link up options

Your advice please folks:

I'd like to link up from me to parents for remote PC operation and
video/voice comms.
Both on fixed IP broadband with Draytek 2500 routers.
A Win XP and W98 PC hanging off them each end, shared folders with PW
that have worked happily together when all down here inside the LAN.
AVG and ZA installed of course.

Seems like there are two options (you may know of more of course):

Open the ports for VNC and PC-tel as required.
Now I'm not keen on anything that requires a lot of operation at the far
end (he'll forget and need help to get help), nor am I keen on leaving
ports open all day and night.

Try VPN. Seems good at first glance, with nice instructions here:
http://www.draytek.co.uk/support/vpn_setup.html

So is it this easy and worthwhile ?
What will I get wrong <g> ?
What security holes are there to guard against ? We might leave the
telephone app running at least, but probably not VNC server.

ta
Bill

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:54:56 UTC, bill
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Open the ports for VNC and PC-tel as required.

Could do that, and restrict to just your own IP.

--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
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"bill" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43B9A130.7AC9E96B@genLUNCHEONMEATBANNEDsheet. co.uk...
> Your advice please folks:
>
> I'd like to link up from me to parents for remote PC operation and
> video/voice comms.
> Both on fixed IP broadband with Draytek 2500 routers.
> A Win XP and W98 PC hanging off them each end, shared folders with PW
> that have worked happily together when all down here inside the LAN.
> AVG and ZA installed of course.
>
> Seems like there are two options (you may know of more of course):
>
> Open the ports for VNC and PC-tel as required.
> Now I'm not keen on anything that requires a lot of operation at the far
> end (he'll forget and need help to get help), nor am I keen on leaving
> ports open all day and night.
>
> Try VPN. Seems good at first glance, with nice instructions here:
> http://www.draytek.co.uk/support/vpn_setup.html
>
> So is it this easy and worthwhile ?
> What will I get wrong <g> ?
> What security holes are there to guard against ? We might leave the
> telephone app running at least, but probably not VNC server.

Have tried VPN, didn't have a lot of success with it though, tried UltraVNC,
works a treat. ;-)
Plus it's free, even better ;-)

P.

bill wrote:
>
> Your advice please folks:
>
> I'd like to link up from me to parents for remote PC operation and
> video/voice comms.
> Both on fixed IP broadband with Draytek 2500 routers.
> A Win XP and W98 PC hanging off them each end, shared folders with PW
> that have worked happily together when all down here inside the LAN.
> AVG and ZA installed of course.
>
> Seems like there are two options (you may know of more of course):
>
> Open the ports for VNC and PC-tel as required.
> Now I'm not keen on anything that requires a lot of operation at the far
> end (he'll forget and need help to get help), nor am I keen on leaving
> ports open all day and night.
>
> Try VPN. Seems good at first glance, with nice instructions here:
> http://www.draytek.co.uk/support/vpn_setup.html
>
> So is it this easy and worthwhile ?
> What will I get wrong <g> ?
> What security holes are there to guard against ? We might leave the
> telephone app running at least, but probably not VNC server.
>
> ta
> Bill

A reply for posterity. You can't tunnel in to a Draytek 2500, only
out. A limitation of the base model.

VNC and PC-Tel run nicely over port forwarding, and ports seem blocked
OK when the software isn't running.
That will do for now, he runs programmes to do stuff and the router
stays set up. Had to do file transfers by two ftp transactions into
mutually available web space instead of IP to IP transfer.

Bill