Alright guys, here's a question.

I have a client who wants to be able to share Peachtree data from their customer's locations to their own. They want to use PC Anywhere to do this. I am very very wary of PC Anywhere from the day's of old, when it was rediculously easy to hijack.

What do you guys suggest for a small scale (even at most, this would be put in place for 7-8 sites, with little more than a few mb a day of transfer) distributed share solution? It's got to be as transparent to the user as possible, these guys don't know enough for me to be able to leave them be with a typical VPN setup.

3/28/2006 3:16:34 PM

It seems like PC Anywhere gets recommended a decent amount, so maybe it's better?

What about Tarantella?

3/28/2006 3:20:48 PM

PCAnywhere still sucks major balls.

3/28/2006 3:22:35 PM

is terminal services not a viable option? what about sftp or scp? or hell just an http webshare

3/28/2006 3:25:42 PM

They don't have the budget or the manpower to keep a Win2k3 server up and running.

All that needs to happen is folder Foo on Computer A mapped as a network share to Computer B as network drive Foo.

Anything outside of using Windows explorer for the actual day-to-day handling of data is out of the question. It needs to be a set it and forget it service/background solution.

It's fine to have something query them to login daily or whatnot, but no secondary interfaces for the transfer.

3/28/2006 3:30:40 PM

set up a linux machine, run samba and iptables on it, put registry entries on all the machines (or make a .reg for them to distribute) that puts a key in HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

like this
net use /P:Yes x: \\server\share$ password /user:username

it's free, easy to setup, easy for them to use, and if they need more machines or another subnet to access it, load up ssh and fix it.

or

forget iptables, create user accounts for them (or a single account) and only let that account access the share

3/28/2006 3:40:34 PM

I think you have the reverse of what we are looking for.

There are several outside customer PC's. We need a uniform way to access a common folder on each computer, different locations, different customers, from the network here.

But yea, a basic linux box is my fallback idea, but I'm REALLY trying to avoid that, because once again, if anything goes haywire, I'll be the one having to make the drive to fix it. At least with windows I can remote assistance in.

3/28/2006 3:49:33 PM

you could fix any issue on the server with ssh, to fix things on the clients end, rather than make a .reg with that key, make an adm file and wrap it with an installer so you can install and uninstall it, so if it gets screwed, they can redo it themselves.

3/28/2006 3:58:09 PM

What about Hamachi? If it's small scale, it would be easy to setup a small network with the hosts, and then use whatever method of transferring files they prefer, like windows filesharing

3/28/2006 4:01:42 PM

Is File/Print Sharing out of the question with a PEACHTREEUSERS Group and individual logins to that folder?

3/28/2006 4:27:19 PM

yea using just windows is out of the question, opening shared folders to the internet is just waiting to get hacked.

3/28/2006 4:30:48 PM

One of the netadmins I know suggested this one (same but two locations) and it's free.

http://openvpn.net/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ovpnwc

3/28/2006 4:39:34 PM

I've yet to see a non-hardware implementation of vpn that wasn't slow as balls

3/28/2006 4:42:42 PM

^
true, but for low bandwidth transfers that noen was describing, it should be fine.

Quote :

"these guys don't know enough for me to be able to leave them be with a typical VPN setup."

If they can't simply use a VPN client app to access a shared resource, I'm not sure what would work that's simpler. IMO, VPN would be even simpler than a PC Anywhere type solution, at least from a user standpoint. The VPN setup is only going to be more complex for the administrator, but even then it ain't that bad.

[Edited on March 28, 2006 at 4:44 PM. Reason : asdfa]

3/28/2006 4:43:46 PM

Okay I just had a WebEx box dropped in my lap. Apparently they bought it and want to use it. Jesus I love legacy clients. Anyone know anything about WebEx

^yea I think I'm just going to put in a software vpn and call it a day

3/28/2006 5:12:21 PM

is ftp out of the question?

they can just go to ftp://server in explorer and then drag and drop their files.

unless im missing something here

3/28/2006 5:17:57 PM

^they could even make a shortcut with credentials cached that would make it look and almost work just like explorer

3/28/2006 5:47:51 PM

Quote :

"opening shared folders to the internet is just waiting to get hacked."

Agreed. I was suggesting it as a near-maintenance-free solution. I'd just as soon not trust the client machines as I would the folder sharing, but that's me.

You could always setup a CVS or SVN server they could access via the web; you can also remotely administer it if anything goes down..

3/28/2006 5:51:59 PM

completely free - 256 AES encryption setup: Hamachi with Ultr@VNC

http://www.hamachi.cc
http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/

3/28/2006 5:56:50 PM

So I am getting dominated just trying to get two machines to talk to each other on my local network.

Both are running Win2k.

Both have NetBIOS over TCP/IP enabled
Both have the other NetBIOS NetBUI IPX, etc protocols enabled

The machine I am trying to share has the folder shared with Everyone having full permissions.

I can't see the folder form the other machine.

Anyone know what I am doing wrong?

3/28/2006 9:00:17 PM

are the workgroups (or domains) the same on both?

3/28/2006 9:44:11 PM

Yea, sorry, I knew I was missing a peice of info. Yup, both at default WORKGROUP.

I can't ping either machine from the other. I don't have any software firewalls running, using a WRT54g v5 router (just upgraded the firware).

3/28/2006 9:53:01 PM

can u access the internet on both machines?

3/28/2006 10:03:02 PM

Sure

3/28/2006 10:09:16 PM

Not even windows 2003 server web edition? It's super cheap. At least in comparison to other versions.

How about VPN routers.

