Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Lan

How can my friend get through his dad's Orwellian firewall?

bewarethewumpus — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:54:22 -0800

My friend's dad has decided he's not worthy of an internet connection. How can my friend get through his dad's Orwellian firewall? Ok, so here's the situation. I have a friend who is a student living with his parents. He doesn't get along with his parents particularly well, and things have come to a head recently. They think that he is spending too much time on his computer, locked away in his room, and not spending enough time with the family. Because of this, they have decided to take an Orwellian view of the Internet they provide him. As of right now, he is not able to get through the firewall through any method but Steam (a fine program, steam chat really has come through for us here.) His browsers will not find anything, and all his 'net games are non functional.

A couple of things to consider; first, he has very few friends, and most of them he only sees online (yes, he plays WoW.) So while he does get out of the house when he can, the majority of his socialization is done online. Second, his grades have not suffered as a result of playing WoW. Third, when his family is together, it seems that all they do is sit around and watch the boob tube, which really isn't his cup of tea.

So, here's the question: How can he get around this overly restrictive firewall? I'm afraid I'm not intimately familiar with the local network infrastructure, and he doesn't have admin rights, obviously. Is there a good solid catch all application that can at least get his browser through? (it would of course be preferable to get all his apps to work again.)

Couple of tidbits. He is running Vista, he is able to connect to the LAN (but nothing outside it) via the wireless network (his dad won't let him have a physical connection), and the way he'll have to pull any applications from the net is by finding a wifi hotspot, so nothing too huge ;).

What is the absolute simplest, least expensive way to fix my sister-in-law's home network?

ook — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:57:17 -0800

What is the absolute simplest, least expensive way to fix my sister-in-law's home network? Here's what we have so far:

* a technophobic relative who lives hours away from me, for whom I would like to do a minimum of telephonic tech support
* a cable internet box, which has exactly one ethernet jack
* an iMac with one ethernet jack and no ability to connect to a WiFi network[1]
* a mac laptop for which they would like wireless access
* an Airport Express, which I suggested they buy before I discovered that the iMac cannot connect to WiFi.

[1] I spent a good chunk of my Thanksgiving weekend trying unsuccessfully to get WiFi to work on that iMac; the laptop connects fine, but I finally concluded that either there's something wrong with the iMac's airport card or that an assistive-learning device she has installed for her son is interfering with the machine's ability to connect to a normal WiFi network or there's some other software issue which I'm just too dumb to figure out; in any case let's just assume that this machine will need to have a wired connection.

Obviously I could suggest they buy an Airport Extreme instead, and then they could use the Express to extend the network range or as a, I dunno, doorstop. But that's kind of pricey, and I already feel a bit sheepish for suggesting they buy the Express in the first place.

Will one of those cheapo $10 ethernet hubs be sufficient? (Cable box to hub, from there wired connections to the iMac and to the airport express, which the laptop can connect to). Or do I need a switch, or a router, or -- basically I know enough about networking to know that there is a difference between these devices, but not enough to know what it is or why you would need one instead of another in a given situation. And I don't really care, I'd just like to put this behind me with a minimum of fuss. And I would especially like to avoid buying anything that will need my sister-in-law to do any software configuration, because I'll end up trying to do it over the phone, which... yeah. Let's not.

So: suggestions?

Hosting a public LAN Party; What legal issues should I be aware of?

ilumos — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:53:31 -0800

Hosting a public LAN Party; What legal issues should I be aware of? Hi MeFi,

Myself and friends have been hosting private LAN parties for the past 3 years and with 20 or so atendees we've outgrown our normal venue.

What do we need to be aware of when hiring out a new venue with regard to public liability, insurance and the legality of sleeping overnight in the (public) venue?

I've done some research into other LAN parties, most of which have both rules and legal waivers, and some with insurance.

We hope it to be a successful event, but before we start approaching prospective venues we want to have an idea of the legal implications.

This is for a 48 hour UK based LAN on the south coast with hopefully 30+ attendees, and we'll be charging for entry to cover our costs.

Any information is greatly appreciated,

Many thanks!

How do I get a server to start the connection?

Solomon — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:43:40 -0800

How can I make UltraVNC server create a remote connection to a listening viewer on the same LAN, automatically at startup? I've tried using UltraVNC SC to initiate the connection from the server to the viewer, which works fine if I'm at the server PC. This would be an ideal method.

