VPN solution for a small business

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: cmetz
n0cmonkey, exactly which PC server hardware has a completely, non-kluge, and non-buggy serial console function? I'd really like to buy a few racks full of those.

Server: My Tyan dual athlon motherboard touts console redirect as a feature. Like I said, I haven't tried it yet, but it's supposedly there.

I've seen it mentioned in other motherboards too, but I haven't been in the market for a while. It's probably not bug free like Cisco, but it's there.

Sun's X4100 claims to have an rj45 serial management port, but I haven't gotten the chance to play with one yet.

 

[cmetz]

n0cmonkey, I have several Tyan motherboards, and none of them qualify as having a completely working serial console.

"It's probably not bug free like Cisco, but it's there." Well, that really is my point. There's a difference between what mostly works and what absolutely always works. When it's a critical part of my network, I prefer absolutely always works.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: cmetz
n0cmonkey, I have several Tyan motherboards, and none of them qualify as having a completely working serial console.

"It's probably not bug free like Cisco, but it's there." Well, that really is my point. There's a difference between what mostly works and what absolutely always works. When it's a critical part of my network, I prefer absolutely always works.

Out of curiosity, what doesn't work with them?

Where can I get hardware that never fails?

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: spidey07
Use the VPN on the router or firewall?

Depending on the model it should perform well.

Plus it doesn't have the hassles of a PC based system, it will always work.

Unless its a SonicWall.

I remember they were very popular in the early 2000s. I really liked them.

The they have a penchant for flaking out? Haven't heard of much from them.

Well, I will say that maybe it was just a "phase" that SonicWall was going through. But yeah, we were having problems with it "flaking out" and not just with the vpn but with just regular routing and firewalling, too. Over several years, we got used to it not being reliable (I never understood why the IT director was adamant about keeping it and paying for maintenance on it). However a few months ago they had a firmware update, and really since then its been stable, however I still can't get l2tp to work.

 

[rustyjeep]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I am currently in the same boat. We have a linux box that does our firewalling and our vpn (firewall is via IPtables, vpn is via openswan). I am very unhappy with the vpn, as it's almose impossible to use. I've considered either putting an ISA server behind the existing firewall and using that for vpn clients (I haven't given alot of thought to it yet), or getting an appliance, like the symantec gateway security - http://www.symantec.com/Products/enterprise?c=prodinfo&refId=869&cid=1006

Any feelings on that? I think that if I get an appliance, then my world will be alot easier

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: cmetz
n0cmonkey, exactly which PC server hardware has a completely, non-kluge, and non-buggy serial console function? I'd really like to buy a few racks full of those.

mmm, every PC server hardware that can run Windows Server 2003 and has a 16550 UART?? Emergency Management Services is built in and free.

Why you would want to use a Serial Port when there are out of band management cards available from all the big OEMs is beyond me. I think you may be too focused on how typical network devices do it rather than how PCs do it. Many network devices still use serial because it overcomes their inherent limitiations (no f'n video card for one). PC's don't really have this issue.



edit: typo (might be more )

 

[petey117]

i am not positive about win2K3, but i know that win2k server VPN did not support split tunneling. that is important (at least to me)
the pix 515 supports VPN with split tunneling, but one thing i haven't seen yet, is how many simultaneous clients you plan on having at any given time