What do i need - Work away need to access home data

deus3x

deus3x

deus3x

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I have started to plan my home server.

I have Cat6 run thought the house and have a cabnet and server case. I'm planning hardware list now, internet connection is now working.

I'm not sure what i need?

I work overseas but all my sensitive data is stored at home. What do i need to be able to login to my home server from abroad and access my data,. I need this to be secure....

all advice is warmly welcomed.
 
The best solution would be to use a VPN. If you using Linux then you can go with OpenVPN which is very secure. Windows Server will have a VPN option to.

But depending on your needs you could probably get away with using LogMeIn it would be trivial to setup and get working whereas a VPN would require some more work.
 
Yes I would suggest logmein also, i use it all the time to get access to my home pc's when on the road.

There is a free version which basically gives you access to your desktop as though you were sat at it. And there is a more advanced pay version which gives you file transfer and stuff.

Try the free demo, personally, I think it's an amazing tool.
 
Is a VPN where i login to the internet in say a hotel room then setup the VPN which acts as if im at my home computer?

The log me in sounds great ill look at that also.
 
VPN is a Virtual Private Network. It securely tunnels across any network (in your case it'll usually be the internet) and makes you machines on the other network look like it's connected directly to your home network.

VPNs aren't dificult to setup as there are plenty of guide about, but if you want something quickly without the setup then LogMeIn is the way to go.
 
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Thanks guys,

If i was to use VPN, would for instance i have to change if i moved country. ie at moment im in Dubai so if i setup VPN here would i have to reconfigure when i go to say africa for example.

Thanks
 
deus3x said:
Thanks guys,

If i was to use VPN, would for instance i have to change if i moved country. ie at moment im in Dubai so if i setup VPN here would i have to reconfigure when i go to say africa for example.

Thanks
Click to expand...

No, once it's configured that's it.

So wherever you are it would make it look like the computers in your house are on your LAN. It's really good once it's all working, but the initial setup can be a major pain :p It is arguably significantly more secure than LogMeIn at least though, depending on your paranoia levels.
 
I'd second a VPN over using Logmein, but that's just my personal preference.

Either go with a linux software based solution or pickup a router/piece of hardware that can act as a vpn endpoint.

I've got a spare Draytek that I keep meaning to setup as a vpn endpoint at home so I can do the same.
 
tntcoder said:
No, once it's configured that's it.

So wherever you are it would make it look like the computers in your house are on your LAN. It's really good once it's all working, but the initial setup can be a major pain :p It is arguably significantly more secure than LogMeIn at least though, depending on your paranoia levels.
Click to expand...

Ok i will look into it, if the initial setup is the only problem it will be ok. Secure is what i want so will be best.

Can windows home server do it or am i best Lynix.

Thanks
 
deus3x said:
Ok i will look into it, if the initial setup is the only problem it will be ok. Secure is what i want so will be best.

Can windows home server do it or am i best Lynix.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've never done it but yer it looks to support it and it looks easier (but less configurable) than the Linux way.

http://wiki.wegotserved.com/index.php?title=Create_a_VPN_Using_Your_Windows_Home_Server and http://thedigitallifestyle.com/cs/t...indows-home-server-v1-in-to-a-vpn-server.aspx
 
If you are accessing data to be worked on, and not just remote control use a VPN so you can use your data on your laptop/remote systems thick clients which is a WHOLE lot nicer than doing it in a remote session window.

For control you can then just use RDP over the VPN. You don't even need to expose RDP to the outside world doing it this way.

All encrypted, all easy.
 
Thanks for the advice, VPN is what ill use. Ill see how i get on setting it up.

I have a netgear DG834 router, does the router play a factor and is the one i have ok.
 
i followed the step by step instructions here
http://lockup.wordpress.com/configure-openvpn/
fiddled with my router settings to setup a static route and was amazed to find it actually does work :)

well it did connect ok, but i couldn't browse the net until i went into the newly created TAPv8 network settings, deleted the static 'use 192.168.1.1' etc TCPIP settings and enabled the 'get DHCP automatically' option instead, and all was well :)

it took a couple of hours to do, is pretty complicated but i feel worthwhile

sin_chase - thanks for the tip about using rdp over the vpn, didn't realise you could do that - can you rdp into the pc the vpn server is running on (and that you are connected to) or does it need to be a different pc??
 
When working overseas do you have your own internet connection or are you reliant on Hotel connections?

Just asking as some hotel internet can be hit and miss whether they will let through the ports required for a VPN connection. In this case either logmein or an SSL VPN are the best option as https is rarely blocked.

If you have your own connection then this is a non issue, just use whichever you think is easiest for you to setup and use.
 
^^^ Glad its working.

^^ ill try log me in, i do use hotels lots yes.

^ Documents mainly mate, ill look into drop box now.
 
encephalopathy said:
sin_chase - thanks for the tip about using rdp over the vpn, didn't realise you could do that - can you rdp into the pc the vpn server is running on (and that you are connected to) or does it need to be a different pc??
Click to expand...

Should not be an issue, use the internal address as you would on the local network.
 
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