Linksys VPN problem! Cannot see network!

[songwritingguy]

Greetings,
I have a Linksys BEFW11S4 v3, with firmware v1.45 loaded. I am also using a cable modem with comcast ISP. When I try to connect to my workplace via VPN, I can successfully connect, but when browsing out to the network, can not see the entire network. I've been on the phone countless times with Linksys support and they are clueless. As a test, I bypassed the router and modem, and connected to my workplace via dial-up, and I could see EVERYTHING just fine. My laptop is a brand new Dell Latitude with XP pro. I've tried VPN with both my Linksys card and Netgear card with no luck. Connecting to and browsing the internet is no issue - only VPN does not work. What's the deal? Can someone help me, or do I need to throw this Linksys stuff out?

Thanks,
Drew

 

[mattjurado]

Put your computer's address in the DMZ host section of the Linksys router's configuration. If it works, then some ports need to be fowarded to your laptop, or you can leave it here. You'ld have to ask your computer guy(s) what ports they are.

Matt J.

 

[songwritingguy]

Thanks Matt. I've already put my computer's address in the DMZ field. No luck. Other employees at work were able to connect successfully (also with Linksys) without entering particular port info....so why not me?

Drew

 

[mattjurado]

So how do you know you are really connected? Can you ping addresses on the other end?

Matt J.

 

[bcastner]

One of the most common reasons for this is if the addressing scheme for the subnets on both ends are identical.

If you office is using 192.168.1.x as its default IP range, make your local LAN addressing something else. Try 192.168.2.x as a scheme for example.

 

[songwritingguy]

Thanks guys! That was it! I changed the LAN IP to a different number, and presto - I can now see the entire network. Perfect. Can't believe I spent hours on the phone with Linksys tech support, and they didn't suggest this as a fix. Geez.....
Thanks Matt and bcastner. Really appreciate your help.

Regards,
Drew

 

[mattjurado]

Trust me, I know all about Linksys support. We had two Linksys model BEFSX41 VPN routers, and spent 8 hours on the phone with all kinds of supervisors, before one finally told us you can't create a VPN with 2 of these, the BEFSX41 is only an endpoint, you need a different model on the other end... So, I feel your pain.

Matt J.

 

[markku]

Hi Matt,

You can establish VPN with two of these boxes. Instructions you have received are BS.

 

[CarboMan]

I just read Matt's post from 11/9/03 and wished I had read it alot sooner. I have spent serious hours on the phone with Linksys. I don't think they understand what I am trying to do.

I am/was trying to do the VPN connection between two PC's on the Comcast domain using BEFSX41 routers on both ends. It looks like I will need a different router on one of the ends to get the VPN working.

Any suggestions on device to replace one of the BEFSX41's?

Thanks,

David

 

[mattjurado]

Like my friend carboman here, it is not possible. The devices showed the tunnel complete, but no pinging or browsing was possible. We had to use a BEFVP41 on one end to get it to work... Same settings and configurations, and now it worked. The reason you can't use the BEFSX41, is that it is strictly an ENDPOINT, designed to connect to an existing VPN structure. Perhaps they've added functionality with the latest firmware, but 6 months ago, it wasn't possible. Again, hours on the phone, finally got a manager to say it wasn't possible, used the BEFVP41, popped in my settings, BINGO! VPN!

Carboman, if you complain to their corporate services (which is what the support manager told us to do), they will take back one of the devices (or both if you don't want them), and go get the BEFVP41.

Matt J.

 

[CarboMan]

I've been Monkeying around with the two Linksys BEFSX41 routers and have a VPN connection. At least I can see the other computer over the Comcast.net domain.

I took my laptop over to their house and plugged it directly to their router. If I'm at their desktop, I can see my laptop on their network, and can connect to my shared drive on this laptop by typing in the username and password I use to logon to my laptop.

The problem is that I can't connect to their desktop PC from my laptop using the username and password they use to logon to their desktop. I have the desktop's C Drive shared with all of the permissions enabled.

Any suggestions would be great.

If it ever works, I 'll post the setups on this board.

Thanks,

Carboman

 

[markku]

Does the workgroup match in addition of the user/password.

Do you connect to their desktop PC with \\remote_machine_IP\C$

or remote desktop?

 

[CarboMan]

mark,

The workgroup on both machines is "FAC". I am typing in the actual username and password on both machines to log on. For example the desktop PC username and password are Barnes" and "4kids", and my laptop username and passwoord are "Engineer" and "Siemens".

Thanks,

David

 

[markku]

How do you try to connect to the remote machine?

Try in command prompt "net view remotemachine_name" to see the shared resources

 

[CarboMan]

Mark,

Thanks for the reply!

When I type in "net view remotemachine_name", I get a message back. It is:

"System error 5 has occurred"

"Access is denied"

I also tried the IP address of the "remotemachine_name" and I got the same error message.

What do you think?

David

 

[bcastner]

In a workgroup all usernames and passwords of Computer A need to be added as usernames and passwwords on Computer B, and vice-versa.

 

[CarboMan]

Can they both have Administrator rights on Machine A and Machine B, or do they have to be something else like Guests?

Thanks,

David

 

[bcastner]

Any user type you wish.
You set the type on the remote machine. If I am local Administrator of A, but a limited user on B, when I access B from A I will have limited rights on the remote share of B.

If you enable NTFS and disable 'Use Simple File Sharing' you can be more granular in the actual permissions than is permitted by the more limited notion of Administrative User, Limited User and Guest.

See Steve Winograd's discussion:

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/index.htm