VPN device

[localzuk]

I am currently looking at buying a 'slot in' VPN device which will support SSL and IPSec VPN connections into the school. The 2 I've come up with so far are a Zyxel device, a SonicWall device and a Billion device:

 

ZyXEL ZyWALL SSL 10 - Security appliance - Ether... - 91-009-033003B at Insight UK

 

SonicWALL SSL VPN 200 - VPN gateway - 4 ports -... - 01-SSC-5947 at Insight UK

 

Billion BiGuard S10 - SSL/IPSec VPN Security Gat... at Insight UK

 

What do people recommend? They're all roughly the same price and do roughly the same thing.

[plexer]

You can't install Open VPN ALS anywhere?

 

How many people will be connecting to it?

 

Have a look at the Barracuda products as well.

 

Ben

[jamesreedersmith]

Sonic Wall all the way = easy to use, easy to configure and rock steady.

 

Cheers

James

[localzuk]

You can't install Open VPN ALS anywhere?

 

How many people will be connecting to it?

 

Have a look at the Barracuda products as well.

 

Ben

 

We want a hardware solution - not another bit of software to manage.

 

I'll take a look at Barracuda too.

[plexer]

You'll still have to manage the "software" on the device and set it up to talk to your active directory, publish shares, applications or whatever thought I'd guess?

 

Ben

[Mr.Ben]

I've got a sonic wall and second it!

 

Easy to use and configure, and the support is ok (although American!)

 

I bought the SSLVPN-2000 for £1400 including the first years support - which was handy because at first I didn't have it plugged into the UPS and it seemed to be destroyed by a power surge we had in the holidays.

 

Even with that destruction (It wouldn't stay up for more than 10 mins), I could get it into saqfe mode, download my settings and the next day a nice new replacement arrived and it was back up and running in less than 24 hours.

 

The 2000 gives you a nice web front end and remote desktop over the connection too. I use it to allow staff with laptops to access our Shared drives from home, admin staff can control there own desktops (and therefore SIMS and FMS) and staff without a specific computer can access their My Docs and all of the Shares

Edited November 4, 2009 by Mr.Ben

[keithu]

We've got one of these: DrayTek Vigor 3300V Firewall

 

It's been in about 3 years and has been 100% reliable.

 

ETA

Looks like you would need this one http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/vigor2950.html for SSL support.

Edited November 4, 2009 by keithu
more info

[plexer]

DrayTek Vigor 2950 Dual WAN Load Balancer & VPN Concentrator

 

Ben

[djdohboy]

Try server 2008 with terminal services (remote app) I use that to use sims from outside the network. And you don't need to log onto a ts session, you just launch the prog you want.

 

Well worth a look at ..... And quite cheap too.

[localzuk]

Try server 2008 with terminal services (remote app) I use that to use sims from outside the network. And you don't need to log onto a ts session, you just launch the prog you want.

 

Well worth a look at ..... And quite cheap too.

 

That'd be a faff - 'in school you do this, out of school you have to do this'. I just want a 'connect to vpn, and its like being in school'

[Tallwood_6]

Also got the watchguard firebox series of SSL VPN's, not sure what they are like but i'm hoping to get a trial unit shortly.

[MatthewL]

Check Watchguard out, we have a nice little seup with ours at the moment, I can recommend their VPN software very good and easy to use.

[plexer]

Hows it going to work though?

 

Connect to VPN fair enough but then they are still going to have to do something after that as drives etc... won't be mapped?

 

I'm looking for something similar myself so just trying to work out how it would all work.

 

Ben

[dwhyte85]

SonicWALL is very good but it's a bit expensive (well, was in industry - not sure about edu).

[tom_newton]

If it's "IP level" VPN you are wanting (IPSec and OpenVPN style) Smoothie can do these things, and generally inexpensively. If it is "Application layer" stuff.. the Billion gets good reviews.

[Mr.Ben]

Hows it going to work though?

 

Connect to VPN fair enough but then they are still going to have to do something after that as drives etc... won't be mapped?

 

I'm looking for something similar myself so just trying to work out how it would all work.

 

Ben

 

The SonicWall VPN Client (which I only put on locked down Staff laptops) allows you to run a batch file after it starts. As long as the user is logged into the machine with the same credentials as they would normally on your Network, it will map drives with no problems.

 

I've got BSquared running over it as well, but SIMS really doesn't like it EDIT: thats more likely to do with my 2Mbps Internet connecection

 

Other staff can go through the web front end.