However, I don't always have keyboard/mouse access to the server PC, and I don't always know when it will be turned on, so I can't just start it up and wait a few seconds then use the viewer to make the connection.

I'm open to other, similar software if it will allow me to do the job.

I need the server PC to create the connection every time it starts up. How can I do this?

I need to host lan torrents for a lanparty coming up.

Chamunks — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:41:32 -0800

I'm looking at an efficient way to distribute large files to multiple computers over my lan, I need to know how to do this and whats involved. I was thinking that since I have a dedicated server in my home that hosting the files via private lan'd bit torrent would be the weapon of choice as the file transfer speed increases exponentially. My server is running a version of ubuntu so whatever software I will need must run in ubuntu. The clients downloading the files will probably be running windows boxes so Utorrent can be used and would be preferred. Are there any specific things that I need to turn on in Utorrent to do this via lan or will it essentially be seamless as long as the tracker is my server? These file transfers need to go as quickly and as hassle free as physically possible. I need to be able to either access this tracker via http or ssh as it has no video card installed at this time. I can XDCMP into the box aswell as its on a lan its secure enough for what xdcmp is used for.

I have thought about running around with usb drives but I just installed gigabit lan cabling and hardware throughout my home so this would be MUCH faster if I could set this up once and essentially forget it. Also this dedicated server needs to host and track the torrent files.

Los Angeles Area Cyber Cafes for WoW?

felix — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:44:03 -0800

What's a good, clean, safe cybercafe/lan party place with decent computers in Los Angeles? Objective: 5 hours of World of Warcraft. A catastrophic billing error has put me without internet access at home for the next two weeks. But, I run a world of warcraft raid guild, so that's clearly not acceptable. All my neighbors are rightfully paranoid and have protected wireless networks.

What's the best way for me to get back up and raiding, given that I have to get out of the house to do so? Have raid-capable laptop with 802.11g/n, blizzard authenticator, car, and UNENDING TWITCHING FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO DO MY DAILIES FOR MORE THAN 2 DAYS NOW

Where do you "game" in the UK?

nam3d — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:25:21 -0800

Looking for your UK recommended Gaming/LAN centre's? I'm looking into compiling a list of reccomended Gaming/LAN centre's in the UK, specifically in the North West (but anywhere else in the UK is welcome).

My wireless lan connection is enabled, but i cant turn it on!

freddymetz — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:55:50 -0800

My wireless lan connection is enabled, but i cant turn it on! It seems to be in perfect working order, the only problem is that to turn wifi on, i have to press a soft button above my keyboard.
Since installing windows 7, these buttons don't work (they make a sound when i press them, but they have no function)
http://www.magicdevices.de/produkt-foto/notebook-medion-md96630.jpg
Thats a picture of my laptop (medion md9330S) and the buttons in question.

Is there any other way to turn wifi on?

Ive tried reinstalling the vista drivers and also theres no fn key combination to turn on wifi on my laptop..

Help us stop fighting over what music is playing in the office!

twiggy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:09:51 -0800

What's your favorite solution for sharing music (and control thereof) at the office or similar environment? Specifically, some sort of LAN or web controllable "server" type solution? We've been sharing via iTunes, but it requires one person to keep adding things to the playlist, and invariably he/she sticks to his/her own collection even though we have our libraries shared.

We're not married to iTunes or anything. We're okay with Windows and Linux. We have a mac or two lying around here. We could dedicate a machine to it if necessary, or just install something on one of our machines.

Ideally, some sort of web interface that lets other people queue up music (or even vote?) would be ideal. We've seen, but have not yet tried, tunez, but before going to the effort of setting that one up I'd like to see what else is out there, hear opinions on it, etc...

Male on Female on Female on Male.

forwebsites — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:52:54 -0800

Is it possible to pair two ports of my 4-port USB hub, to form a USB female-female gender changer? Can I then connect typeA male end of USB cable modem to this and put a USB-LAN adapter to the other end of this pair, effectively getting a male USB modem to female LAN converter? This through a LAN cable is then supposed to go as i/p to my WRT54GL router. Short version:
typeA USB male o/p from ADSL modem to ----> {female port on USB hub -- paired with another female port on same hub} ----> male USB2LAN adapter --> giving out female LAN connection.

