There are lots of ways to connect to your PC nowadays. In the past, I have used simply Remote Desktop (when using Windows) and setting up port forwarding on my router to make sure that I connect to the proper machine. A lot of times, this requires a static IP (as opposed to dynamic, which is still doable, but I like knowing exactly “where my computer is” on the network). This type of connection has been a bit more challenging when trying to access my work, which is behind heavy security (firewalls and such). In those cases, the combination of using VPN software, a static IP and Remote Desktop has proven to be pretty good.
There are easier ways though, as I have found. VPNs are difficult. You need a hardware (or software) piece at both ends in order to create a secure tunnel between the two networks. In my current work, we use an out-dated VPN hardware/software configuration. The software windows piece is no longer supports (as the original company was acquired by another and I believe then end-of-life-ed the product). So, we are stuck with a somewhat flakey VPN network. I tend to work at home regularly, so for me, having access to my computer and network is critical. I have a great piece of software called VPNtracker for my mac and it allows a stable VPN tunnel to my work. Unfortunately, the VPN software for my PC does not run on a Hyperthreaded machine, leaving me the option of either not using my PC or disabling the Hyperthreading, neither option being very appealing.
Enter Hamachi (and Logmein.com). I first came across Hamachi a few days ago. It promised to be a “zero-configuration virtual private networking (VPN) application.” I had to try it to believe it. I downloaded the software on my PC and, to make a long story short, was able to Remote Desktop to my PC at work within about 30 minutes. While for me, it wasn’t completely “zero-configuration,” it was incredibly easy to set up and get up and running.
First a little information about my environment. I had two PCs that I wanted to connect, one at home (behind a router, with a static IP and running ZoneAlarm) and the other at work (behind router and industrial strength firewall and also running ZoneAlarm). Also, the two end-points are NATed which means that from the outside, all of the computers appear as coming from one address per network. That is, if you go to whatismyip.com from any computer within the network, you will always get the same “public” IP address. This type of thing makes direct connections to your computer a bit more challenging as you have to tell your router where to send certain type of traffic.
When you install Hamachi, part of the install process is actually the creation of a new network adapter, specifically for the Hamachi network. This process allows your computer to think that it has a new connector (e.g., ethernet) to your computer. It also allows your computer to then bridge your connection with any existing network connections. (Forgive me if I am over-simplifying or using the wrong technology, but I want to hopefully make this somewhat understandable to everyone.) During the installation process, I was prompted many times, by ZoneAlarm, to approve certain items, one of those being a new network with numbers 5.xxx.xxx.xxx . This is the network that Hamachi uses to communicate. Be sure that you allow all of the transactions that your firewall prompts you with (within reason of course).
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