[mphenterprises]

Hi Annalee. I agree with SMax that the issues you are having transcends both applications. I am a preparing for a client now but I will try to put together a brief tutorial of how RealVNC worked for me.

[smax013]

annalee44 said:

I have played around with the firewall, but may have to change my ports. But I really do not understand how to do that or especially how to figure out about the router. Most of that is greek to me. I did find the settings for the firewall and allowed it to except remote desktop and the exceptions, but how do I go about changing the router?

Without the specific model and the manual for that model (which might be available online), I cannot offer specific directions too easily. But, I can certainly give general ideas and might help you zero in if you tell me what you see on the router setup at certain places.



There is two (three if you want to get technical...two basically accomplish the same basic thing just in two different ways) basic ways to configure that router. According to this Micro$oft document, it is port 3389. This is where RealVNC might be different...it might use a different port...I am sure that [~44270] can tell you the appropriate port for that if you end up wanting to try that option. Otherwise, everything above applies for either RealVNC or Remote Desktop (or any other software that would connect the two computers).



Once you input the IP and port and hit apply, it should be good to go. Assuming you have setup Remote Desktop and any firewall properly, using the WAN IP to connect in the Remote Desktop software should work fine.



The first general way is to put the computer "outside" the router. I put this in quotes because there are two ways and only one is literally putting the computer outside the router while the other way is more figuratively. The most simple way is to just eliminate the router...have the computer connect directly to the modem. Now, if the church has more than one computer, this will nto really be an option. The second way is to use what is commonly referred to as the DMZ zone function of the router. With this way, you are still connected to the router, but you are setting the router to act as if it was NOT there for that computer. This will still allow the router to serve the other computers (if there are other computers) so that they can have access to the Internet connection, but make it so the one computer is effectly not "hidden" by the router. The down side of EITHER way is that the computer is no longer protected by the psuedo (and/or real, depending on the router) firewall functionality of the router. If you go with this general option, then DEFINITELY make sure you are running a software firewall on the computer. To do this, go to the router setting a look for the DMZ function settings (Linksys actually calls it DMZ...I believe at least some of the other router manufacturers do as well). In the setting screen, there should be a place to input a local IP address (this will most likely be in the range of 192.168.xxx.xxx, but could be a couple other ranges...depends on how the router is set). This would be the local network IP address that is assigned to the computer. Thus, you will need to determine the local IP address of that computer and input it on that setting screen...and hit apply (or whatever). That should put it "outside" the router. Thus, when you input the WAN (Verizon, if I recall correctly) IP address that that you get from your ISP in to Remote Desktop, the router will automatically route that traffic to that computer and the connection should work (assuming Remote Desktop and any firewall software is setup properly).



The second general way is to use port or application forwarding (what it is called will depend on the router manufacturing). Basically, this is kind of doing the same thing as the DMZ, but just for one port/protocol or a range at a time...while the DMZ does it for ALL ports/protocols. So, to set this way up, you will have to go to the port or application forwarding setup screen in the router setup (it might be called something else). It should provide a list of input spaces to enter different IP addresses and different ports. This would allow you for forward one port/protocol to one computer but a different one to a different computer...or a bunch to one computer. You will need the local IP address of the computer (same as with the DMZ). You then enter that IP address and the port number or range of numbers that you want forwarded to that IP address.



The challenge of this second way is you need to know the port number(s) that Remote Desktop uses.

[mphenterprises]

Okay, I have the Enterprise version of RealVNC but I am going to presume you downloaded the Free version. Here is the differences in each version:

http://www.realvnc.c...c/features.html

I am going to tell you what I did and you can base your situation on my setup. My setup is as follows:

- Secondary computer (Windows XP Home) uses LAN connection to cable modem and wireless network is established from this computer

- Main computer (Dual Boot Windows XP Professional/Windows Vista Ultimate) uses wireless connection to wireless network - Real VNC is installed on this computer as both the server and the viewer

- Laptop (Windows XP Professional) - Real VNC is installed on this computer as both the server and the viewer





Preparation:

- Logged into online router settings to configure the Port Forwarding option

- The Port Range is established during the installation of Real VNC. The default port is 5900.

