File sharing between remote Vista PCs connected to the Internet?

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How would I configure a Vista Ultimate and a Vista Home Premium to share
files if they were not on the same network. My dad's laptop is located in
California and my PC is in Illinois. I would like to avoid using any
additional software other than what comes installed with the OS. Furthermore,
my PC is connected through a Linksys router to the Internet and my dad's
laptop is connected directly to the Internet through a Verizon Air Card.
Thank you in advance.
 
You may have many options. Without buying any software, you can using
Microsoft VPN and RDC.

remote desktopTo use Remote Desktop, you need a WinXP Pro as the host and a
remote computer running Win9x or a more recent version of Windows as the
client that must have ...
www.howtonetworking.com/rdesktop.htm

How to setup VPNIf your VPN client cannot find servers or cannot ping
computernmae, you may need to add DNS and WINS into your VPN server. For
example, to add DNS and WINS ...
www.howtonetworking.com/Windows/vpnsetup.htm



--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com
 
Thanks Robert. Supose my dad and I wanted to use our computers
simultaneously and have one shared folder that we could both access at the
same time and make changes to at the same time. I don't think Remote Desktop
allows us to both be using our respective computers at the same time. Am I
correct in my assumption?

Therefore, with RDC out of the question, the only other way within Vista to
share files between two or more remote computers is to create a VPN? Is that
the only other way without using software that isn't native to the Vista OS?

Thanks again.
 
Also Robert, the link you supplied regarding VPN connections did not address
the Vista OS at all. If I am to create a direct link between these two
computers and I have to create a VPN, what are the steps involved? I opened
the Network and Sharing Center and selected "Set up a connection or network"
and then selected "Connect to a workplace" (because that connection allows
you to setup a VPN connection), but I got stumped soon thereafter when it
asked for Internet address: and Destination name:. Advice anyone? Robert?
You seemed to know about this sort of thing. Thanks.
 
DCLYNDS said:
How would I configure a Vista Ultimate and a Vista Home Premium to share
files if they were not on the same network. My dad's laptop is located in
California and my PC is in Illinois. I would like to avoid using any
additional software other than what comes installed with the OS.
Furthermore,
my PC is connected through a Linksys router to the Internet and my dad's
laptop is connected directly to the Internet through a Verizon Air Card.
Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

Here is a short how-to for setting up a PPTP VPN server and client on a
Vista machine.

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Vista/PPTP/PPTPVPN.html

If you can't get a PPTP VPN connection, most likely because of router issues
with GRE Protocol 47 at one end or the other, then I highly recommend Secure
Shell (SSH) and either the Tunnelier client or WinSCP client. Both are free.
SSH is quite easy to setup.

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Ssh/SecureShell.html

Personally I used SSH in the past. I now have a Windows Home Server running
for remote shared file access.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
 
In your case VPN is for you. This step by step how to may help.

Vista How toHow to: Disconnect Vista VPN connection .... To configure the
DNS suffix for the Vista VPN, please follow these steps: 1. Click
Start>Control Panel>Network ...
www.howtonetworking.com/vista/vista.htm


--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com
 
I keep reading that a VPN requires one PC has to act as a Server and the
other PC to act as a Client. Is there any way to configure the VPN so that
both computers act as both server and client? So that they are equal? Or do
I have to setup each computer as a VPN server for the opposite computer?
Also, how do I find the specific IP address of the computer if it hides
behind a router w/ a DHCP server that assigns it an address like
192.168.1.102?
 
DCLYNDS said:
I keep reading that a VPN requires one PC has to act as a Server and the
other PC to act as a Client. Is there any way to configure the VPN so that
both computers act as both server and client? So that they are equal? Or do
I have to setup each computer as a VPN server for the opposite computer?
Also, how do I find the specific IP address of the computer if it hides
behind a router w/ a DHCP server that assigns it an address like
192.168.1.102?
Click to expand...
In your case setup the VPN or SSH server on the desktop. The client (ie. the
laptop) would then be able to access files/folders on the server. There is
no need to setup a VPN or SSH server on the laptop. These illustrate this
concept (I hope)...

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Vista/PPTP/VPN-HomeUser.html

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Ssh/SSH-HomeUser.html

The client can upload or download files to/from the server PC. The server PC
and get files to the laptop simply by putting them into a know location (ie.
folder) on the server PC.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
 
Sooner Al said:
In your case setup the VPN or SSH server on the desktop. The client (ie.
the laptop) would then be able to access files/folders on the server.
There is no need to setup a VPN or SSH server on the laptop. These
illustrate this concept (I hope)...

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Vista/PPTP/VPN-HomeUser.html

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Ssh/SSH-HomeUser.html

The client can upload or download files to/from the server PC. The server
PC and get files to the laptop simply by putting them into a know location
(ie. folder) on the server PC.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
Click to expand...

I forgot to add that the VPN/SSH server PC really needs a static IP on the
LAN behind the router. Then you can setup port forwarding for either VPN or
SSH to that private LAN IP.

http://www.portforward.com/networking/static-vista.htm

You would call using the public IP of the router. If you get a dynamic IP
from your ISP, and that is what most folks have with a residential type
account, then you could use a free service like DynDNS or No-IP.com to get a
fully qualified domain name (FQDN) that maps to the dynamically assigned IP
address. Some routers, including the Belkin F5D7230-4 I currently use, have
built-in support for DynDNS for example. Setup an account and the router
will automatically contact the DynDNS servers on a time scheduled basis. The
DynDNS servers then map your current IP to your FQDN. You call the server
using the FQDN. That works quite well. If your router does not support
DynDNS or No-IP.com natively you can download and run a small program on the
server PC that does the same thing.

http://www.dyndns.com
http://www.no-ip.com

So, checking your router to see if it supports something like DynDNS is the
first step. Then setup a static LAN IP for your server and port forwarding.
--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
 
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