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Here is my scenario:

I have a server (with CentOS on it) configured so that it will maintain the users from a LAN with some common requirements. That server will be deployed in different countries on the globe. That server has installed on it a web application that can be accessed by the users inside that LAN.

I need to have direct access to that server, no matter where it is placed. When I say remote access I mean via web (to its web application) and via SSH. For now, I have a server with a static IP in my office. If web access would be too complicate to obtain, it's ok to have only SSH access.

Can you point me where I would need to look for solving that problem. If you can help me with a blueprint (in words, not in image), would be much appreciated.

Note 1: I won't have a static IP for the remote server. I only have a static IP for ther server located in my office.

Note 2: I'm somehow new to stuff like this (remote access through the Internet). So I need only an idea about what I'll need to implement. For details I'll put questions more precisely if I'll need.

Conclusion: what I need, is only a kind of a blueprint in words for the solution to my scenario. (images aren't blamed)

3 Answers 3

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Install a dyndns client on your server, it will update your DNS each time the IP is changing. After that, you just need to use SSH/Web on the FQDN to be connected to your server.

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It depends on how much you want your servers to be exposed.

  • dyndns client + open ports 80 and 443 to your computer's ip address: If you are unable to restrict access to a subnet or IP and have to allow access to the servers from the whole Internet, I discourage this.
  • Poor man's VPN: Let your servers log on to a ssh server at your work place (use autossh to keep the tunnel open) and tunnel traffic (example here). Lock the hosts down to allow only connections from the tunnel and from the internal net your users live in.
  • Enterprise VPN
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You can use SSH tunneling to access the internal admin website with a browser over the SSH connection (only the SSH port needs to be public facing).

Here is one form of SSH tunneling done from a Windows client. In addition to browsing the web through that remote locations network, you can also access local servers as if you were local (provided that there are no restrictions added to prevent that). http://ethertubes.com/dynamic-socks-proxy-with-plink-exe-and-firefox/

To keep tabs on the current IP address of your remote servers you could use a third-party like DynDNS.org, or schedule a cron job to phone home periodically.

I use curl to make a scheduled web request from my servers with dynamic IP addresses to my server with a static IP. Later you can check web logs for the current IP (assuming each remote server is requesting a unique resource) or you could writr a script on the web server to update a database or file.

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