Simple VPN for iPhone using Windows Server 2008

iphonevpnwindows-server-2008

I have a Windows 2008 server running in country A and I am in country B with an iPhone.

Country B censors the internet. Obviously this is not acceptable, I want to make VoIP/Skype calls and access restricted sites on my phone.

All I need of course, is a VPN service which I can connect to – as the iPhone supports several types, and I'm home free. The problem is, I already have a perfectly good Windows 2008 server laying around in a data centre in country A doing not much. After unsuccessfully looking at dozens of complex howto's on VPNs, obscure Windows IPSec settings and advanced certification and authentication set-ups I am at a complete loss:

How do I set up an extremely simple, single-user, nothing-fancy VPN between a Win2008 server and an iPhone so that the phone can access the outside? Surely there is a simple, 3 minute-solution to this that doesn't involve getting my hands dirty?

Best Answer

Windows 2003 it was Routing and Remote access. If its the same in 2008 it should take you about 3 minutes.

Open the Routing and Remote access from the Administrative tools, enable it, step though the wizard. Open necessary firewall ports.

One word of caution....I have in the past when doing this remotely managed to knock the server off the network by messing up the routing, default gateway or something like that. A personal rule I have now is that I never do the routing and remote access unless I'm sitting infront of the computer or I have another way to get into it like DRAC or KVM over IP independant of the server.

Good luck.

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