Using Windows 2000 Sever VPN

[blcjr]

I've some questions about using the RRAS VPN service on a Windows 2000 Server. I have it working, more or less. I can access the VPN server from the internet, and map to shared drives on the machine running the VPN server. But I cannot "see" any of the other computers on the LAN I'm connecting to, or any of their resources. Is this normal for a VPN server (I should think not) or is possible that this is because I'm running the VPN server on a computer with only a single NIC?

Here's the setup, and few more details. As said, the machine running Windows 2000 Server has only a single NIC. Once I configure the VPN server, that machine goes "blind" to the LAN: no other computer on the LAN can see it, and it can see no other computer on the LAN. The machine itself has an IP of 192.168.1.102 (assigned by a Linksys *41 router DHCP server), and it sets up the VPN service on 192.168.1.104. These two IP's can ping back and forth, e.g. 192.168.1.104 can remotely ping into the Windows 2000 server machine on 192.168.102, and vice versa. But pings to or from these IP's from any other 192.168.1.x address on the LAN time out.

Is this perhaps because I'm running the VPN server on a computer with only a single NIC? If I multihomed the computer with two NIC's, one to maintain a connection to the LAN, and one to host the VPN service, would this resolve the issues? E.g., allow the server to be see and be seen by other computers on the LAN while still hosting VPN?

TIA for any insights or shared experiences.

-Baz

 

[Kewlb]

personally, I have had no problem setting up a VPN from a machine with only one NIC, but also this was only in a test environment never a production one. I would uninstall TCP/IP on that system and reinstall it, make sure all your TCP/IP settings are correct and that your static/dynamic routes are correct as well as you assinging the correct address pool to VPN users. If this does not resolve the issue two network cards should fix the problem.

 

[blcjr]

I haven't had any trouble setting it up for one NIC either. But I think that severely limits Win2K server's utility. I think MS agrees: I read the transcript of a webcast today where they discuss VPN on Win2K and they strongly recommend against using just one NIC, though they really do not explain why. I think I'm seeing why.

I'll add a second NIC next week.

-Baz

 

[ScottMac]

I believe you're on the right track. My understanding (shakey as it is) is that once the NIC goes "VPN," it only sees and sends via the tunnel.

A second NIC (one "inside" and one "outside - VPN&quot ought to cure the problem. As I mentioned, I'm not real sure on this, but I believe it to be true.

Good luck, let us know how it turned out.

Scott