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Forum Discussion
Port Forwarding For Home Based VPN Server
Hi Guys,
I am attempting to create a home based VPN Sever. I have completed the basic configuration necessary for the server itself and am now attempting to complete the necessary port forwarding steps for my router, I'm an IT Professional but my networking skills are limited so I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the steps necessary to complete the necessary port forwaring to accomplish my goal/ As a side issue I'm unsure what to do with regard to the dynamic IP address of the VPN Server as this a home network and the machine's IP Address will change every time it's shut down and/or rebooted. I know there is a way to handle this as part of the port forwarding but as I said I'm a little unclear on the process. I'm using Windows 7 Pro on all machines involved. I would appreciate it if someone could clarify the steps necessary to complete my task. I'm not sure how successful my attempt will be, but either way I consider it a learning experience. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.
5 Replies
> [...] I'm unsure what to do with regard to the dynamic IP address of
> the VPN Server as this a home network and the machine's IP Address will
> change every time it's shut down and/or rebooted. I know there is a way
> to handle this as part of the port forwarding but as I said I'm a little
> unclear on the process. [...]
ADVANCED > Setup > LAN Setup : Address Reservation
It's not really "part of the port forwarding", but, as you've
noticed, the target/server IP address appears in your port-forwarding
rule, so that server must have a fixed address. Address reservation
tells the router's DHCP server to give that server the same IP address
every time it asks. (The other way would be to assign a static address
to the server (and not use DHCP for it), but using a reserved (dynamic)
address lets you leave the server IP configuration on "automatic", and
let the router ensure that it always gets the desired address.)
Either way, it's generally safer to shrink the DHCP address pool
(Starting IP Address, Ending IP Address) from the default of ".2" -
".254" (every available address) to something less, like, say, ".2" -
".199"), and then use the ".200" - .254" range for your reserved or
static addresses. That way you can be sure that (no matter how stupid
it might be) the DHCP server won't accidentally issue any reserved or
static address to some other device.Thanks for your input regarding the address reservation. This information will be helpful in resolving that part of the task. I appreciate the assist. My IT training is software oriented with only basic training in areas such as networking. Hopefully someone will respond concering the port forwarding issue.
> [...] Hopefully someone will respond concering the port forwarding
> issue.
What is "the port forwarding issue"?
> I am attempting to create a home based VPN Se[r]ver. [...]
Not a very detailed description of anything.
> [...] attempting to complete the necessary port forwarding steps for
> my router, [...]
What are those "necessary port forwarding steps"? Are you following
some set of (invisible?) instructions?