Using Remote Desktop from outside my VPN, Please Help.

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Guest

Sorry if this is long-winded, please stick with it.

I work fora small company who have recently decided we need access to an
excel spreadsheet on our company P.C. from home over the weekend. After
scouting about on the internet I found out about Remote Desktop and began
following advice from various sources off the internet:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/northrup_03may16.mspx

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/remoteintro.mspx

I'm handy on computers but by no means a natural with them! I managed to get
the system working so I could log on to the host machine from my laptop (the
client) while at work running my machine through the network.

When I take the laptop home however and try to access the host I get the
following error message:
***********************************************************
The client could not connect to the computer.

Remote connections might not be enabled or the computer might be to busy to
accept new connections. It is also possible that network problems are
preventing your connection.

Please try connecting again later. If the problem continues to occur,
contact your administrator.
***********************************************************

We have a netgear router at work and I think it may be somethig to do with
dynamic and static IP adresses, bu honestly i'm lost.

Any help or advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated.
 
You need to forward TCP Port 3389 through the router to the static LAN IP of
the PC you want to remotely access/control. You would call using the public
IP of the router, ie. the IP assigned to it by the ISP...

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.o...pSetupandTroubleshooting.html#Port_forwarding

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.o...ktopSetupandTroubleshooting.html#Call_Schemes

--

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...
 
My first message was a bit inaccurate I think. I can get access to the host
computer using Remote desktop on my LAN connection at work (we have a Belkin
G+MIMO Modem Router - FFD9630uk4A). When I try to connect to the host at home
via my personal BT Broadband connection (VPN?) using either the ISP from
IPCONFIG/ALL or the router IP I get error messages.

I have tried the steps on the previous email but no joy, I'm sure it's
something to do with my router settings ut can' work out what. I really don't
want to have to buy a static I.P from BT and hope I don't have to. Any
further advice greatly appreciated.
 
First you don't need a static IP from the ISP in order to connect from home
to the work PC. You could use a service like No-IP.com that maps a fully
qualified domain name to the ISP assigned dynamic IP address. You then call
using the FQDN. Go to http://www.no-ip.com for details. Alternatively you
can go to the http://www.whatismyip.com site while on the work PC and get
the public IP address. Note that if the work ISP assigns that address
dynamically it can change in the future.

Second, the static IP I am talking about is for the work PC on the work PC
LAN. Does that PC have a static LAN IP? If not then port forwarding of TCP
Port 3389 through the work router to a dynamic address will fail at some
point simply because rebooting the PC may cause it to be assigned a
different IP from the work DHCP server. See this page for help setting up a
static IP on the work PC. You will need to coordinate this with the work
network admins.

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

Thirdly, as I noted earlier you need to forward/open TCP Port 3389 through
the work router. The http://www.portforward.com site has help for that.
Ignore references to UDP Port 3389 as it is not needed.

http://www.portforward.com/english/applications/port_forwarding/RemoteDesktop/RemoteDesktopindex.htm

You can test port forwarding from the PC you want to remotely access/control
by going to the http://www.canyouseeme.org site and testing on TCP Port
3389.

Fourth, since you can connect over the work LAN to the PC from another local
PC your right in saying you have Remote Desktop setup correctly. The issue
then becomes a matter of port forwarding through the router and using the
correct public IP or FQDN.

--

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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