Leopard Server: Stupid question about VPN

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Hey everyone,

This might be a really stupid question. I have a PowerMac with Leopard server, I'm about to bring to my office, just waiting for my static IP. Right now it's at my home on my local network, so I can access shared folders, web server and so on.

Here's my question, I want to use VPN once I get my static IP. How though does the system know what to restrict to VPN traffic versus non? Like right now, lets say for example I'm using Apple Remote Desktop. If I'm not firewalled, I assume from home I could just say connect to IP, type in the static IP address and control the server. What though changes that to say only control the server when someone is VPN'd in versus not? Is that just a setting to say only allow connections from local network?

Same with say file sharing. If I go on XP and type \\ipaddress it brings up shared folders. I assume doing \\staticip would do the same? Or no? If it does, what says no only do that when behind VPN? Or is everything auto blocked meaning \\staticip would do nothing?
 
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I think I might have figured this out, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

In order for an external user to access any system resources through my static IP, my router would need to have ports open, and forward external traffic for those ports to the appropriate internal IP address on my network. Meaning if I want to use remote desktop, just because I connect to a static IP doesn't mean anything, I'd need to have the router forward traffic on the port remote desktop uses, to my servers IP address.

If I was VPN'd in, I'm on my local network so open ports don't matter. So I'm guessing the key is don't keep ports open or use port forwarding, that way requests to the static IP are blocked at the router since they don't have authority to connect or forward to any internal addreses. The only one I'd keep open is the VPN port so I can connect externally.

Correct me if I'm wrong?
 

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