Hi Folks:
I've been tasked with creating a VPN connection between the office network and about a half dozen home users, so I'm using my own home network as the test case. I realized that I might be in over my head. The router at work is a NetGear FVS318, and it's VPN enabled. I assigned 32 bit encryption (AEP, AES, AEO or something like that) and assigned local and remote IPSec IDs and a pre-shared key. The documentation on the NetGear says that the remote ID ought to be the "name" of the router at my home location, and the local ID is the "name" of the NetGear router. I've established domain names associated with both ends of the connection that appear to resolve to the correct IP address. But the problem is that the router I have at home is a Belkin N1 wireless, and although the fellow that sold it to me said it was VPN capable, I don't see any way to establish a VPN connection.
So instead of initiating the connection from my Belkin router I tried to establish a VPN connection directly from my XP box. When I try to connect directly from my XP box I don't even see a place to specify a local or remote IPSec ID, although it does allow me to input the pre-shared key. Moreover, I did not make any changes to the server at work, because it didn't occur to me that I had to. Do I need to set up rules on the work server for VPN, or does the router handle all of that? (That's what I'm assuming.)
So, is it even possible to use the Belkin N1. Do I need to do anything to that to allow the VPN tunnel to pass through the Belkin NAT firewall to pierce the heart of my XP box?
Is there a resource that specifies how to get this sort of thing done that isn't shrouded in jargon?
One thought that occurred to me is that even though I gave the correct "name" for my home router (the Belkin wireless N1) and the right domain name, the router itself has a pre-shared key that I established as security at this end (basically so not every can use my open WIFI gateway). That key isn't the same as the key I gave to the NetGear at work. Should I make that key the same as the pre-shared key on the XP VPN setup and the Netgear? Do all three have to be the same?
Oh well, another learning curve. I don't want to presume whether anyone has any answers, but if you do thanks in advance. I'm heading to work to take another look at the NetGear settings and change that pre-shared key. (I can't just switch them at home, because of restrictions on length that don't conform to the one I have at work.)