How does DirectAccess compare to Pertino
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I set up DirectAccess over the weekend, and it only took me about 40 minutes. Server 2012's implementation is absurdly quick and easy for a basic single-server deployment. It even creates the necessary GPOs for you. All you need to do is select the group of computers it applies to and tweak any related DNS resolution table entries. If you want to go into a more advanced deployment, it could potentially get a bit more involved.
It's location-aware and doesn't enable itself when it can see the corporate network. The moment I switched over to an external network, DA engaged. If you have software assurance on your computers, you really should be considering this. While I haven't tested any quirky legacy applications with it, typical file services and use cases seem to work fine. If you test it and don't like it, you can use the same wizard to pull out the entire configuration, GPOs and all.
Having used both, they're really for different environments. Pertino's good for accessing other computers directly. DirectAccess is good for accessing infrastructure. If you're in a workgroup setup, Pertino would be great. You get the unstructured cross-communication that you'd expect. If you're on a domain, DirectAccess shines. You get timely connectivity to your environment when you need it, and don't need to modify any of your other servers or devices. I'm sure that as both technologies evolve and mature, things may change, but for now, that's how I've experienced it.
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I assume that there is no means of using DA with Macs, for example?
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@scottalanmiller said:
What Pertino is trying to do ....
Still don't have a firm "knowing" of what Pertino is, but that has been more helpful than anything thus far.
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@scottalanmiller said:
It is not that a gateway is insecure, it is that it lacks the lock down, visibility and control features that only a full mesh can provide.
So what's the difference between Pertino's mesh and Hamachi in mesh mode?
The biggest problem I had trying to implement DA in Server 2008 was that I wasn't running Forefront UAG, and Microsoft made it very complicated to implement without it. Is that still the case with 2012?
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@Carnival-Boy said:
@scottalanmiller said:
So what's the difference between Pertino's mesh and Hamachi in mesh mode?
At the moment they are pretty similar. Pertino's product is current and not many years abandoned though. Hamachi was abandonware when we moved off of it four or five years ago.
Hamachi isn't cross platform so if you have Linux or smartphones you are just out of luck which is hugely limiting today. Not sure if there is even Mac support. Pertino handles windows, Mac, Linux, android and iOS is on the way. After those I will be pushing them for FreeBSD.
But all this for hamachi is the last part of the story. With hamachi we are just waiting for things to spin down as they no longer push or develop the platform. With Pertino things are just spinning up and what you see today is just the tip of the iceberg.
Pertino's strength is in their vision and in how the platform is implemented. There is a lot of performance and robustness built in from day one.
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@scottalanmiller said:
I assume that there is no means of using DA with Macs, for example?
Not at present. You can, however, use the same RAS servers for VPN. Perhaps if/when Macs gain more traction in the mainstream business market, we'll see that shift.
