Topic: PPtP on 5.6 ... insight desired!

[Michael Smith]

PPtP, at least for me, "just worked" on 5.1.2 ... specifically I was logging at will into either end of an IPSec VPN maintained by two 5.1.2 boxes and into any other SME 5.1.2 box acting as gateway/router.  For various technical and non-technical reasons, those boxes were replaced with 5.6u4 (now u5) boxes, and despite my having perused the forums until my eyes are bloodshot I do not understand:

1)  What's the root of the problem?  Is it the specific PPtP client, the kernel, some sort of MPPE weirdness, Mitel's implementation of the PPtP server, or something else entirely?

2)  What does the architecture of the SME box have to do with it?  Why does it matter if it's a 586, 686 or Athlon?

2)  Is it solvable in 5.6 generally, or is each combination of SME box and PPtP client unique?

Please, someone with a good theoretical and practical understanding of this mess enlighten us!

[John Crisp]

A definite 'me 2'

Similar experience whereby 5.1.2 worked straight out of the box and 5.6 will not. I have an Athlon CPU in the troublesome server, and now am not sure whether I have patched it correctly, not at all, or whether the whole thing is a mess. At this rate I may just rollback the lot to 5.1.2 which worked fine.  I currently have a mobile worker who cannot get into the server and I have no answers and am fast running out of excuses.........

They are starting to think that maybe they were better off with A.N. Other OS.......

I have read until my eyes are on stalks, tried all the tricks and am obviously missing something.

Any information appreciated.

B. Rgds

JC

[Bob King]

Apply U5.

Then apply the proper RPM from the MPPE directory of U5. If you have Athlon processor then use the Athlon RPM otherwise check "arch" and use the right RPM for your machine.

Then check, and modify if necessary, the file, /etc/ppp/options.pptpd, as discussed here:

http://wiki.contribs.org/index.php?module=announce&ANN_user_op=view&ANN_id=13&45a14dd739202bfca06852d1969bca6c=f577f37d8ba770fc161679949619262c

The address like is all on 1 line.

Then make sure that your Windows client is set for "multilink"

I have several customers using 5.6U5. All using PPTP for remote workers with no problems after the above was done.

Best of luck,.
Bob

[Michael Smith]

Okay, I actually got it working and here's exactly what I did:

Update 5; mppe for architecture; followed steps listed to xhange options.pptpd, then did /sbin/service pptpd restart to get the change to take effect.  (No template fragment yet ... anybody care to contribute one?)

Now, for the last part:  fixing up the properties of the PPtP connection.  The machine I'm using is Windows 2000 Pro behind a 5.6u5 gateway.

Security tab:

Advanced settings:  allow only MS-CHAP v2, Require encryption

Networking tab:  Type of VPN server is PPtP

Only TCP/IP checked.  Properties of TCP/IP:  

Obtain IP automatically

Use following DNS server:  (remote SME server)

Advanced:

Use default gateway on remote network IS checked

DNS server:  (remote SME server)

WINS:  NO entries

This seems to be reliable, and I can access Server Manager on the remote machine.

[Michael Smith]

Oops, spoke too soon.  The connection is made, and I can ping the remote SME box and hosts on the remote network, but the connection silently dies within moments ... it still shows a connection, but no ping & no access.