VPN connection - unable to map drives in 2000 and XP

[SunnyByfleet]

Hi,

I've got the following setup:

Office Network
|
Multitech SOHO Routefinder VPN firewall/
|
BT Router
|
Internet
|
SSH Sentinel Client
|
4 Windows 2000 / XP clients


Now, some users can connect fine and map drives. Other users cannot.

All users can ping the servers on the office network. When a non-working PC tries the mapping a drive (either \\Server\Share or \\n.n.n.n\Share) they get the following error:

The network path \\n.n.n.n\Share could not be found

All users have LMHOSTS files setup correctly.

The two computers that work have also been attached directly to the network in the past, and I'm wondering if thats significant.

In a nutshell I'm asking the following question:

How do I map a network drive to a computer not yet part of a domain?

I've tried adding the computer to the domain remotely but it doesn't recognise the name of the domain.

Any suggestions? I've tried some of the suggestions I've seen here already, like the Reg hack, but to no avail.

 

[SunnyByfleet]

Nobody has any idea??

 

[bcastner]

I think you need to make a HOSTS entry, not LMHOSTS entry.

 

[aarcher]

SunnyByfleet,

Can the systems with the problems browse to the server? Like if you just put in \\server? One thing to make sure is that the client systems are loggin into their local windows 2000 install with the same username/password as they log into the VPN with, this passes the proper credentials to the server when shares are accessed.

I do think it's odd that they can ping yet not see the shares, can they ping by hostname? I don't think you need a HOSTS entry, LMHOSTS is all you need, as you have other systems working you probably know that

Adam.

 

[SunnyByfleet]

Right,

The latest on this is that it works fine for users via broadband but the problem arises using dial-up.

It has been suggested that I lower the MTU setting on the client. I've trawled the Microsoft site and found out how to do it for XP, though confusingly they give two different reg hacks. So here's my next, and hopefully final question.

Has anybody had to lower the MTU of their 2000 Prof or XP system to gain full access to a VPN, and how did they do it?

 

[Darrenzo]

Have you made sure you have "file and print sharing" and "client for microsoft networks" enabled on the dialup -> properties-> networking tab?
This worked for me

 

[SunnyByfleet]

Oh you Beautie! It was that simple.

 

[millerja1]

I have Win98 and Win2000 Machines connected via a VPN to a Linux Server. I can map the drive from the Clients to the server just fine. The trouble is the clients "drops" the mapping five or six times during normal office hours.
It seems to happen more if the terminals do not access the mapped drive for an extended period, (20 min.) of time. Does windows have a "drop the VPN if not being used for a set period"????

 

[madjakers]

Yes windows does have a timeout setting for inactivity:
It the Active Directory Console go to users, select user, properties and select the sessions tab.

There you can set the inactivity timeout to "never" if you like...see if that helps