Create your own virtual private network with Hamachi
You can do things between computers on your home or office network you can’t do securely on a public WiFi network like listen to a shared iTunes library, access files in shared folders and corroborate on shared projects. But using the free virtual private network application Hamachi, you and your buddies can access your computers from anywhere on the internet anywhere on the planet as if you were all connected on your own private local network. This is called a Virtual Private Network.
Today we’ll use Hamachi to create a virtual private network between a PC, Mac and Ubuntu Linux box and listen to a shared iTunes library over the internet.
First what’s Hamachi VPN?
Hamachi is a free desktop application and gives you a secure, zero-configuration LAN over the internet. Any application that works over a local network can be used with Hamachi over the internet, like Windows file sharing, iTunes, Remote Desktop, FTP, VNC and gaming. All of Hamachi’s connections are secure, encrypted, authenticated and peer-to-peer. Though Hamachi acts as a mediator between your computers and creates the tunnels for their communication, Hamachi’s servers don’t listen in on or log your activity.
Here are some situations where you might use Hamachi:
Your company has a team of salesmen on the road with laptops and they want secure access to office network, printers. applications and files.
Your office or dorm room computer is behind a restrictive firewall that doesn’t let you reach it from the internet.
You want to add encryption to insecure network protocols like VNC.
You want to set up a shared folder of files for friends and family to access.
Sound useful? Let’s get started.
Set up Hamachi
1. Download and install Hamachi. For the most part, the Windows installation is the usual “just click next” routine, except for two notes: Hamachi will attempt to install a virtual network adapter which Windows XP says is not supported. – just hit the “Continue Anyway” button at that point. Also, if you have Windows Firewall enabled (or any firewall, for that matter), it will ask if you want to allow traffic to and from the Hamachi client. You do. Click the “Unblock” button to allow Hamachi traffic through your firewall, as shown.
For Mac and Ubuntu Linux users, the Hamachi installation is a bit more complicated. Even more disappointing, the application itself is command line, not point and click. (Warning: comfort in the Terminal required. UPDATE: HamachiX is a free GUI Hamachi client for the Mac.
2. Create your Hamachi network. Once Hamachi’s installed it will walk you through a quick tutorial to get you started. Read it – it’s worth it. Then, hit the network button (bottom right hand corner, second button to the left) and choose “Create new network” from the menu. Give your network a name (mine was “vancouverwest4″) and a password. Click the Create button.
Now your computer will be a member of the new network, and get its own Hamachi IP address (in addition to its regular IP address). It will also have a nickname that will identify it on your network. Mine was “socrates-pc.”
3. Join your Hamachi network. At this point you can tell your friends or co-workers your Hamachi network’s name and password so they too can join it with the Hamachi client installed. To connect my Mac to my new network, I issued a hamachi join gtrap-home command after setting my nickname to “powerbook.” Once my Mac was on the network.
4. Network away! Now you’re ready to share files or stream your iTunes library to other computers in your Hamachi virtual home network anywhere in the world the internet reaches. Within iTunes on my PC I turned sharing on and tried to listen on my Mac. At first the sharing didn’t work because Windows Firewall wasn’t allowing it. Once I opened up port 3689 (iTunes sharing port) within Windows Firewall, I was all set.
Then, I could see and play tunes in my PC’s shared library within iTunes on my Mac. (Be sure to check off “Look for shared libraries” in iTunes’ Preferences Sharing panel.)
Finally, you can manage your Hamachi networks and clients through a web interface as well. Register for a free account at My Hamachi and enter your client’s Hamachi IP. Once you grant the web site access to your network information, view all your networks and clients on the web site, like this (click to enlarge):
Streaming music (and, uh, copying uncopyrighted songs from others’ shared iTunes libraries) is only one example of what can be done with your virtual home network. Browse shared Windows folders, remote control your PC, access an FTP or web server (over Hamachi’s encrypted connection). Anything you can do locally you can do over the ‘net with Hamachi.
Are you a die-hard VPN/Hamachi user? Got questions or tips? Drop me an email or comment.
West 4 Communications can set up a secure Virtual Private Network for your force of global road warriors.