I picked the Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx for this example, but you can use any distro you prefer.

First, you need to install the PPTP daemon (server), and we are going to use apt-get to install it.

apt-get install pptpd

Once it is installed, let’s create user accounts for your VPN server by editing the chap-secrets file. Use any editor you like, I personally prefer Nano.

nano -w /etc/ppp/chap-secrets

Each users should be added in new line with following structure

yourusername pptpd yourpassword *

Next step is to configure localip/remoteip assignment on pptpd.conf

nano -w /etc/pptpd.conf

Since my local router is on 192.168.0.1, I wanted to avoid using the same IP assignment for my VPN connection. so I’m using 192.168.111.xxx instead on pptpd.conf

localip 192.168.111.1
remoteip 192.168.111.234-238,192.168.111.245

Now, let’s get IP forwarding working by editing sysctl.conf file

nano -w /etc/sysctl.conf

then uncomment this line

net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

Save the file and reload the configuration.

sysctl -p

Next is to edit rc.local file for iptables rule

nano -w /etc/rc.local

Add these line right above exit line. (eth1 is my public ethernet port, adjust as needed)

/sbin/iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s 192.168.111.0/24 -o eth1 -j MASQUERADE
/sbin/iptables -I FORWARD -p tcp -syn -i ppp+ -j TCPMSS -set-mss 1356

Last but not least, let’s define the DNS to use with our pptpd. Currently I’m using Google Public DNS – It is fast and reliable; I know some of you prefer OpenDNS.

nano -w /etc/ppp/options

Uncomment the entries with ms-dns 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2 then replace the IP with Google Public DNS IPs so it look like this

ms-dns 8.8.8.8
ms-dns 8.8.4.4

You are done! Next is just reboot your server and you should be able to connect to using PPTPD and send all your traffic thru this server. For more pptpd.conf reference, you can find them here.

If you have tips,comment, or unable to get it to work feel free to post them here.

Overview

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MaxCDN has the best implementation of web based management console. I really enjoy using them and still do use them on R3 Media sites (SlashPhone and AndroidCommunity). The cache-hit number is pretty impressive at 96.62%. Unfortunately MaxCDN does not have presence in Asia where 12% of our traffic came from (95% for SlashGear Japan). Last I heard, they are planning POPs in Asia.

I don’t have many complainw on InterNAP, however they are not the fastest of bunch, but not the slowest either -routing sometimes does not provide the best route.. Pricing is pretty competitive.

HighWinds is a very affordable CDN vendor, unfortunately it rewrites files URL rather than sticking with predefined CNAME you have setup for the account. Great reporting tools (entirely made of Flash) and control panel.

Akamai is the big dog in CDN business; I was very excited when giving it a try. It has robust control panel, fast aggregation of content when setting up origin pull, and it has many POP around the world. Speed is impressive, however I was disappointed to find out it was not the fastest out of the bunch and pricing is amazingly high unless you commit to a high bandwidth bucket. If you don’t need much bandwidth you can try VPS.NET, they are Akamai reseller with reasonable price.

EdgeCast was one of the CDN I didn’t plan to include in my search for CDN vendor, but I’m glad I did. Sales were very accommodating and responsive. Setup was quick and simple, however I wish their management control panel would provide origin pull progress and detail reporting. They performed the best during my usage (Pulling data from Dallas, LA and Nagoya), almost 28 percent faster compared to InterNAP and 14 percent faster compared to Akamai. I was very surprised by the delivery speed on small object (has not tested video delivery yet – large file object). Pricing is very competitive and they will work it out depending on your situation and usage.

So by the end of the day, I picked EdgeCast CDN to power SlashGear.com, and SlashGear.jp due to its performance and pricing. However video files are still being serve-using HighWinds as part of UK2Group sponsorship.

Disclosure : MaxCDN sponsored SlashPhone & AndroidCommunity CDN bandwidth. UK2Group sponsored SlashGear TV videos bandwidth using HighWinds CDN.

About Ben Bajarin

Since joining Creative Strategies in 2000 Ben has researched the global transition from analog to digital in consumer technologies and entertainment media. He has focused on projects and developed strategies in the markets of the digital home ecosystem, mobile computing, digital lifestyle and interactive entertainment, trying to understand how and why consumers will use new digital technologies in their everyday lives. His expertise is in understanding the Gen X and Millenial consumers and their present and future demands for technology.

His research and strategic work spans digital entertainment and media, brand marketing and awareness, social media and consumer products and services. Ben manages Creative Strategies behavioural analysis and digital home research center where the impacts of many consumer behaviours, digital home / family and digital lifestyle technologies are studied.

His current and past clients have included Sony, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Philips, Palm, NVIDIA, Intel, AMD and Microsoft to name a few. He speaks regularly at industry events and trade shows, appears frequently on technology radio shows, is quoted frequently by the press and has regular television appearances commenting on the latest technology news.

Quoted from WordPress Showcase

Why it’s in the Showcase: SlashGear is a major gadget and technology blog that receives millions of readers per month and uses WordPress to power its entire site, including main site, bbPress-powered forums, and video site. All three sites have integrated user tables and login session sharing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Come together with eGether a collaborative multi-dimensional service combining the best functionality from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIn.

Scottsdale, AZ, and Dallas, TX — December 8, 2009 — Addressing consumer demand to have one site that links to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIn, eGether is launching today in public beta (http://egether.com/). A collaborative multi-dimensional social portal for consumers, reporters, analysts and PR practitioners, eGether is centered around an Activity Pitching Engine (APE) that combines 255 character status updates and 999 character pitches, using familiar @ status messaging for inter-user communication. Status updates can include one image, while pitches can include image and video content (including embedded YouTube), documents such as DOC, PDF and ZIP, and hyperlinks.

eGether was founded by Vincent Nguyen and Ewdison Then after they had grown frustrated using a combination of existing networking tools to collaborate. They developed eGether to bring the best of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIn functionality and features into one easy-to-manage social networking service structured around Activities and Connections. Activities originate from user status updates and pitches, combined with user-defined contact information, online galleries that can be tagged with people and products. Connections include private and public circles — groups of other eGether users with whom they collaborate, or topics about which they are interested.

eGether also allows consumers to obtain product and service information direct from the source, rather than second-hand. Consumers can use global search for the latest company news and reviews, and PR firms can freely pitch their clients’ products and services, rather than sending out individual alerts.

eGether offers a single information point with a custom URL for users that can be shared via email, Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere. Visitors can then engage in discussions with everyone from consumers, to people in the media, to analysts, or even engineers involved in the company. eGether also empowers users to connect and share what’s on their mind, or even just to share their thoughts on the shiny new gadget they received over the holidays.

To start taking advantage of eGether’s powerful social networking tools, sign up at http://egether.com/signup.

eGether is supported by an advisory board including Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, Inc. (www.creativestrategies.com); Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret, LLC (www.gartenblog.net); Seth Combs, interactive brand strategist(www.sethcombs.com); and Judie Lipsett, tech blogger and founder of GearDiary (www.geardiary.com).

###
For more information, contact

Vincent Nguyen
vincent [at] r3media.com
+1 (917) 477-7911

http://eGether.com/Vincent

Ewdison Then
ethen [at] r3media.com
+1 (917) 720-8281

http://eGether.com/Ewdi

All marks are the property of their respective owners.