A couple of VPN questions

[CountBlah]

Sorry to bother with some questions that have no doubt been asked here before but I've been wading through threads on here and browsing search engine results and the amount of information is such that if you don't know exactly what you're looking for you'll never find it.

I'm using cable for internet and would like to set up a VPN. I don't have a static IP as I'm trying to figure out if a VPN is going to help me in the way I'd like, don't want to start paying extra for a static address until I know I'll use it. I have three computers connected to the LAN and although it would be nice to be able to access any of them I'm only really concerned with accessing one. So my questions are:

1. Using WinXP Pro VPN, can I access a computer on the LAN when the computers don't have static IPs but are being address by my router which is behind the cable modem?

2. If #1 is possible, how would I go about getting the IP address assigned to my router by Comcast and then going through it to get to one of the computers on the LAN?

3. Because I've never used a VPN before, assuming #1&2 are doable, is it simply a matter of mapping to the drive on the LAN computer in order to access the computer?

I've come across several VPN tutorials but none of them have really address these simple questions for me so I'm looking for some help. Explanations, links, anything would be helpful. If WinXP won't do it but something else, either hardware or software, will that would be great as well, but I'd really rather have something where I don't have to install any software on the client.

Thanks.

 

[msworld]

Assuming you are talking abut public IP, you may want to use DDNS. this page may help,

ddnsMy DDNS log lists error "nohost" My DDNS log lists error "! yours" My Linksys router show "DDNS Server Update is successful" but no one can ping it ...

http://www.chicagotech.net/ddns.htm

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on

http://www.HowToNetworking.com

 

[garybeale]

As far as I'm aware, and I'm happy to be corrected on this, you need a static IP to set up a vpn behind a cable modem. Once you have the static IP, you will then need to go through a registration process with the cable isp to register the router/server/whatever with them. Using services like dns2go and no-ip doesn't work for the same reasons that you can't set up a vpn in the first place.