- From within the Port Forwarding section of the online router utility, I set the Port Range from 5800 to 5900, Still under the Port Forwarding section of your router, make sure you apply the following settings:

# Application Name is the name of the computer connected to the wireless network. In your case, that would be the church computer's official Windows name. To find out what this name is, there should be a section from within the Port Forwarding section that shows the computers connected to the wireless network.
# Port Range should be something as mentioned previously.
# Protocol should be set to Both
# IP Address is the IP Address associated with the computer connected to the wireless network. Again, this is available from the same location where you found the Application Name.
# Make sure Enable is selected
# Click Apply

- Since I am using the Enterprise version, I have the option to set an encryption Password which basically means that when I attempt to connect to the main computer via the laptop or vice versa, I have to first put in a valid Password.

- Presuming you are the only user of the application, under the Security tab of RealVNC, make sure you remove the check mark, if any, from the box next to Prompt Local User to Accept Connections




Connection:

- Click (or Double Click) on the VNC Viewer 4 icon on your Desktop

- Since you are not directly connected to the same network that the church computer is connected, you are going to need the true IP Address of the network. This information is available from the online utility as well. Mine is called Gateway Summary. I am sure your online utility is similar. Once you have found the true IP Address of the network, you will use that in the Server section. Please click on the image to expand and get an idea of what you can expect. Remember, the log in you see is for the Enterprise version so your log in my be different.






- Once you entered the IP Address, click OK to log in.





I know this seems lengthy but the hardest part is the setup. Once you have everything in order the use of the application is very easy. SMax, please fill in any holes you can, if any.

[annalee44]

O.K. guys, that is alot of info to absorb. Thanks so much for your time. I believe I understand most of it, believe it or not. But the one part I don't get is the simplest. How do I find the router settings? Is the router inside the modem? I get how to go to (online utility??) and find the ip address. I have done that. But how do I find the router settings? By the way, the church only has that one computer and I am the administrator with several other users on it.

[smax013]

annalee44 said:

O.K. guys, that is alot of info to absorb. Thanks so much for your time. I believe I understand most of it, believe it or not. But the one part I don't get is the simplest. How do I find the router settings? Is the router inside the modem? I get how to go to (online utility??) and find the ip address. I have done that. But how do I find the router settings? By the way, the church only has that one computer and I am the administrator with several other users on it.

The router (if there is one) could be a seperate device from the modem...or could be built into the modem. If there is a second device/box besides the modem, then that should be router. If not, then you might not have a router...or it modem might have a router function built into it. To find out, you need to see what the IP address of the computer is. The easiest way is to go to the Start menu and select Run from it. In the resulting dialog box, type in "command" and hit enter. This will open up a DOS prompt window. When it opens and gives you a cursor, type in the following command and hit enter: "ipconfig /all". This should list the IP information for the various network connections of the computer. Find the listing for the Ethernet adapater Local Area Connection. If the IP Address starts off with 192.168.xxx.xxx, 10.xxx.xxx.xxx, or 172.16.xxx.xxx thru 172.31.xxx.xxx, then you know there is a device providing a router function as those are all "private" or local IP address ranges. If so, then look at the IP address of the Default Gateway for the Ethernet connection. Putting that IP address in the address bar of the web browser (Internet Explorer or what ever you use) should give you access to the routre setup pages. Note that you will likely have to enter a password, which can vary from router to router. If you don't know the password, then we will likely not be able to help too much...unless you know the brand and model of the router AND assuming it has not been changed from the default password.

[mphenterprises]

Well, I believe this was addressed previously. We would need to know the router manufacturer to assist you with accessing the online router settings. The default IP address to access the online router utility is 192.168.1.1. Once you access this site, you will be prompted to enter the UserID and Password. This is manufacturer specific.

