remote access - help please

I am trying to set up remote access on a w2K3 standard server(sp1 not installed). This server handles 10 XP workstations. Prior to the following mods everything is functioning perfectly using Dynamic IP. Router is Linksys BEFSR41. I enabled Remote Access via VPN in the server and set the account of the remote user to allow remote access via dial-up or VPN. The access is via the internet. The router is set up for the static ip, the mask, the gateway and the pimary DNS using info supplied by the ISP. The necessary info has also been set up in the router port forwarding section. Have I set this up correctly? How do I set up the IP address for the server? Does it remain as it is under dynamic addressing? Does the remote user connect to the server via the static IP address (as supplied by the ISP)? Thanks for any help. I really get the idea I'm making something simple very difficult!

VPN is not easy to configure actually. You need to have all the rules (encryption type ie certificate based or key based), protocols, & ports setup the same on the host as they are on the server, and your firewall needs to also pass whatever is required for the connection. That means the port(s) specific to the connection & the protocol(s) specific to the connection. A good way to assist in configuring the hosts is by creating an install package like CMAK or similar that configures the host.

Yes any outside user will connect via the external IP.

You could set up Terminal Services for temporary remote use. All you need is ports 3389 & 80 (or 443 for SSL). Basically just remote desktop for server. If you firewall suppports it I would only open this connection to the specific remote IP's that need to connect to it.

Could I use a service like NO-IP to run remote access and remote desktop? Thanks

I don't know what the benefit of doing that would be, it's not really related to getting remote access working. You said you have a static IP correct?