Open VPN

tomsolomon

I'm very limited for space at the moment, and I want to set up several machines, Windows, Linux and Solaris.
I want to know the best way to go about doing this. I was thinking of setting up the machines then unplugging the monitors keyboards and mice and putting them into a cupboard connected to a switch, and using my main PC or laptop to access them remotely over my local network. Will this work and is there anything I need to take into consideration?

Darksun

VNC would work, but if you have any issues that affect networking then it would be a pain, since you'd have to go and plug all the equipment into the affected machine to troubleshoot it.

You could look into getting a KVM switch, which basically allows you to use 1 keyboard, mouse and screen with multiple computers and quickly switch between them. They're commonly used in server rooms. Downside of this setup is the machines have to be located relatively close together, and close to the interface as well.

LeeSouthEast

If they're local, what do you need the VPN for?

tomsolomon

Have you seen the price of Sun KVM switches.....:eek:
Would a standard KVM switch suffice, I have Sun>PS2 keyboard and mouse converters, and Sun13W3>VGA converters.

I also want to be able to access the network whilst roaming, mobile broadband.

Darksun

I can't see why the converters wouldn't work (apart from physical spacing issues) but as it's something I've never had dealings with I wouldn't like to guarantee it.

I'd say go for the VNC method first, since it's not going to cost you anything to play around with that. If it becomes too restrictive then you can look into investing into specialist hardware at a later date.

esuhl

I have a Windows XP PC that I use as a wireless print server, and use Remote Desktop from my Windows 7 PC when I need to connect to it. It works really well. I haven't got round to installing Samba or a VNC utility on my Linux PCs, but I don't see why this wouldn't work.

If your main PC is powerful enough you could use VirtualBox to install the various OSes... Or you could triple-boot your PC if you only need to use one OS at a time.

exup

one of the problems with some mobile broadbands is they wont support VPNs and the router you have over your LAN may not support a VPN either. (easiest way to check is access the router setup page and if supported there will be a VPN setup page in there somewhere).

You could try Teamviewer which is a free program and each PC running team viewer required its own ID number and password to log into it. You can also setup the program to run at startup, even before any login screens. Quite similar to VNC, but if I remember its just the one program to link up. Whereas VNC needs client and server programs (On the hosts you are wanting to remote into)

tomsolomon

I have a couple of routers....
The Netgear DG834g with the upgraded firmware supports VPN, bridging, switching etc, and is a pretty good router, although I think it's just a smart switch branded as a router for the broadband market.....
And the D-link DSL-2640r which is as about as much use as a door stop, but has some functionality...
I've been reading up on the VPN over 3G, I think you may be right. I will do a little more digging to see if I can't find a definitive answer.....
If the worse comes to the worst I can always plug in to a hotspot somewhere.....

esuhl

exup wrote: »

one of the problems with some mobile broadbands is they wont support VPNs

Did you meant to refer to VNC rather than VPN, tomsolomen? VNC will let you access local PCs remotely over your own network, while VPN is used to create an encrypted "tunnel" on a public network (like the Internet).

Mr23

Have you looked into running them on one system? You can virtualise the systems with products like VMWare, Virtual Box, Virtual PC etc.

S0litaire

As for the Linux and Solaris all you need is the 'ssh server' installed on them both.

SSH allows you to securly log remotly on to a server and control it remotely via the command line. (you can also use "ssh -X" to run applications remotely).

Most linux install have remote desktop installed as standard.