Fixed IP address adsl/dsl connections with VPN question

[Jonny69]

I'm going to be connecting up a VPN for the first time later in the week but I've got an IP address query. The person I'm doing this for has a fixed IP address from his ISP but I'm a little confused how his server relates to this.

At home my IP address is assigned by my ISP as 195.xxx.xxx.xxx or similar but that address is assigned to my router, not the computers behind it. Say I had a fixed IP address, surely that is assigned to a router, not the server. How do I know what IP address to use on the client when I setup the VPN? Will it not try to connect to the router rather than the server which is behind it?

Or have I missed something here with fixed IP addresses? Is there no router?

 

[tolien]

How do I know what IP address to use on the client when I setup the VPN?

You've only got one public IP.

Will it not try to connect to the router rather than the server which is behind it?

If there's no VPN server on the router or you forward the right ports, you don't have a problem.

 

[Jonny69]

Not 100% sure I understand that T, so does VPN client look straight through the router on the open ports?

Edit: or is this where port forwarding steps in, ie open port 1723 for the VPN and get it to forward to the server IP address behind it?

 

[tolien]

You'd give the client your "router's IP", given it's the only public IP you've got, and it would connect to that. Port forwarding and NAT deals with the rest.

Edit: or is this where port forwarding steps in, ie open port 1723 for the VPN and get it to forward to the server IP address behind it?

Yes. Though some VPNs perform better behind NAT than others, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Freakish_05]

As Toliaen suggested. You need to use port forwarding.

There should be a 'virtual servers' page in the web config for your router. What you need to do is enter the VPN ports and the IP address you want to forward them too.

For example, I have a server running a web service. I would input port 80 on the virtual servers screen followed by the IP address which DHCP assigned to the server.

HTH