xp vpn server and vista vpn client, can't connect

[causeitsme]

Hi,

I am using an xp sp2 machine as the VPN server. It connects to the internet via a Netopia wireless router, although the machine is connected to the Netopia router via ethernet cable, not through a wireless card. I have windows firewall turned off.

I am using a vista sp1 machine as the client. It connects to the internet via a Belkin wirless g plus router which is connected to a Speedstream4200 modem. This machine also connects to the Belkin router via ethernet cable. Windows firewall is on.

I set up the xp vpn server on the remote machine via logmein.

I followed this guide: http://www.aeonity.com/frost/howto-w...n-server-setup

I set up the vista vpn client using this guide: http://www.aeonity.com/frost/howto-w...emote-location

*(Note: I haven't done step 2 of this guide 'Automating the connection' as I have yet to get it to connect)

There is a least one thing I have discovered that may be messing things up, I also may not have set up the routers and modems properly.

The first problem I see is that when I set up the user account on the xp vpn server machine is that in Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It shows a 14 digit password. This doesn't match as I entered an 8 digit password. I then deleted the account, set up a new account with no password and lo and behold, when you go back into Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It still showed the 14 digit password.

Is that password supposed to be there? Why when I change it to the 8 digit password does it pop right back up as a 14 digit one?

Okay, now I'll explain the ip addresses I entered into various places during the setup and maybe you can tell me if I did it right.

In cmd>ipconfig/all it says IP address is ***.***.*.4

But, in cmd>ipconfig/all it also says the default gateway is ***.***.*.254

In Incoming Connections>Properties>Networking Tab>TCP/IP Protocol>Properties>Specify IP address - I entered ***.***.*.4 in the top box and ***.***.*.49 in the bottom box.

Did I enter the correct string of numbers?

I then set up the router by going to a browser page and entering ***.***.*.254 and that took me to the netopia router settings, I did the port forwarding (they call it a pinhole).

I added a pinhole and gave it a random name, it was on tcp in the dropdown box. I did the top box as port 1723, the second box as port 1723, the ip as ***.***.*.4 and the last box as port 1723.

I then set up two more pinholes in the same fashion except I made the port in each box 500 and set one to TCP and the other as UDP and used the same IP - ***.***.*.4

Okay, I then set up the vista vpn client machine, I did this through the wizard and the ip address of the remote machine to ***.***.*.4 (which is what the xp vpn server machine lists as IP Address).

Also note, the user name I gave access to on the XP vpn server is the same username and password as the vista vpn client.

One last question, although I haven't seen it referenced anywhere, do I need to configure the Belkin router or the Speedstream modem that is on the vista vpn client end?

Thanks in advance for any help,

Bobby

[TheFlash428]

The first problem I see is that when I set up the user account on the xp vpn server machine is that in Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It shows a 14 digit password. This doesn't match as I entered an 8 digit password. I then deleted the account, set up a new account with no password and lo and behold, when you go back into Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It still showed the 14 digit password.

This is normal--the "hidden" password field will not represent the number of characters that correspond to the actual password assigned.

Okay, I then set up the vista vpn client machine, I did this through the wizard and the ip address of the remote machine to ***.***.*.4 (which is what the xp vpn server machine lists as IP Address).

This might be where your mistake is. The ***.***.*.4 address is most likely part of a "private" IP network (10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x or 192.168.x.x). The IP address you want to use is the IP address of the internet interface of your ROUTER that the XP machine is connected to--this would be your "public" IP address. There are several ways to find this out (it should be in the router config), or you can go to http://whatismyip.com/ and you should be able to see your public IP address from there.

What port forwarding does, is it tell that router that any traffic that comes in on a specified port should always be forward to the same local host, in your case the XP box with IP ***.***.*.4. This to overcome the fact that the XP computer doesn't have it's own IP address that is routable over the internet.

Of course, unless you have a static IP from your ISP, this address will change periodically.

Edited May 22, 2008 by TheFlash428

[causeitsme]

The first problem I see is that when I set up the user account on the xp vpn server machine is that in Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It shows a 14 digit password. This doesn't match as I entered an 8 digit password. I then deleted the account, set up a new account with no password and lo and behold, when you go back into Network Connections>Incoming Connections>Properties>Users>UserName>Properties - It still showed the 14 digit password.

This is normal--the "hidden" password field will not represent the number of characters that correspond to the actual password assigned.

Okay, I then set up the vista vpn client machine, I did this through the wizard and the ip address of the remote machine to ***.***.*.4 (which is what the xp vpn server machine lists as IP Address).

This might be where your mistake is. The ***.***.*.4 address is most likely part of a "private" IP network (10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x or 192.168.x.x). The IP address you want to use is the IP address of the internet interface of your ROUTER that the XP machine is connected to--this would be your "public" IP address. There are several ways to find this out (it should be in the router config), or you can go to http://whatismyip.com/ and you should be able to see your public IP address from there.

What port forwarding does, is it tell that router that any traffic that comes in on a specified port should always be forward to the same local host, in your case the XP box with IP ***.***.*.4. This to overcome the fact that the XP computer doesn't have it's own IP address that is routable over the internet.

Of course, unless you have a static IP from your ISP, this address will change periodically.

Awesome!! Many thanks, it is now connected. Quick as a wink too.