We’re a small mail order business that outgrew one location and rented additional space across a state highway, a river and some power lines in the middle of the line of sight between the two buildings. The combined effect has made a telco dry pair set-up inadequate, with an average speed of 2k. Dial-up PC Anywhere gets a similar result.wireless link. With directional antennas, you should be able to “punch” through whatever interference the power lines may be introducing into the area between your buildings. Depending on the manufacturer of the wireless equipment selected, you may be able to use regular access points or you may have to use something called a wireless bridge. You can expect to pay somewhere between $2,000 to $3,000 for this type of link. Wireless bridges can be a little more expensive than a regular access point. You may need to put up some type of small mast/tower at each building to get the antennas up above the average traffic level to minimize the disruption in signal between your buildings.VPN easier. Some vendors would almost make it a requirement. There are work-arounds if you don’t have a static IP address, but it can still leave you open for some disruptions in service.
On the main site, we have a LAN with a server running on Novell Small Business Suite 5 and about 10 workstations running various forms of Windows from 95 to XP, which doesn’t work as the Novell patch won’t load properly. Across the street we have three additional workstations running XP, ME and 98 on a Microsoft network. We have DSL service at both sites.
We need to transfer data from one site to another and back. Based upon some of your articles in Networking for Small Business, and some of the product write-ups such as Linksys, there seem to be solutions out there. One unanswered question is how would any of these cable DSL VPN routers work with a Novel operating system? I am loath to move to Microsoft Server 2000 because of cost and learning curve – but I can no longer get Novell support. The vendor that set it up for me five years ago has dropped Novell.
– Via the Internet
The first option I can think of for linking your networks is to use a
Another option is to see if the cable-TV company in your area offers cable Internet service. If service is available, entry-level costs will be less than the wireless option, and someone else can maintain the connection. The cable provider will install a modem-like device that will have an Ethernet connection you can use to connect your networks. One question to ask is if they can give you a static/permanent IP address – this makes setting up a
As to the VPN routers working with NetWare, that won’t be a problem. NetWare or any NOS won’t even know the VPN is there. I would recommend getting the best VPN device you can afford. Consumer-oriented devices, while cheaper than those a business will use, also may have less support available than you may want. Quick replacement of failed equipment usually isn’t an option with consumer-level devices.
As to support for your Novell network, you should be able to find support in the area. If nothing shows up in your phone book, call (800) 453-1267 and ask to speak to the customer resource center. Ask them to give you names of resellers that service your area. Depending on how comfortable you are with the operation of the server, you may be able to find a company that will offer phone support when you need it without having to wait for someone to come onsite.
