Hello, would anyone be able to give me some insights on what I need to complete this project of mine. Project: Subnetting home network. Separate home business computers from other personal use. Add VPN Here is my current setup: peer to peer network. Home business Specs: (3) XP Pro PC (1) 16 Port switch - unmanaged (1) Linksys wireless router (basic router) (1) Linksys modem Would like to add: (2) XP PC for personal use with no access to home business. What type of hardware do I need? Will the following hardware specs I have above do the trick?

hi! as far as adding 2 pc's to your network for personal use with no access to your business pcs... if all the pcs are connected via ethernet, wireless or the internet they can be accessed if the ip address is known, well almost... there are a few options for securing the business machines, the most simple being ensuring any shares are setup with only the user accounts / groups that require access to them... and not setting them up on the personal machines... how secure do you have to be? im assuming your router is assigning ips btw... vpn, decide which machines you wish to include in your vpn and consider your budget vs security. hardware vpns are more secure but can be expensive(ish). your xp pro machine will accept incoming connections but you will have to forward ports and protocols from your router to this machine, which can present security issues... there is a free software solution for vpn two machines over the net, but i havent really trialled it, although reports are good...

Actually, you can shield the two networks from each other using a firewall that has multiple interfaces. Numerous options exist. You could go with a multi-interface PIX, or an open source linux distro like IPCop, or an open source BSD product like m0n0wall. You could go with Microsoft's ISA Server. The point here is you need a firewall that can regulate traffic from multiple network segments. These products often also provide VPN capability, too. The bottom line is if this is what you truly want, you've outgrown your Linksys wireless router. That can be used as an access point, but it simply doesn't provide what you're looking for otherwise. "Enough, enough bowing down to disillusion! Hats off & applause to rogues & evolution! The ripple effect is too good not to mention. If you’re not affected, you’re not paying attention!"

Thanks for all info. heropsycho2177- what do you suggest is a good router? I kind of figure the linksys one I had was not going to work... And can you explain a little more about shielding both network or provide me a link to that? Thanks again Nem0

These products serve as routers as well. Any product that has multiple interfaces that allows you to regulate traffic to and from different networks would provide the shield I'm referring to. http://www.ipcop.org http://www.astaro.com http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver http://m0n0.ch/wall/ There are many more. It depends on what features you want, what your budget is, etc. "Enough, enough bowing down to disillusion! Hats off & applause to rogues & evolution! The ripple effect is too good not to mention. If you’re not affected, you’re not paying attention!"