VPN Problem....please help

[Moonark]

I just set up VPN for work. I try to conect with a cable modem and everything works great, and there are no problems. When I dial-up to an ISP I can connect to the VPN server, I get an IP address, but I cannot browse our network. If I type in the IP address of the server I can see what is on it, but I cannot type in the server name to view its contents. I can ping the IP address of the servers, but I cannot ping the name. I have a WINS server running, and in looking at the database I can see the computer that I used to dial in. I can see it's Name and IP address, so I know my WINS server is working. Is there something with dial-up settings preventing me from seeing my network? I have tried 3 ISP's and nothing seems to work. Are there some settings that I may be missing?

 

[Garion]

Definitely sounds like a name resolution problem. Check your DNS settings and make sure you don't have a static DNS entry hard-coded in. If you do, your computer will often check the hard-coded DNS servers before WINS or other services. Since your ISP's DNS servers probably aren't reachable when you are VPN'ed in you end up with delays as your computer tries to resolve names.

Also, what kind of VPN?

- G

 

[Moonark]

I do not have a DNS server running here at work, just WINS. The VPN server is a Netopia R-7100 DSL Router....it has built in VPN. Also I am not using any DNS settings for my ISP. My IP addresses are as follows...

Static IP range: 172.16.0.1 - 172.16.0.255
DHCP: 172.16.1.1 - 172.16.1.254
RAS: 172.16.2.1 - 172.16.2.254
VPN: 172.16.3.1 - 172.16.3.254

My subnet is 255.255.248.0

since all of these fall within one subnet I didn't think there would be a problem with that... would placing my local WINS server within the ISP dialup work at all or no?

 

[Garion]

Try totally taking out everything to do with DNS on your PC. VPN in and run WINIPCFG to see if you have any DNS servers that are getting set by your ISP on dial-in or your VPN server when you establish the tunnel. Chances are one of these two sources are giving you DNS and you just don't know it.

Look at the DNS servers you've been assigned. While the VPN is up can you ping them?

While you're VPN'ed in, try to ping the DNS server that you use on your local network PC's. Can you ping it? If so, go in and hard-code this DNS server into your PPP adaptor. Disconnect and try to dial back in. Life should be good.

If you can't ping the DNS server, you're probably missing your default gateway from your VPN. Look at your VPN adaptor in WINIPCFG and see what the gateway is. Make sure it's set to the default gateway used for the LAN (if that's how your VPN box works).

Are you missing anything else? Do you have NAT turned on getting to the Internet from your inside network for only your static IP range and not your VPN range?

- G

 

[Moonark]

OK...I rebooted all the servers on my network and now when I go to Start, Run...I can ping the computers on my network as well as go to \\servername and pull up the shares. I still cannot go into "My Network Places" and view the computers. Eventhough I can now ping them and get to their shares, I cannot physically see them on my system... Is there a way to fix this.

I just read that "Network Neighborhood" has limitations over PPP. It mentioned that I can do the \\servername to get to my resources, but not see them in Network Neighborhood. This makes sense considering the problems I am having, but is there a way around this. I got the document from Caltech, but could it be wrong?