Topic: Can't browse via VPN. Clueless about WINS

[Nathan Foster]

Hi,

I have version 5.6 of SME Server with update 4 installed.  I am able to make a VPN connection, but I am unable to browse network resources remotely.  My user name and password are the same on all involved machines.  I am able to ping and even mount shares manually at the command line, but I am unable to do anything with the Network Neighborhood.

I feel like my problem is probably due to my lack of knowledge as to how one sets up WINS servers.  I have checked to make sure that the samba.conf file has WINS turned on.  I have set my remote client and one of the local clients to use the SME server box as a WINS server (long explanation as to why the other local client isn't yet).

Is this something so simple as having to create an LMHOSTS file on the server?  If so, what is the proper syntax for this file?  (I will research on my own, but I appreciate any help)  What other diagnostic measures can/should I take in order to figure out whether this is the problem?  Thank you very much in advance.

Nathan Foster

[Paul F]

Make sure that the client side is set through vpn server manager panel to the IP address of the VPN "server."

Make sure that you do not have another machine set to be the default WINS server. Let me know if you need any help I just performed this setup myself.

[Nathan Foster]

When you say "client side", you mean what exactly?  I would have thought that you meant the config on my clients (Win2k and WinXP machines), but when you say "vpn server manager panel", it sounds like you are talking about the SME box.

As far as the WINS servers go, there are only a couple of machines at the local site (when I say local, I mean the site with the server and the main network) for now, and the other two are just plain old WinXP boxes .  I wouldn't think that any other machine would be the defaults WINS server, but how would I know?  Isn't this set on each client or am I missing something?

My SME server is setup as "server-only", so I think that I have only one IP address for the server itself.

Thanks for your help.  Sorry if I am a bit dense.

Nathan Foster

[Jeroen]

What if you try to connect to a pc through the vpn by typing \ipnr in a dos box?

jeroen

[Ray Mitchell]

Nathan
I seem to recall that previous posts indicate that this type of WINS support does not work over VPN connections. Do a search on VPN and WINS and include all dates.
You can conect to any remote share though by IP number.
net use M: \xxx.xxx.x.xx\sharename

Regards
Ray

[Jason]

You can also go into the properties of the VPN connection and set a WINS server manually.

Go to the Networking tab of the VPN connection properties (in XP).  Select TCP/IP and click the Properties button.  Click the Advanced button in the next window, then click the WINS tab.

Manually add the IP address of the WINS server on the remote network.  Even though you're manually specifying the address, it will not affect your ability to get a DHCP address from the SME server when you connect. You should, however, be able to find shares by machine name now.

This works for me, please let us know if it does or does not work for you.

[Nathan Foster]

Jason wrote:
>
> You can also go into the properties of the VPN connection and
> set a WINS server manually.
>
> Go to the Networking tab of the VPN connection properties (in
> XP).  Select TCP/IP and click the Properties button.  Click
> the Advanced button in the next window, then click the WINS
> tab.
>
> Manually add the IP address of the WINS server on the remote
> network.  Even though you're manually specifying the address,
> it will not affect your ability to get a DHCP address from
> the SME server when you connect. You should, however, be able
> to find shares by machine name now.

Yeah, I'd already tried that.  My thoughts are that I need to do something on the server that will make the WINS stuff work?  Or am I just wrong?  I think that I am set to use the WINS server, but it just doesn't have the info?

> This works for me, please let us know if it does or does not
> work for you.

[Jason]

I believe that the remote SME server you're connecting to doesn't need to know any of the WINS information, if the client you're connecting from is manually assigning it.

By manually assining the WINS server on my client, it is able to resolve names on the remote network, without having to configure anything in the SME server itself.

Was this not sucessful for you?

[Nathan Foster]

So far, this has not been successful, no.  I am still looking for help.  I am considering moving this into its final environment, in case some random variable that is holding me back gets solved.  Any help still appreciated.

Nathan

[Nathan Foster]

I am still looking for help if anyone has any to offer.  I have to believe that there is a way to make the remote network browsable.  If not, I don't think that this whole setup is going to work too well.  Thank you.

Nathan Foster

[Oluf]

Do you have a personal firewall on the clients? You may have to open up some IP adresses / subnets on it.

-Oluf

[Nathan Foster]

It turns out that it was a problem with the DNS settings on the clients.  I thought that WINS would do the trick, but it did not.  Just shows how little I know.  Thanks for all attempts to help.

Nathan Foster

[Ray Mitchell]

Nathan

> It turns out that it was a problem with the DNS settings on
> the clients

Care to share with us what that DNS setting problem was ?
What did you discover it should be set to ?

Thanks
Ray

[Nathan Foster]

Sorry for falling off the face of the earth.  Yeah.  I set my DNS settings to the SME Server box's external IP address.  I am really quite a novice when it comes to DNS, so I don't know why this works, whether that is how it is supposed to work or what.  I also checked "Register this connection's addresses in DNS".  I haven't played around with unchecking that.  At some point, I will.  I am just happy to have it working now.  Unfortunately, it is not as fast as I would have hoped.  I understand that with ADSL, I can't expect miracles, but I am disappointed nonetheless.  If I want to open a Word file, I have to copy it, then open it.  If I try to open the file directly on the server, it takes forever for Word to bring the file up.  Of course, this is probably just another Microsoft problem.

If anyone knows good ways to improve performance over an ADSL VPN, particularly when it comes to evil Office applications, that would be great.  Thanks.

Nathan Foster

[Kingnubian]

I also had this problem. I got over it by enabling my 5.6U4 box as a PDC, even though most of the time I use a simple workgroup, and it worked like a dream regardless if I'm just using a workgroup enviroment or logging into a SME hosted domain.

Enabling this option turns the SME's box's WINS server on.