Hamachi Alternative for personal server

Question

I have found great use for the Hamachi program on my machines, especially in doing maintenance, etc. for family members and the like. But, since LogMeIn has taken them over, I fear the day when they will make a gimping change or completely end support for their free users.

Hamachi uses their centralized server to configure connections, but with that method, they can change or enforce things with which I wouldn't necessarily agree. Again, they haven't done this, but does anyone know of an alternative piece of software that would allow me to install a virtual network on clients that would connect to my own server to create peer connections?

Basically, I would want a Hamachi clone*, but one that would use my own server. Open-source would would be even better.

* - As a personal requirement, it needs to run as a silent service in Windows

Answer 1

First Alternative You could consider using OpenVPN application on a ubuntu server or ubuntu desktop. Ubuntu desktop can be used to serve as a VPN server as well.

What it does is it allows standard PPTP VPN clients to connect to the VPN server. If you already have a DHCP service running on the network, you could get that DHCP server to issue the IP Addresses or make the OpenVPN server work as a DHCP and issue IP addresses to the connecting clients. The OpenVPN server can authenticate users on an Open LDAP implementation or a Microsoft ADS as well. Interestingly, one does not need public ip for this, asyou can do it using dynamic dns service providers like dyndns.org

Second alternative If you already have a windows server, that server itself can be configured as a VPN server and used to accept incoming PPTP VPN connections. Once the clients are authenticated, they can initiate peer to peer connections.

Some of the other things you will need to do apart from above 2 alternatives are -

1) have a well configured firewall,

2) have a well configured DNS for resolving VPN connected peers using host names (else it will be IP based)

3) Configure samba / windows shares, allow peers to access internal servers or machines if you need to do it.

I have in the past used Open VPN server with a Ubuntu laptop to connect to the peers who either were on windows desktops or laptops on a windows environment.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

I would also suggest using OpenVPN. There are both client and server versions for Microsoft Windows available, see for example openssl.org and slproweb.com. Usually, there is a router between the software-based VPN server and the internet, so the server's VPN port has to be forwarded for the server to be reachable. If the target operating system is some version of Windows Server or Windows 7, you can then use the Terminal Services Client (type mstsc in the Run window). If not, you can still use VNC.

Alternatively, you may use the free-for-private-use version of TeamViewer, if none of the controlling/controlled computers is running a Windows Server operating system.