In short:I have a new Win Server 2008 server that I'm having colocated. I want to use it as a private server and run multiple Virtual Machines on it using Hyper-V. How should I set this up, regarding:- networking - will I need something on my server to allocate IP addresses to the VMs?- VPN - I want to only be able to access the server via VPN. When I've connected via VPN to the server I want to be able to access the VMs. I'll have mostly XP clients ... what remote access technology would be best?- public Internet access - I may want non-VPN access to one of my VMs via http. Should I use a separate NIC to make this more secure?Long-winded story:I have a new rack server that I currently have running at home and am about to put into a colocation facility. It's running Win Server 2008 with Hyper-V running a variety of VMs (XP, Win 2000, Win Server 2008...). Currently I have this plugged in to my home modem/router which presumably is allocating IP addresses via DCHP (this is about where my knowledge of networking gets very fuzzy). I have a static IP address from my ISP and have a port forwarded on my modem/router to the server so I can use PPTP to access it remotely.When I put the box in the colocation facility (www.rapidswitch.com), it'll have a static IP address and I'm guessing that I won't simply be able to start a bunch of VMs on the box and expect them to get IP addresses automatically. Is that a reasonable assumption?When I asked the colocation people if I could have two NICs (which I don't think I need so may not bother paying for), they mentioned that if I did that it'd be a requirement for me to be on my own subnet ("a /28 or /27 RANGE"). This makes me think that perhaps I should have/need my own subnet to run multiple VMs on my box?Almost exclusively I want this to be a private server for my teams development work. I intend on using OpenVPN to set up a VPN, although havent done that before so thatll be fun. Is that how people would normally provide private access to a colocated server?I may also want to provide public http access to one of the VMs. Should I pay a little bit more to have an extra NIC connected, and then use this for public access, ie would this allow me to make the server more secure?So my questions are:1) If I'm going to have my server at a colocation facility, is it reasonable to assume I can't just start up VMs at will and have them automatically allocated local IPs from 'the network'?2) If that's the case, how should I set up my server accordingly, or what should I ask the colocation folk to do for me?3) Is PPTP adequate for VPN or should I use OpenVPN or similar to set up a VPN for private access to the server? (Any tips to learn about this?)4) Should I pay for another NIC connection to separate private and public access to the server?5) Whats a good place to start reading about these sorts of things? Any guides to this available? Good sites or books? (I come from a programming background so have a good IT knowledge generally but am very hazy when it comes to networking or OS configuration).Thanks for any help!

Hi,Before we go further, please read the following articles to get summary information about Networking in Hyper-V. Understanding Networking with Hyper-Vhttp://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2008/01/08/understanding-networking-with-hyper-v.aspxHow does basic networking work in Hyper-V?http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/06/16/how-does-basic-networking-work-in-hyper-v.aspxRegarding your questions in Long-winded story:1. If your sever is getting DHCP IP address and you assign External Network to VMs and enable DHCP, VM will get DHCP IP address automatically. 2. As above explained.3. If you would like to secure your VPN connection, you can try to setup L2TP/IPSec VPN. For your reference: Administrator's Guide to Microsoft L2TP/IPSec VPN Clienthttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742553.aspx4. According to the essence of hyper-V Networking, you dont need to buy another NIC for VM.5. You can find a lot of helpful information on TechNet Library. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspxThanks. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Excellent, thanks for the links I'll check them out. Often the problem with such general questions is knowing where to read what.From info from my colocation provider I don't think I'll have DHCP - since their documentation says this:Network SettingsSetup the IP Address on the server to be that of the one we have supplied and set your DNS asbelow:1. Subnet: 255.255.255.02. Gateway: (See below for details)3. Primary DNS: 87.117.198.2004. Secondary DNS: 87.117.237.1005. Tertiary DNS: 87.117.196.200Gateway1. Note down your IP Address2. Replace the number after the last dot with a "1"3. This is your gatewayi. E.g. IP Address: 83.145.229.65ii. Then Gateway: 83.145.229.1Anyway, I'll have a read and see what I come up with, thanks.