Possible? Forget it?

The details:
- My (bastard*) ISP provides a ADSL USB modem, with typeA male connector.

- I'd like to convert USB o/p from this modem to a ethernet LAN type (so that I can connect it to my wrt54gl router). So I bought a USB-LAN adapter.

But since this is also type A male, I reckon I will need a female-female gender changer(FFGC)

My first question: this kind of setup should work, right?

If so, my second question:
I've tried finding this FFGC but I can't find it in local stores here. However I do have a usual 4-port USB hub (from local store, china make).

This hub has four typeA female connector. Is there a way to pair two of those ports(effectively making them a FFGC), so that I can plug in modem's USB on one end, and put my USB-LAN adapter on the other end. End result being as if I am getting a LAN connection out of my modem. I could then connect it using LAN cable to my router i/p. Is it possible? How?

based on my prevs question's responses, thank you everyone, I decided to go for ISP modem+WRT54GL setup
*-those bastards they told me they give LAN modems and then when I was not home, the bastard technician plugged in a USB modem and now they won't exchange because idiots don't supply LAN wired modems, and won't refund because well "goods once purchased will not be taken back" - it's there on the back of their fucking receipt, even if they lied to me several times on phone and in person, and their official brochures prints outright lies. The ISP is Etisalat (Dubai) btw where level of customer abuse is based on your nationality. Fucking Monopoly

This shit is BANANAS.

BobFrapples — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:33:58 -0800

Why does my network adapter keep disappearing in XP?? Hi all!

Your tech expertise is required here. I just recently finished building myself a new pc. Got it all set up and installed Windows XP as the OS. It's been about 4 days now, and I am having a consistant problem with the network adapter for my onboard gigabit LAN.

I installed the Realtek driver that came with my motherboard (AsRock P45ts), and it worked fine after I installed it. However, the next time I booted up, I had no internet connection. My LAN connection was missing from the Network Connections folder, and Network Adapters was also missing from my hardware profile.

Now, I selected the option to "show hidden hardware" and then the Network Adapters show up, but Windows doesn't detect any problem.

So, each time I'm forced to uninstall the driver, then reboot and reinstall. I also went and found an updated version of the Realtek driver, but that hasn't seemed to make any difference.

What the heck is going on here??

The specific driver that I'm using is "REALTEK GbE & FE Ethernet PCI-E NIC Driver".

Thanks!

How do I stay connected to my LAN when logged off?

jesirose — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:24:47 -0800

Why is Windows SP3 disconnecting me from the LAN whenever I log off...and how do I make it stop that? Before I updated to SP3, this never happened. Now, whenever I log off (using the Windows+L shortcut), my LAN disconnects. I want to stay connected so programs like Pidgin can run while I am away, and I don't have to wait to reconnect when I come back.

It's Windows XP Pro SP3.

Backing up bootable image over a LAN?

nasty, brutish, and of average height — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:15:52 -0800

I'd like to create a bootable backup of my MacBook's hard drive 150GB hard drive. I've got a 500GB drive, but it's in an Ubuntu server on my LAN. Is there a good way to back up a bootable backup to another computer? And what would my restore situation be? I know Macs can netboot, but I don't know anything about it. Would I move the whole image to my laptop using target disk mode, or something similar? I've never worked with full, disk image backups.

Only other detail is, I'd like to do this weekly or so. However, I don't suspect that scheduling it will be the difficult part of this plan...

Private file sharing over LAN

daksya — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:14:54 -0800

Computer 1 (XP SP2) and Computer 2 (XP) are connected to a router. I want to transfer and manipulate files from one on the other. I don't want to use File and Print Sharing. Any solutions? Ideally, I'd like to

queue files for download or upload,
be able to pause & resume,
password protect,
rename, move, delete files on the other (don't need remote desktop app, but if it does the trick, fine)
know if files are being transferred or manipulated on my current station

Now, I've tried a few private P2P apps, like Gigatribe and Remobo but they all seem to operate across the public Internet. I want this app installed just on these 2 computers.

Thanks.

ISP hijacks invalid URLs—sometimes

adamrice — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:37:11 -0800

NetworkFilter: I have a bizarre and arcane-seeming problem with my home network, the Internet, and my ISP's DNS. Invalid URLs are being redirected to the ISP's search page—in some cases. If I type in a partial URL like "amazon", normally I'd expect my browser to figure out that I meant amazon.com and go there. And indeed, it worked that way until about two weeks ago.

