Tip #3366 - Hamachi
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Hamachi
I’m going to go ahead and say it. This the coolest software ever!
It just came out on January 15th and look who's got it for you to download!
That’s right, Chad. The free download man and if you have ever wanted
to set up a Virtual Private Network (or VPN, as us nerds refer to it),
this is your chance!
All kidding aside,
Hamachi is a Virtual Private Networking application that
is so easy, it almost seems too good to be true. Before I get into that,
let’s get everyone up to speed. First of all, a computer network
is where you have at least two computers attached to the same router (or
other network device) that allows the PCs to share network connections,
as well as, data in the form of shared files and folders. This is a watered
down definition, but it serves our purpose.
A VPN takes this concept
a little further. Wouldn’t it be nice, let’s say, if you could
share files with your work PC or even your sister in San Francisco? Since
they are in another physical location, this obviously presents a problem.
Previously, a solution to this scenario was to either buy third party
software or try setting up a VPN using Windows, which all I can say to
that is, “Good luck!" The point being, VPNs are great, but
they have always been overly complicated to implement for a typical computer
user. That is, until now.
Like a ray of hope
stabbing through the clouds of despair, a company called Hamachi has brought
VPNs to the general public. For the first time ever, an average user can
quickly set up a VPN and start sharing data in less than five minutes.
There is no opening ports on your firewall and no complicated sequence
of events. If something doesn’t go correctly, it won't take you
all night to fix it either. Hamachi has taken everything out of your hands
and placed it on their servers. All you have to do is install the client
software, join or add a network name and password and you're ready to
VPN!
The program is small
(not even 1 MB), so it doesn’t take any time to download or install.
Also, there is a complete mini guide tutorial that launches when you initially
start up the program. After you go through the tutorial, you will be blown
away by its ease of use. You almost feel as though there is more that
you should do, but don't worry, there’s not.
There are a few things
you are going to need to do in order to really utilize a network of any
type. In particular, you need things that you want to share. Otherwise,
what’s the point? So, you are going to have to share the folders
on your local machine in order to do that. If you want to share a folder,
all you have to do is right click on it and select Sharing
from the action menu. From the proceeding page, choose the option to Share
the folder on the network and you probably want to check the
next box as well that says "Network users to change my files,"
if that suits your purposes. Once this is done, you are ready to communicate
and share files with anyone you choose to network with.
I’m going to
go through the process with you real quick so you will know what to expect
when and if you decide to install the Hamachi VPN client.
In the scenario earlier,
I mentioned a sister in San Francisco. Well, I'm adding a brother in Atlanta
now too. So, let’s say I’m in the electrifying city of Toledo,
Ohio. I want to share some vacation pictures with my sister and my brother
and I both want to get some .AVI files from her. This is a perfect scenario
for the Hamachi VPN. First of all, every PC will need to install the VPN
client, which is quick and informative. Once this is done and Hamachi
is installed on all the PCs, you can create your virtual network. Someone
has to create a network for the other to join. For the sake of argument,
I will create the network. This is an easy and almost transparent process
with the Hamachi interface. All you have to do is select the Network
button and from the choices, choose Create Network. This
action will prompt you to create a name and a password for the network.
This is the name and password for anyone who wants to connect to the network.
For instance, the test server for Hamachi happens to be:
Network Name:
test
Password: secret
I’m done! All
I need now is for the others (my sister and brother) to connect to the
network. This is actually easier than the other process. With the software
running on their PCs, all they have to do is select the Network
button and in the network name fields, put test and in
the password field, put secret and then select the Join
button. Once this is done on all three computers, the PCs are
networked and from here on, you can share folders along with a few other
cool features, such as a message.
I can’t believe
that it’s that easy. You are going to love this! The more you use
your VPN, the more uses you are sure to find for it. There are also some
nice features and tools included with Hamachi, which really adds some
flexibility to the whole process. Give it a try. This really is an unbelievable
program.
If you're interested
in setting up a Hamachi VPN, you can get the client software right here.
You may want to watch when you install it though, because by default,
the installation type wants to install the premium trial version and that’s
not want you want. Make sure you check the box that says Basic
Free Core installation type.
Happy VPNing!
~ Chad Stelnicki
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