[ubuntu-uk] Remote support was Sad but true? From the Register

[Ian Pascoe]

Johnathon, et al,

In your post from Thursday you mention you have OpenVPN installed to provide
remote access etc.

In Rob's case he doesn't appear against this but worried about connections
to his own private network.

Do you know if you can set up an OpenVPN server on a hosting site, no direct
connection to home network, but then either SSH to the OpenVPN server and
thence onto the client, or through some VNC equivilant?

About a year or two ago, discussions were held here about providing some
sort of support package from the UK loco, but got bogged down for one reason
or another.  This idea of setting up a hosted VPN server could be a way to
provide the remote support that we were finding difficult to arrange.

I briefly looked at OpenVPN  quite some time ago for remote access to my
brother's Windlows laptop as he was having lots of various problems - it
went puff before I got any further with the idea.

Anyone fancy trying to set up such a project to see if it both works and is
workable?

Maybe set up a server at someones place for testing purposes, and if all
works well there see if those nice people at Bitfolk, or whoever does the
podcast mirrors, could loan us an account for a period of time whilst trials
go on?  Or maybe a bit of space on a Cononical server?

If all works out, extend the server capabilities to host an iPBX and a CRM
(Customer Relationship Management) tool like SugarCRM, I think, and an
instant Ubuntu Support Service is formed.  Now if you really wanted to get
onto the bandwagon, get a duplicate setup in the States, Europe and
elsewhere connected together and hey presto!  something that no one else has
but is cost effective and a real boon to the Community.  Hmm, better stop
there, beginning to go the realms of fantasy!

It'd certainly make things a lot easier to do as there wouldn't be problems
with security, bandwidth or such like.

Discuss!

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: ubuntu-uk-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com
[mailto:ubuntu-uk-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com]On Behalf Of Rob Beard
Sent: 16 January 2009 10:59
To: British Ubuntu Talk
Subject: Re: [ubuntu-uk] Remote support was Sad but true? From the
Register


On 16/01/2009 01:25, Simon Wears wrote:
> My family run Windows XP. I'll have a look into that, thank you for
> the link! Setting it up wouldn't be too difficult, my mum gets how to
> use a computer and is fairly good at fixing them with simple things,
> this is more for the advanced stuff that explaining to her just makes
> her utterly confused.
>
> I recently got myself an iPhone, so I could attempt to use it as a 3G
> modem, possibly. Unfortunately, she isn't running Ubuntu yet, but
> eventually I'll get her to switch. I'm just waiting for Windows to
> kill itself (again) then I can put Ubuntu on it for a week, and she
> can decide if she wants to switch.
>
You're welcome.  I'd be interested to know if anyone has managed to
remote into an Ubuntu box running on a Vodafone 3G mobile broadband
link.  I have a customer who is currently on Windows (not legit either
by the looks of things) and I have said that they might be worth giving
Ubuntu a try as their existing copy is screwed.  I'm going to loan them
a machine for a week so they can give it a try although it would be
handy if I could connect in remotely.  I'm just not sure what the
options would be.  I'm not keen on the idea of setting up OpenVPN so
they connect into my network, I just wondered if Vodafone give out real
IP addresses and allow certain ports through?

If anyone has any other ideas (or a link to the OpenVPN method) that
would be ideal.

Ta,

Rob


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