At that point (with no changes at my end), I started getting redirected to a special page run by my ISP (grandecom.com) that attempts to monetize my laziness by showing me ads. I realize there's been a lot of this kind of thing with a lot of different ISPs lately.

I have two Macs running 10.5, connected via cat-5, and one Mac running 10.4 connected via wifi, all running into the same old-ish Netgear router (which has current firmware). What I've just figured out is that the wifi-connected Mac does not encounter this redirect; when I connect any of my computers directly to the cable modem, I also don't encounter it.

I've spoken to my ISP's tech support a couple of times. One guy had never even heard of this redirect page and expressed surprise that it exists. The other had heard of it, but claimed there hadn't been a lot of complaints relating to it. And because the problem went away when I took my router out of the loop, he's inclined to blame it.

Clearly the ISP's DNS is implicated, and I am not satisfied with this response, or lack of solution. I'm wondering if anyone has encountered anything like this, or can shed light on it.

"Media disconnected", "network cable not plugged in". What is going on?

lioness — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:01:29 -0800

All network cards in our LAN suddenly claim to be disconnected. Wireless still works just fine. Can you help? Background: Our LAN consists of 5 computers, all running WinXP, all using the wireless network to connect to the internet. This configuration has been working perfectly for a very long time.
I'm the only one who uses the wired network cards with a crossover cable to transfer files between 2 of these computers.

All of a sudden, computer A and computer B kept saying the network cable was unplugged when I tried to transfer files. I've been transferring files every weekend for a year, without problems. I had only made a transfer the previous day and everything worked fine.

Both computers' WinXP claimed the network cards were working properly, but ipconfig stated "media disconnected". Hence, when inserting the network cable, the computers kept saying "network cable unplugged".
Rebooting (and rebooting the router/modem) didn't help. There are no virusses or spyware on these computers and they're all updated regularly. The other computers displayed the exact same symptoms.

The only thing that had changed in the last couple of weeks was the introduction of computer C. Transferring files had worked the previous days (and the weeks before), and I gained internet access on that computer by alternately using a cable and the wireless network USB stick of computer B. This is the only thing I can imagine that was different than normal in our network, but I don't see why this would have caused these problems.

I left that evening with computer B to the city where I study. I normally use the wired network there to connect to the internet but the network card kept being disconnected.

I found a DHCPnack error in my logs, but this would be a consequence of these problems rather than a cause, or not?

Googling this problem suggested Media Sense to be the culprit, trying WinsockxpFix.exe or LSPFix.exe. These latter two didn't work, I didn't disable Media Sense yet because I don't fully understand the consequences. Can I just disable it?

I'm stumped! What was the cause for these problems and how do I fix it? Can you help?

Remote Control Tiger: How do I remote into a 10.4 box from Windows?

GS1977 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:04:08 -0800

What is the best way to remote desktop into OS X 10.4 from a Windows Server 2003 AD environment? We are running workstations with Vista Business on a LAN with Win Server 2003 and ActiveDirectory. I have a G5 running 10.4 Server on the domain, but now I'd like to know the best way to remote control the G5. Our goal is to keep it in the server room as a test machine and possibly a web server. I need to be able to fully administer it from my desk.

Please help me understand punchdown blocks and patch panels.

Jackie_Treehorn — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:56:46 -0800

Help a new homeowner configure LAN in utility area. I'm new with punch blocks, patch panels, etc. Hello.

First I'd start of with me: I'm experienced in basic networking. I can run the line, make my own ethernet ends and am familiar with switches, hubs, routers, etc. What I am not experienced with are patch panels, punchdown blocks and the like.

My new home is pre-wired with cat 5e for the phone lines and ran to a central location in my utility room. I want to convert some of those lines into computer network lines. First I'll replace all wall jacks to rj-45 from the current standard rj-11 phone line jacks since you can plug rj-11 into rj-45 jacks. When all comes to the utility room, I'll simply select which jack I'd like to be the phone line and wire it as such.