[annalee44]

O.K. ethernet adapter local area connection ip address does start with one of those #s so I must have a router inside modem because my modem is my only box or device on both computers. Then I entered gateway ip into browser and it took me to bellsouth. com's modem page. It has a place to configure and password. It shows a password that is x'ed out but I believe I might know what it is. The modem is a wirespeed dual connect - model # c90-610030-06. The password has not been changed to my knowledge. Excuse me if you answered this already and I missed it, but do I need to do this configuring on both computers or just the church one? Thank you for all your help and I ask your forgiveness for not being so computer savvy.

[mphenterprises]

annalee44 said:

>

Quote

...but do I need to do this configuring on both computers or just the church one?

>
>



Nope, just the church router settings since that computer will act as the server. According to this website, http://www.cirt.net/...?vendor=Westell , the router User ID & Password should be as follows:

User Name: admin

Password: password


From the church computer, make sure that you are successfully logged onto the wireless network and then type http://192.168.1.1 in the address bar of your browser. The login page should open. Enter the User Name and Password and you will be good to go. From there, it is really all based on the manufacturer's setup. We would really need to see the screen you are looking at to verify where you should go.

[smax013]

mphenterprises said:

The default IP address to access the online router utility is 192.168.1.1.

Not always. Some router manfacturer's using a different IP (I am pretty sure that Apple's default is 10.0.0.1). And on many routers, this address (the router's private address on the LAN or what will end up as the "gateway address) can be changed by the user. You are correct that for a LOT of routers is the default setting is 192.168.1.1 and it appears that might be the case here...but it should be noted (for the benefit of others that might have similar issues) that it will NOT always be the case.

[mphenterprises]

Hi SMax. Good clarification. :D

[annalee44]

O.k. I got to the church and looked up the ip address and typed it into the browser and it was different than mine at home and confusing to me. You can see it here and maybe you can lead me.






http ://192.168.1.254 /Home

[mphenterprises]

Hi Anne. Yes, it is more than likely going to be different than the IP address you see at home. The two computers are on two different networks. However, the IP address that you listed is just the IP address of the computer itself, not the router IP address.

The information listed in my previous posts shows the likely address you should use to access the router's online configuration page and the User Name and Password combination you should use.

[tman]

If you want to be able to control your Windows XP Professional
system remotely, set it up as a remote server. Using an administrator user
account, choose Start
Performance and Maintenance <System (or
press the Windows-Break key), click the Remote tab, select the "Allow
users to connect remotely to this computer" checkbox in the Remote Desktop
section of the tab to enable incoming connections, and click Select Remote
Users if you want to control which user accounts can be used by remote clients.
(Windows automatically allows connections from the current user, along with all
user accounts in the local Administrators and Remote Desktop Users groups.)
Normally,
remote clients connect to the server via a local area network or a permanent
Internet connection. However, you can also configure the remote server to
accept incoming phone calls if you have a dial-up modem. Create a dial-up
connection that accepts incoming calls by running the New Connection Wizard
(click "Create a new connection" from the task pane in the Network
Connections window). Choose "Set up an advanced connection" as the
Network Connection Type, choose "Accept incoming connections," choose
your modem, choose whether to accept VPN connections and choose which user accounts the incoming connection
can connect to.

Firewalls usually refuse remote access connections
so if you want your remote server to be
accessible from the Internet, you need to open a port in your computer's
firewall. Remote Desktop uses port 3389. If you use Windows XP's built-in
Windows Firewall, display the Network Connections window, right-click the
Internet connection, choose Properties from the shortcut menu, click the
Advanced tab, and click Settings to display the Advanced Settings dialog box.
Click the Remote Desktop checkbox; if the Service Settings dialog box appears,
just click OK.

