconnected due to failure of the router to update the DDNS over the
past 12 months. I've tried both, and settled on hardware because: 1) I
use an old computer with limited CPU & memory resources, and 2) I'm
lazy... I tend to prefer the set & forget unless it becomes an
operational or security problem.

Added note: The only other problem that I've had using hardware is that
sometimes the dynamic IP that one of the servers sits on doesn't change
for 28 days or more, so I then have to go and force a lease update.
However, DynDNS are kind enough to send me a 5 day notice alerting me of
this each time that it happens.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]