3/28/2006 10:16:01 PM

Still can't ping each other. Tried everything I know, doesn't seem to be anything in the web based router management that I can tweak.

3/28/2006 10:58:22 PM

Hamachi is pretty awesome *when* it actually works.

I've been playing with it forever now and routinely use it to access work projects via CVS

[Edited on March 28, 2006 at 11:05 PM. Reason : meh]

3/28/2006 11:04:55 PM

State409c, make sure

1) they are both obtaining IP's automatically
2) file sharing is ENABLED on the host

3/28/2006 11:41:52 PM

^^ true...i've had it go down once or twice in the past 6 months...but overall, for freeware, it's awesome

3/28/2006 11:45:13 PM

Quote :

"1) they are both obtaining IP's automatically"

I have tried both DHCP and statically assigning, I can get on the internet with both methods.

Quote :

"2) file sharing is ENABLED on the host"

Hmm, so would it be possible to make folders shared, and assign permissions, but sharing not be "enabled"?

Would this be easier in XP, everywhere I have read seems like W2k is a bit of a whore about this.

3/29/2006 9:11:50 AM

if the two boxes can't even ping each other, that's a problem.

are they even in the same subnet?

3/29/2006 9:15:05 AM

Well, one is a laptop via a wireless card, the other (my desktop) is via wired. But yea, both through the same router, which is connected to my cable modem. Basic stuff, I had this working before.

As far as I know, there aren't any settings on either that would ignore pings causing false can't ping. And I can ping the router with both machines.

All I am really wanting to do is be able to play music out in the living room through the laptop with the files stored on my desktop machine. I thought last night perhaps I could set up a shoutcast that just the laptop would see (and not the world) but I've never messed with that and if they can't even ping each other I'm not sure how that would work anyway.



[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 9:21 AM. Reason : x]

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 9:21 AM. Reason : x]

3/29/2006 9:19:30 AM

there's your problem. login to the router, check your wireless configuration. I can't remember specifically, but there is a / are setting(s) you have to manually enable in order to allow wireless to mix it up with the wired connections.

3/29/2006 10:37:43 AM

danke schon

Yea, I had a hunch actually last night after I gave up that maybe that could be it, I think there are more settings for that router avail. through telnet than via the html interface but I was too lazy to find a serial cable to try it with. Though, I'll probably drop the wired pcmcia card in first and try to get it working that way, then go back and see whats up with the wired/wireless conflict.

Yup, seems others have had this problem too

http://tinyurl.com/othwe

[Edited on March 29, 2006 at 11:07 AM. Reason : x]

3/29/2006 10:55:51 AM

Jesus, I think this router hates Windows file sharing

http://tinyurl.com/ofhhb

Guy has gone through hell and still hasn't gotten it working.

So....

Will the Winamp Shoutcast work?!

3/29/2006 11:34:23 AM

is it the intel 2200abg wireless chipset on the laptop? that chipset has to be the biggest piece of shit to ever get by IEEE standards. there are MANY routers it doesn't work properly with.

3/29/2006 1:04:29 PM

Its a Cisco Aironet 350 card.

3/29/2006 1:13:04 PM

Verified, without touching anything from last night when it wasn't working, with the exception of changing to a wired card, it works this way. Fucking linksys, what the fuck is this shit?

3/29/2006 8:24:39 PM

everything i've bought from linksys in the last 6 months has been a piece of fucking shit... I used one of their cheapo routers from a few years back to split internet to a 40+ person office for years without a single problem, 'upgraded' to one of their $600 VPN routers and internet connectivity would go out everytime anybody would do any real downloading. I went through 4 routers and called in 3 different companies to try to figure out wtf was going on before I finally got one that worked right.... now that's some quality control

3/29/2006 10:31:57 PM

State, ill check mine at home sometime (wrt54g right?) and see what I did on it. I just remember it taking a fucking retardedly long time to get it working

3/30/2006 2:03:50 AM

Man this is whacky as hell. So, I sit down to play with it tonight, of course, wired it's still working. I flip over to wireless and randomly, I have a computer called Pc584510515156 with the description "Family Cumputer" showing up in the Computer Near Me with a passworded access.

Strangely enough, my own computer (the laptop itself) doesn't show up like it usually does. I have a look at the protocols and I had cleaned them out the other night, so I added NetBeui back, and now my own shares show up again, along with the other machine. How the fuck can I see another machine?

I do a netstat -a and it says TCP port 1026 PC584510515156.nc.rr.com:netbios-ssn TIME_WAIT

Now ports 1065, 1068, 1070

3/30/2006 7:41:20 PM

I could have sworn I was pinging the desktop from the laptop and not vice versa, but now it isn't working again.

3/30/2006 9:32:03 PM

Jesus, don't I feel like a little bit of a tool. Aparently, someone has a strong router in the area that wasn't here a few months ago and my laptop was getting onto their network.

This explains why I can ping "my desktop" from my laptop, but not from my desktop the other direction.

Of course, the file sharing wasn't working instantly, but I think it should work now.


Edit:

And were online.

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 10:23 PM. Reason : x]

3/30/2006 10:06:31 PM

I feel like this sometime too...


[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 10:26 PM. Reason : 0]

3/30/2006 10:26:11 PM

https://www.foldershare.com/index.php?
I would check that out. A free Windows Live service. Looks like after the initial install it will keep things synced for you. A simple program they should be able to keep up with themselves.

Quote :

"FolderShare authenticates via RSA and is encrypted via 256 bit AES over SSL. FolderShare also has no problem working behind firewalls or through proxies."

[Edited on March 31, 2006 at 6:03 AM. Reason : Removed the other links.]

3/31/2006 5:50:26 AM