When you connect from your remote client (described later in
this hack), you need to provide a domain name or IP address. If your
computer connects via a dial-up, DSL, or cable connection, its IP address
changes each time you connect, and the computer doesn't have a domain name. One
solution is to have someone at the remote server display the _Network Connections window, right-click the Internet
connection, choose Status from the shortcut menu, click the Support tab, and
call, IM, or email you with the IP address that appears_. However, this solution is no good if no one is
available to do this. Instead, you can sign up for a dynamic DNS service . The dynamic
DNS service at DynDNS.org gives you a free domain name in the form
<yourname>.dyndns.org (they offer several dozen domain names to which you
can add your name). TZO.com provides a subdomain at <yourname>.tzo.com
for $25 per year. You install a small utility on your computer that
automatically tells the dynamic DNS whenever your computer's IP address
changes.

One final configuration note: when a
client connects to your server via Remote Desktop, the user logs into one of
the Windows XP user accounts. You can't log into accounts that have no
password. Choose which account you plan for remote users to log into, and give
it a password.

h4. 5.7.2. Setting Up the Remote Client
To set up the remote client software that comes with
Windows XP, connect to the Internet and then choose Start <
All Programs >Accessories <Communications <
Remote Desktop Connection. (If it's not there, you need to install it from your Windows CD.)
In the Remote Desktop Connection window, type the domain name or IP address of
the server computer and click Connect. Log on with the Windows XP user account
and password for the remote server. Your computer screen now shows what's on
the screen of the server computer. A connection bar appears as a button on the
screen, showing the IP address of the remote server, along with Minimize,
Restore, and Maximize buttons you can use to resize the remote client window.
Once you're connected, you can cut and paste information
from the remote client window to other windows. You can also use local files in
your remote session; your local disk drives appear in My Computer (Windows
Explorer). When you print from the remote client, the print job goes to your
default local printer, not to the printer on the server.

Sometimes you would like to connect to
your home machine from work or while traveling. Making your home machine a
virtual private network (VPN) server is a secure way to accomplish this.

If you've ever taken
files home so that you can work on them on your personal computer, you've
probably had the experience of arriving to work the next day only to realize
you've forgotten to bring the files back with you. If the files were important
enough, you probably had to drive all the way back home to get them, or you're
had to make a lame excuse to your boss as to why you don't have the TPS report
ready yet. Perhaps you're a road warrior who has found yourself stranded in a
hotel room on a Monday morning, just hours before a big meeting, without that
copy of the presentation you thought you had copied from your home machine. If
either of these sounds like a situation you've been in, this is the hack for
you.

It is well known that Windows XP has
a VPN client built into it, which allows you to make secure connections to your
company's network. Less well known is that Windows XP also has the ability to act
as a VPN server, allowing you, or others you designate, to make secure
connections into your home network. While you have an established VPN session
with your home machine, you can access files from its hard drive or other
machines on the network that have file sharing enabled. All you need is a local
Internet connection and a VPN client that supports the Point to Point
Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which the client for all versions of Windows does.

Preparing your home machine to accept
VPN connections is fairly straightforward. Click Start < Settings < Control Panel < Network and
Internet Connections <Network Connections <Create a new connection. T

his will launch the New Connection Wizard. While advancing through
this wizard, the options you want to enable are "Set up an advanced
connection," "Accept Incoming Connections," and "Allow virtual
private connections." The sixth screen of the wizard allows you to specify
the users that can use the VPN; make sure you enable at least one account. If
you haven't created a password for your user, now is the time to do so. You are
essentially opening up a part of your machine to the Internet, so make sure you
choose a good password. After the wizard is complete, nothing further needs to
be done; the VPN is ready to accept incoming connections. You can test this by
using a VPN client to connect to the IP address of the VPN server machine.

Most home users use a
router that provides Network Address Translation (NAT), which obscures the
actual IP address of the machine they want to make a VPN connection to. This
means you won't be able to make a VPN connection to your machine until you
configure your router to allow the VPN traffic to pass through to your VPN
server.