hi, I am required to take text/doc files uploaded to a share/directory in a static ip, do some processing on this queue, convert the file format and save the results in a directory for it to be downloaded (or I could upload the same to another share/folder in another static ip). volume of files is about 1-5 files/second of about 50KB to 100KB each and the converting and delivery has to be in near real time. The actual conversion is on external systems on a seperate subnet and this planned server is for just handling the input and output automatically. I do not know yet if i can use a vpn as the server that provides the data allows this or not. I had planned to put up a centos 4.4 based secure ftp server with two diretories one for incomming files and other for completed, both password protected. the access to the directory will be limited to the ip addresses that are using this facility with iptables. Static IP | Firewall------(public ftp) | (private network 192.168.xx)doing the actual sork | could someone with more experience than me (read newbie) comment or suggest a better approach than the one above or point out security issues as the data must be secured at all costs. Thanks for your time. -- rm