FreeNX and OpenVPN

For the past few years, we've been using OpenVPN as our VPN solution for an Amici Businessware, our inhouse client/server based enterprise system.  We use VPN to connect telecommuters to our servers in Manila, Laguna and Cebu.  We also use it to view and approve transactions in satellite branches to our servers in Manila and Cebu.

However, starting with our fairly new Davao office, and now also implemented in our Manila office, we're trying out an alternative solution: FreeNX .

We're trying out an alternative to a full fledge VPN connection due to performance issues.  XDMCP is unworkable with our OpenVPN configuration.  VNC over OpenVPN is more livable.  But our database transactions take too much time.  Perhaps, it's some configuration issue.  The fragment=1400 and mssfix=1400 helped a lot with our sanity -- before we just lose connection too easily.  The data transferred through the VPN connection is just too much.  A year's worth of data to be transferred back and forth can put a lot of strain to our ADSL's upload bandwidth.  I haven't tried IPSEC VPN's performance.  But with budget only for consumer-level DSL services, NX seems more sensible right now.  (Perhaps until I learn a bit more on VPN; I haven't had the time to even think about client-side caching in our enterprise system.)

FreeNX, to put it simply, is like a fast and secure XDMCP.  With FreeNX, you log into your linux account remotely, and the data transfered between client and server are only the display screen and input devices.  I would imagine how much less data we have to transfer through a secure connection using NX rather than VPN.

We got into some hiccups trying the connections from a hotel in Guangzhou to Manila.  For some reason, we kept on losing connections.  But within the Philippines, so far, I haven't encountered much issues yet.  We'll see how this goes over the coming months.  I'll have to work at file sharing and printing through NX first.