DNS File browsing issue

[Richard Johansson]

Hi!
I am helping a client that has an SBS2003R2 set up for managing Exchange,
File Server as well as RRAS services. Up until recently, the RRAS worked just
perfectly, but recently, there has arisen a problem with file access across
PPTP.

Setup is constituted as such: 1 main office with dynamic IP. Router with
dynamic IP from ISP and SBS behind router. Router passes GRE and PPTP to SBS.
Several remote roaming clients accessing the server through PPTP VPN.

When a client is connected through PPTP, Exchange through Outlook works
perfectly, and clients can browse contents on the server. WHen looking into
the DNS server records, however, there seems to be issues regarding how the
IP adresses of the remote clients are assigned. I want to have a setup where
a remote client gets an IP address from the DHCP server on the SBS that is
already serving the main office LAN. I want that DHCP server to dynamically
update DNS Server records as well as removing these records when they are not
available through VPN anymore.

So far, I haven't got any luck. I have tried to use the Dial-in tab on the
Computer objects in Server Management, assigning the computers a static IP
address through there. THEn, i manually created DNS records in the [domain
name] container within the Forward Lookup zones and chose to create a
corresponding PTR record simultaneously. The problem here, was that the
clients didn't get those IP addresses when dialing in, hence messing up all
of my setup in DNS.

Now, how do I get this working? I have a hunch about re-running the Remote
Access guide, specifying to lease IP adresses to clients through DHCP. To
accomplish such a solution, I realise that I perhaps need to restart the DHCP
server service prior to running the Remote Access guide. Are there anything
else that I can do to give users access?

The main issue is that a roaming user needs to be able to publish material
on their hard drive over normal file sharing. As I have implemented (though
obviously incorrectly) DNS, I want to use it all the way even over VPN.

Suggestions please.

[Larry Struckmeyer[SBS-MVP]]

Richard:

SBS is not intended to be used in the manner you have described, and you
are making both too much work for yourself and putting your clients data
in jepordy. Yes, it works to VPN to the SBS and load files over the VPN,
but it is slow and dangerous to the data, particularly such things as accounting
or other database apps such as Access, which are easily corrupted if the
connection is lost while records are being updated.

SBS includes the Remote Web Workplace that is a website that runs on the
SBS and allows remote users to enter the SBS network from anywhere on the
planet with no VPN or PPTP required. There are two possibilities for an
endpoint, either a dedicated workstation for users to connect to, be it in
a rotating or one to one manner, or via Terminal Services running on a Windows
Server 2003 or 2008.

This arrangement will allow secure, protected connections from the remote
users to the SBS LAN and no data will ever leave the LAN. It is by far the
best method of connecting remote users to your SBS network.

If you whished to bump up the security even more you could enable a router
to router VPN from say a remote office to the main office, but for many remotes
at different locations, this is usually not practical.

-
Larry
Please post the resolution to your
issue so others may benefit
-
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