From: terence_daltonNOSPAM@hotmailDOT.com   
      
   "802.11g"  wrote in   
   news:1120578123.571650.222070@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:   
      
   >   
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   >   
   > Mike Drechsler - SPAM PROTECTED EMAIL wrote:   
   >> 802.11g wrote:   
   >> > Hi,   
   >> > i was wondering if anyone could help with an issue i have in   
   >> > sharing 3 databases over VPN. i have three offices each with 2-6   
   >> > workstations all running XP Pro SP2, they are all connected using   
   >> > draytek 2600plus adsl routers and seem to be fine most of the time   
   >> > but every so often one of the databases cannot be accessed by the   
   >> > other two locations, although the other two can still be accessed   
   >> > by the disfunctional computer. it can vary which network the issue   
   >> > resides on. in order to deal with this i edited the host files on   
   >> > all the computers and manually set the ips.   
   >> > i have also removed or disabled any firewalls and regardless of   
   >> > which machine goes down i can always ping all the other machines by   
   >> > IP. there are no servers running WINS all three networks are peer   
   >> > to peer and in their workgroups   
   >> >   
   >> > this has been a head scratcher for sometime and any and all help is   
   >> > appreciated in adavance.   
   >> >   
   >> > thnx   
   >>   
      
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   You have several options.  First off I'd consider getting of workgroups   
   and going to a single domain model with Windows 2003 server or Windows   
   2003 Small Business Server.  You will have centralized user accounts with   
   active dircectory coupled with Dynamic DNS which will give you name   
   resolution with automatic computer registration/deregistration w/ DNS   
   (hence Dynamic DNS)  instead of workgroups.  I'd also consider using   
   Terminal Services on your 2003 server as opposed to pulling a DB over a   
   DSL link.   In this model you would have a main site where the server and   
   the database reside (preferrably the site w/ the most internet bandwidth   
   and the 2 remote sites would connect via RDP (remote desktop) and have a   
   virtual desktop that looks and feels just like a local desktop   
   environment (after tweaking which does require some know how that can be   
   researched by searching on windows terminal server profiles, etc). In   
   addition with a properly configured profile you can lock down the users   
   desktop so that they can not load additional software, screensavers, etc.   
   The best part about this model is that it is extremely easy to manage and   
   easily expandable.  I have clients that started with us that originally   
   had 20 users with desktop PCs and nightmare issues and now have 250 users   
   in a terminal server/Citrix environment and there is no PC management to   
   speak of.  Hope this gives you some direction   
      
   TD   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)