Hosting a WinGate VPN

Hosting a WinGate VPN is where a WinGate VPN Node creates a VPN that other remote VPN Nodes can connect to.

The Node which hosts the VPN is referred to as the Master Node. The Master Node controls the communication, and tunnels between joining Nodes. Nodes (and the machines on their respective networks) can be made to participate in the VPN through the sharing and accessing of network resources.

The machine of the Master Node can also be configured to be a participant in the VPN, or it can simply act as an intermediator between the other remote Nodes whenever they join the VPN. Similarly, machines (and their network resources) on the local network of the Master Node can be configured to be VPN participants.

WinGate VPN Hosting considerations

When planning how to host a WinGate VPN there are several considerations to make:

VPN Participation (Host LAN resources)
You can configure what sort of involvement the Master Node and its network will have in the VPN, from the Host VPN properties.
1. No participation
  The Master Node will simply be the host and facilitator of other Nodes joining the VPN. Neither the Master Node machine or its network will be accessible to the VPN.
2. Local machine only
  The Master Node machine will be a VPN Participant and share resources. The network of the Master Node will be inaccessible to the VPN.
3. Local Network
  Computers on the network of the Master Node can be VPN participants and make resources available in the VPN. When choosing this setting, you have to determine how many VPN Participants there will be on the network of the Master Node LAN. This is to ensure that the Master Node machine has an adequate VPN License to cover them.
Internet Connection
The machine that has been designated as the VPN Host server should be the machine on the Host LAN with an Internet connection, or direct access to one (e.g. connected to an Internet Router).
Read more
Routing
Since WinGate VPN is a routing based VPN solution, it is extremely important to make sure that the VPN Host (Master Node) is accessible from the Internet. This is so VPN Client Nodes and the VPN Participants on their LAN, can communicate effectively across the VPN.
Read about routing in the WinGate VPN
Port Forwarding
If the Master Node machine is located behind a NAT router or third party firewall/routing solution, then you will need to make sure that the routers firewall forwards incoming WinGate VPN traffic to the Master Node machine.
Read about port forwarding

Configuring a hosted WinGate VPN

Configuring a hosted VPN is a relatively straight forward process. Hosted VPNs can be created from the VPN Panel, located at Monitoring > VPN in the WinGate Management console.