From: x@x.x   
      
   Hi,   
      
   Just setup a PPTP VPN client on my Windows XP Home SP2 Laptop (ICF firewall)   
   to connect to my Windows XP Pro SP2 (Sygate firewall) Desktop's VPN server   
   situated behind a USR8000-02 US Robotics router. Enabled PPTP forwarding on   
   the router (built in rule, open port 1723, quite nice...). Registered my   
   always changing IP address with no-ip.org, so I always access my home public   
   WAN side with a DNS registered name. Smooth.   
   I have 3 issues with the VPN connection:   
   1. If I leave the firewalls enabled on both machines I cannot browse the   
   network at all, neither in My Network Places nor by typing \\namePC\share.   
   (my VPN server is configured with DHCP, so they assign IP - server and   
   client - addresses like 169.x.x.x, whilst my internal network is 192.x.x.x.   
   My firewalls both have File and Print Shareing pass through, even though on   
   the Sygate firewall I cannot see the VPN adaptor (just phisical adaptors),   
   so cannot make a rule for it).   
   2. If I disable the firewalls, then I CAN access my shares with   
   \\namePC\share, but My Network Places cannot see my Workgroup computers and   
   browse nicely, with icons and frills through them.   
   3. Is PPTP secure enough for such connection and to leave my network open   
   through the VPN port/server? (It took me 3 days to find resources (for home   
   users - novices - hobbists) and understand the setup of IPSec with preshared   
   keys, just to find out one needs a static IP address to be setup in the   
   IPSec policy...)   
   Any suggestions?   
   Thanks,   
   Julian   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)