Linux Server Diary

The trials and tribulations of a Linux newbie trying to setup a home server.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Using the Purdue VPN with ZoneAlarm

I setup the Purdue VPN connection so that I can get to the Exchange server without using OWA. ZoneAlarm was giving me trouble, and the Purdue page wasn't much help. They said:
Also, please check that you do not have a ** firewall ** in place that would prevent access to the VPN server.
No hints on how to configure the firewall.

VPN TunnelThrough Google, I found this University of Florida page that explained how adding the VPN IP to the trusted zone will allow the communication.

I added 128.210.239.21 to the trusted zone, and all is working well.

All I have to do now is figure out how to have Outlook automatically "dial" the VPN when it starts up.

UPDATE: While I have the VPN up, I'm receiving unsolicited scans and packets (probably looking for drones) that ZoneAlarm is stopping. I didn't think about the fact that this connection effectively bypasses the firewall in my router. I'm glad ZoneAlarm is there, but I'm wondering what might be getting through. Since I had to setup the IP as in the trusted zone, security could be a little lax. I'm only going to keep this connected when needed.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Installed the Cable Modem

RCA Cable ModemThe cable guy came by on Tuesday and installed the cable modem and digital cable. (I'm frustrated with the digital, but that's for a different forum.) Last night, I hooked up the cable modem to the big network. I only took about 40 minutes to set up and configure everything.

I had thought that I would have to ask my router to spoof the MAC address of whatever PC was used for the configuration (such as what I helped my neighbor do with his setup), and that my SpeadStream 2614 router did not have this feature. I was wrong on both counts.

Insight doesn't offer instructions on using routers with their equipment, and they have the setup instructions aimed for the technical novice. However, it was pretty easy to augment their manual instructions to include the router.

My DSL setup with Verizon and work included a static IP address, so I changed the router to grab a dynamic address. Then I just followed the Insight instructions (which basically set up a proxy connection to their servers and nothing else). I registered the modem and it grabbed the router's MAC address - everything worked as expected.

After rebooting the modem, router, and browser as instructed, I tried to bring up a web page. No luck. None of the URLs were working. A quick check of the router's status page showed the DNS settings still pointing to the name servers at work, even thought I had selected the Dynamic IP setting. One would expect it to get the nameserver and gateway settings from DHCP. I tried everything to clear out the DNS and gateway addresses, but the SpeadStream wasn't allowing a blank entry in those fields. It was 8:55 and West Wing was coming up, so I hit the factory reset on the router. It took about 20 seconds to change the password back to my secret word and change the one security setting (ignore PING requests), and the DNS and gateway settings were cleared.

The last step was to change the SMTP server setting on each machine. I had been using the work server, but they have blocked outside servers from using that service, and I'm now on the outside. I switched all 4 to the InsightBB mail server.

It does seem to download a little faster than DSL, as I expected. The Bandwidth Test at PC Pit Stop showed a download rate of 2,300 kbps, while the DSL line came in around 690 kbps.

While preparing this post, I found these instructions that pretty much explain the whole thing.

(It took longer to write this post than it did to do the work!!)

(The Blogger spell check wanted to replace 'nameserver' with 'manservant'.)

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Giving Up on DSL

Well, I did it. I ordered digital cable and broadband from Insight. The installer comes on Tuesday morning.

I think that I will have to get a new router. My SpeedStream doesn't have the ability to spoof the MAC address that I think I will need to get InsightBB to allow communication. I don't know much about this yet, but I plan to research over the weekend before I buy one at Best Buy. I'll probably get a .11g model to allow for future wireless networking in the house.

The weird thing is that the cable box for the first TV costs $5.95, but each addition set is $7.95. I only got one for now.

Why did I do this? Because our DSL line has been down more than up for the past week. I called Verizon on Monday, and they promised to send a repair guy out the next day. Here it is Thursday night, and he hasn't shown yet. I'm still going to call them in the morning and make them come out a look at it, although I doubt that they will find anything. It will be working while he is here, so he'll just shrug his shoulders and leave. It will drop again 10 minutes later. I just know it.