Now here in the utility room is what I'm not too sure of. What I'd like to be able to do is if I change my mind and want room a to be telephone, I'll simply unplug something in my utility room and plug it back into something else. And wala, it's been changed from ethernet to telephone. And the other way around also. A super easy way to change things back and forth in the utility room.

So is that via a punchdown block? A punchdown block with rj-45 jacks on it? Two switches - one for ethernet and one for phone?

I've been trying to find some handy tutorials on the internet, but thus far have found nothing.

Thanks all,

Jackie

Help me extend my LAN, please!

dance — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:25:28 -0800

I'm extending an wired ethernet LAN to a nearby house. I'm planning to connect a 50m patch cable to the existing bridge router, run it through an existing underground pipe to the other house where it would meet a switch and serve internet via two shorter patch cables (25m?) to two laptops in that house. Can anyone see a problem with this setup? For example: I've read about the 100m signal interference rule, but is that rule refreshed again at my switch? i.e. whilst the total distance in cable from the bridge router is 75m, the closest I'll come to that 100m signal loss rule is the 50m run? Thanks for help!

Laptop with trackpoint and good graphics?

JZig — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:01:57 -0800

Is there a laptop with a TrackPoint that is not objectively horrible for gaming? I'm looking to buy a new laptop to replace my T41, which I loved. However, I find myself having to lug my huge desktop around for even extremely light lan gaming, as the the T41 has a really bad graphics card.

I want a replacement that has a trackpad, because I love them and I can't stand using touchpads. I also use it on planes and other cramped places, so "use a mouse!" doesn't really work. I still want a fairly portable laptop, not one of those huge ass desktop replacements.

So, can I get a laptop that both has a trackpad (or equivalent), and decent gaming performance? I'm looking for about 6800 level or better, something I can play Team fortress 2, but not necessarily crysis on. The new thinkpad T60's don't seem to fit this requirement, unless someone can explain the really confusing pro video to consumer video model conversion to me. For instance, what the heck is a "Quadro FX 570M" card anyway?

Tips on avoiding backhoes welcome too.

Skorgu — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:49:54 -0800

How can I practice/learn fiber optic networking without breaking the bank? I'm a sysadmin by day so I know my way around wiring and networking but it's all copper. I'd like to learn/practice working with fiber networks. Except I don't know where to start, don't have any of the equipment and have no working (fiber) network to tweak. On the other hand I won't have any users complaining about the network being down, which is nice. Budget is very much a concern. I'm leaning more towards Ethernet than FC or SONET, etc. but only because I suspect it will be cheaper. Advice/information on conduit pulls, radii, etc also appreciated. Shaggy dog cable-splicing war stories always welcome.

Come on, wake up!

Solomon — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:16:59 -0800

Why does my PC lose the internet and LAN connections when it comes out of S3 standby? I have a Windows XP SP2 PC with a Microstar MS 7211 motherboard. I'm using the onboard LAN port for the internet and LAN connections.

All works fine, until the PC goes into S3 standby. When it comes out of S3, the internet and LAN connections are completely dead. If I put it into "ordinary" standby (as in, go into the BIOS and change the standby level from S3 to S1, then put the PC into standby), then the connections are kept/remade, and I can surf the internet/LAN as usual. It's only when it comes out of S3 that there's a problem.

I've got the latest drivers for the LAN card. When it comes out of S3, the PC is aware of it's IP address and subnet mask, etc. The router is aware that it is turned on and connected, and is showing the same IP address. The option to "Allow the PC to turn this device off the save power" is disabled.

What can I do to force the internet connection to be kept/remade when coming out of S3?

I got them ol' DHCP blues

nylon — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:59:26 -0800

My PC has completely lost interest in automatically obtaining an IP address from any network, by any method. My Toshiba Satellite Pro has been my tireless servant for over 3 years. Last week, while plugged into my ADSL router via an ethernet cable, I went to get a cup of tea. When I got back, 5 minutes later, I had 'limited or no connectivity' on the network. Restarting the router had no effect, restarting the PC had no effect. I can assign an IP address manually, and connect to the internet with ease and joy via both ethernet cable and PCMCIA wireless card and USB wireless dongle thingy. The moment I entrust the computer with the oh-so-difficult task of attempting automatic IP acquisition, the taskbar icon hangs at 'acquiring network address' and then gives up some minutes later.

