Problem accessing mapped drive on VPN

[PicknGrin]

I connect to my office network through VPN. In Windows Explorer, I can see the mapped drive and can access and open its directories. I have no problem doing this when the ethernet cable is plugged directly into my laptop. However, when doing this through my wireless router (D-Link DI-524), I connect through VPN just fine, I can see the mapped drive in Windows Explorer, but when I try to open it, I can't. I get the following error:

An error occurred while reconnecting [my mapped drive] to [my company's drive] Microsoft Windows network: the network path was not found. This connection has not been restored."

Unfortunately, due to upcoming travel, connecting the ethernet cable directly will not be an option, as I will be using a wireless connection.

Additional info:
trying to connect to Microsoft VPN on an NT4.0 server;
my IP on ethernet and on wireless are the same;
I can access the web while VPN is active;


Does anyone have any ideas about this? I am clueless about VPN and don't know the terminology.

Thanks! Any input is GREATLY appreciated...

 

[Daniel]

Different DNS on the wireless card perhaps?

 

[Woodie]

While VPN connected... do: ipconfig /all (from the command prompt)
Now, do the same thing when VPN connected over the wireless. Compare the settings...they should be pretty much the same.

Also, Windows "remembers" mapped drives...Did you logoff or reboot when switching between wired and wireless connections?
If you logon to the machine when wireless connected only, and then establish the VPN, it may work right off. Not sure on thiis....I'm wondering if Windows is remembering the wired network path, and so not even attempting the wireless NIC.

DNS would be the other thing, but that should be set by the VPN connection (virtual NIC), so should be the same either way.

 

[Boscoh]

If its NT4, it's likely trying to use WINS.

Go into your properties on your wireless adapter and make sure you've got Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP checked, and add your NT4 server's IP to the list of WINS servers. I'd think the VPN server would hand down the WINS IP automatically, but check it to be sure.

 

[Carp1812]

Originally posted by: Boscoh
If its NT4, it's likely trying to use WINS.

Go into your properties on your wireless adapter and make sure you've got Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP checked, and add your NT4 server's IP to the list of WINS servers. I'd think the VPN server would hand down the WINS IP automatically, but check it to be sure.

When running a VPN on my 2k server box, I have to manually enter the IP of the WINS server. I would imagine that this is the issue here too - sounds like very similar symptoms to a problem I had. If you're using the Windows VPN client (garbage) then you'll have to enter the WINS server into the configuration of that connection. Good luck.

 

[PicknGrin]

Thanks for your suggestions. UNfortunately, none of these fixed the problem. Any other ideas?


Question- given that I can connect to the VPN but not browse the drive, do you think that this a VPN issue or a router issue? I am trying to narrow my search for a solution....and I'm confused.



Thanks again

 

[Woodie]

Once you've established the VPN tunnel (through the router), the router is no longer part of the tunnel. So at that point, it has to be a problem w/ the IP settings from the VPN switch, or Windows configuration on either the client or the server side.

Did you run the IPCONFIG commands posted earlier? And was the info they returned the same?

 

[PicknGrin]

Ok, I ran the ipconfig /all in both modes (with and without the wireless router). There were a number of differences in results:

Physical address
IP address
Subnet mask
Default Gateway
DHCP server
IP address (on PPP adapter side)
Default gateway (on PPP side)

What does all of this mean?

Thanks again!

 

[PicknGrin]

Thanks to each of you for your input. I just wanted to post a follow-up, as I've resolved the problem (with the help of the IT guy on the employer side). Turns out that my IP address on the laptop fell in the same range as their IPs -- I just had to change my IP and it worked!

Thanks again.