accesing ControlLogix via Ethernet

Here is the set up
Two PLC5's in Controlnet Hot Backup
Two Panelviews sitting on Controlnet
Multiple Flexio ACN modules sitting on the Controlnet.

Normaly sitting in front of the system,
I can connect to Controlnet using the RJ45 port on the PLC5
and configure,
The PLC Code and Upload and download the
Panelview projects. I can of course also
configure, upload or download the Controlnet
Configuration.

Now, lets expand this a bit
Lets say I want to do this using Ethernet with out
adding Sidecars onto the PLC5's.
The best way would be to have a module that converts
Ethernet to Controlnet with out using a ControlLogix
Gateway setup.

The system currently does not have Ethernet access
But I need to add Ethernet Access to the system so
I can VPN to connect to the devices using RSLINX
on my laptop and to connect to a VPN server we are
going to install into the system, a shoe box
computer with solid state hard drive so we have no
moving parts in the computer.
The VPN would then be connected to the Controlnet
network, giving my RSLINX a path to reach the
Controlnet Network devices.

Anyone have some good ways of doing this, or alternative
ways of doing it. Using A remote access software package
is not a solution as it requires a lot more band width
than a VPN connection runing the software on you local
machine.
Thanks

I don't see anything wrong with using a 1756 chassis with 1756-ENBT and 1756-CNB modules. That's a dependable, simple, maintainable mechanism.

If your shoebox computer runs Windows XP and can host a 1784-PCC or 1784-PCIC ControlNet interface card, you can run RSLinx Classic Gateway on that PC.

You'll connect to the "shoebox" PC over a VPN connection and thus have an IP address on the control IP network, so you can connect to RSLinx Gateway and remotely use the ControlNet card driver.

When you're local to the system, you just connect to the Ethernet network locally and do the same thing, connecting to RSLinx Gateway and remotely using the ControlNet card driver.