Some additional facts:
There's another computer on the same network, it has no problem getting an automatic IP address. DHCP is enabled on the router, there's a wide enough range of available addresses, and it's been working fine for many months prior to this.
I've tried the PC on 3 different networks, with the same result - automatic is hopeless, manual is ok.
My DHCP service is active on the PC, and is set to automatically start on start-up.
WinSockFix does nothing to help.
Enabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP does nothing to help.
Google tells me that seemingly lots of other people have had similar problems, but either only with wireless, or because they forgot to enable DHCP on their router, or some other fairly straightforward thing that doesn't seem to apply to me. And lots of advice online has been stuff like 'try restarting the computer', or 'make sure your router is switched on'.

This is driving me insane, and while I can access the internet at home, because I know the right DNS gateways to use for manual DHCP, it means I can't use the laptop away from home.

What have I missed? Can anyone help?!

Mysterious network speed cap on my PC

lattiboy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:06:27 -0800

There is a mysterious network cap somewhere on my PC, tried everything I know. Okay, so I changed ISP recently because I couldn't seem to get above a 1MB connection. I switched to Qwest 7MBs line, and I still can't seem to get any higher then 1MBs. Here's the odd thing, I installed a PCI Gigabit ethernet card and all of the sudden I am gettting 2MBs, but no more.

I have an ASUS m2npv-vm mobo that uses the Nvidia nForce 430 chipset with gigabit lan and also hooked up a Rosewill (Realtek chipset) PCI gigabit lan. I have uninstalled/reinstalled the drivers numerous times, and reset all BIOS settings to default. I am having the same cap on all web browers and my utorrent application. Any help would be appreciated.

Please ensmarten me about LAN/WAN/Co-Lo

bartleby — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:40:44 -0800

3 LANS are getting hard to manage. Please ensmarten me about WANs and Colocation. Right now we've got 3 physical sites for the same firm/domain, each with its own MS 2003 server and dataset. This separated setup has worked well to keep the others up and running if one has downtime/problems.

But now we're needing more flexibility / integration across the sites. The VPN we've currenly got has an upload bottleneck at about 500kbps, which is too slow for file transfers, much less application services, between the sites.

So we've set up Terminal Servers at each site, so that if staff at Site A need to use applications or manipulate data that's on Site B's server, they launch Remote Desktop and work on it "at" Site B via RDP.

This is working for now, but it's getting hard to manage all those boxes, back them up, etc.

So I've been thinking about moving from 3 servers with three datasets, one for each location, to one big fat server which consolidates all the data. But I don't know precisely how to locate that server, then serve up that data with speed to the various sites.

If it was just a webserver, that would be one thing - but this is going to be an applications server. And I'm just a recently unfrozen caveman with no knowledge of your "high tech".

So I've got Questions:

1) Say I host the consolidated server at Site A - would Sites B and C basically have to "remote" in to get anything done? (Let's say there was a site to site T1 in place).

2) If that's the case, am I better off just going for a colocator and having everyone working "remotely", with the server serving up desktops for everyone? Can that be done with just a T1 from each office to the colo? (40 users total).

3) If that's the case, then all the workstations basically become thin clients, right? So I can justify the colo expense by saying that we won't have to upgrade every workstation's hardware/software for Vista, right?

4) If all the processing, etc was handled by a fat server in a colo, could Users still have dual monitors? How would Printing work?

5) A different way altogether - keeping the 3 existing servers:
Let's say that the total dataset is 100gb, and there's maybe 3gb of changes made each day.

If there was a point-to-point-to-point T1 connection between the offices, would it be possible to Consolidate the data once, then Clone it onto the other two servers, then keep Replicating any changes?

Such that each site would keep working on its own server on its own LAN, but something in the background would keep each server a mirror of the others? (User adds a document to a folder hosted on Server A. Auto-magic happens and that new file is added to the servers at Sites B and C.) This would keep users from dealing with VPN/remote hassles, and also be good for continuity, as if one server goes down, the other two are identical copies).

This 5) scenario would be ideal, but I don't know if it only exists on the shelf between my personal jetpack and and my Mr. Fusion.

I know this is complex for an AskMeFi, but I need to figure this out while also working overtime and going back to school to learn this kind of stuff. There's lots of knowledge in this hive's mind, so I'm trying to use some of it. If you're in the Bay Area and do this for a living, send me an email.