Question regarding VPN setup

Jongi · #1 12th July 2006, 11:55 AM

I have a question to ask about VNC and OpenVPN with regard to setting up a VPN connection. Let me give some background as to how I currently connect to the network at work using XP at home (work servers are MS).

1. Setup a VPN via setting up a network Connection (using my work’s IP address).
2. Double-click on connection – enter logon credentials as I would when logging on at work. This connects me to the network.
3. I then use Remote Desktop Connection to log on to my machine. Instead of enetering an IP address here I enter my machine’s identity on the work network – computernumber.company.local.
4. I then can access my computer.

Now from what I have read up on VNC and OpenVPN, it seems that I would need to have the server version of either program setup on the work network. Am I correct in this assumption?

wdgiles · #2 12th July 2006, 04:12 PM

That is the correct assumption, but if it's already working for you why change anything? It's possible also that your work network employs some other kind of security or active directory structures that may be difficult to duplicate on the linux workstation.

Jongi · #3 12th July 2006, 05:18 PM

The steps described are under Windows.

How do I replicate those under Linux?

Jongi · #4 13th July 2006, 09:16 PM

So I installed Kvpnc and try to connect over pptp:

Code:

info: "pppd" started.
info: [pppd]local IP address xxx.x.xxx.xxx remote IP address xxx.x.xxx.xxx primary DNS address xxx.xxx.xxx.xx secondary DNS address xxx.xxx.xxx.xx 
debug: [pppd]Connection established.
info: Successful connected to server "xxx.xxx.xxx.xx" user: "username") at Thu Jul 13 22:10:39 2006
info: "PppdUpScript" started.
info: "PppdUpScript" finished.
error: [pppd err]
info: "ping_check.sh" started.
info: "PppdDownScript" started.
info: "PppdDownScript" finished.
debug: killing "pptp"...
info: Successful disconnected.
info: Connection duration was 00 hours, 00 minutes, 30 seconds
info: File /etc/ppp/chap-secrets sucessfully removed
info: "pppd route process" started.

The connection keeps on dying after 30s. I have MPPE turned of and allowing MPPE stateful mode. If I allow MPPE I get

Code:

info: [pppd]MPPE required but peer negotiation failed

Jongi · #5 13th July 2006, 10:05 PM

I ditched Kvpnc and used pptpconfig as described here

I am able to connect to the network at work. If lets say in XP I use Remote Desktop Connection and enter jongi to connect to my computer, when I try to do the same using krdc it doesn't even allow me to try connect (greyed out). What shoudl I do at this point?

I have tried to use rdesktop

Code:

# rdesktop -u username -f -a 24 localhost
ERROR: connect: Connection refused

I've replaced localhost with ipaddress and ipaddress:jongi and those don't come up with any response.

wdgiles · #6 14th July 2006, 02:47 AM

I've only used SSH with VNC over the encrypted tunnel. I haven't really gotten as deep into the VPN side of things as you ...sorry I can't help more.

Jongi · #7 1st August 2006, 01:18 PM

For that use VPN is what I am trying to do uncommon?

Jongi · #8 2nd August 2006, 05:25 PM

Also although PPTP says that I am connected to the other network, how can I actually test that this is the case?

EDIT: On my internal network, I can do a rdp://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx from Konqueror and it will connect to the computer. However it is not doing this to the IP of my work address.