Database Users

VPN driving me mad!

Over the last year I have tried many times to set up my Windows Mobile devices to connect over VPN and then use RDP to manage my clients' sites. To date I have never managed to get it to work. My config is as follows :-
Within Start \ Settings \Connections \ Advanced \ Select Networks
Programs that automatically connect to the Internet use MY ISP
Programs that automatically connect to a private network "My Work Network"
a VPN is configured under "My work network" and the device can connect to this and using vxutil I can ping the server I wish to RDP to - 172.17.3.3
Supposedly the important bit is to add the exception under "Work URL exceptions", I have added 172.17.3.3 in here.
Once the VPN is established if I enter 172.17.3.3 within IE or Terminal Services CLient the VPN connection is still dropped.
If I enter this IP address without connecting the VPN first then the device will not connect the VPN automatically.
If I enter a non qualified domain name such as ids-vs then the VPN is connected but the name is never resolved.
Can anyone shed any light on this, if I could use a local lmhosts file on the device as with XP then I may be able to work around the above. It appears to me though as though the exceptions list is never processed. I did a hard reset last night just in case, but this has made no difference.
I cannot believe that the above can be so complex.
I am using a HTC Tytn and using t-Mobile in the UK.
Any help greatly appreciated since it is driving me totally mad!

I would love to figure that out.
I was trying to connect to my pc at home like this and suffered from all the same symptoms your having. In the end I gave up, mainly 'cause someone told me that I needed another type of data plan to have vpn (at the time I had the $29.99USD plan) in other words it might be your plan, or something to do with the proxies or something, I hope someone would find out what you need to do in order to get this to work.

It's strange, looking around the web there are loads of people that struggle with the setup, but most seem happy once they are told to add the server name or IP address in the exceptions list.
I have ruled out the data plan since I can establish the VPN connection and can see it authenticate on the other end, as well as being able to ping the server on the work network from the phone.
I have just opened a support call with Microsoft as well, but I am not holding out much hope since I think they will point me at HTC. Assuming HTC ever responded they will just point me back at Microsoft!

Well it would be cool if they could help you, I tried everything myself and zilch. I could also establish a connection but as soon as I would try to access a file on my pc it would disconnect. I would try to help you out experimenting on my side again, but I changed my router to a cheap piece of $h.. and now I can't access my pc via vpn..... I really need to get a decent router
This may sound stupid, but I could swear someone told me something about the speed of the connection. If the connection speed is too low then DNS would fail, although that wouldn't explain why we are able to establish a connection, but not access anything else.

OK, I have made quite a bit of progress :-
1) I was using a cab file to configure T Mobile settings on the phone. This was somehow configuring the exceptions list to be ignored. Hard resetting the phone, installing this CAB the problem remained. Hard Resetting the phone and setting up GPRS manually - everything worked.
2) There is a fault with Windows CE 5 routing over VPN - the subnet information is ignored. Hence for example, if your GPRS provider give you a NAT 10.x.x.x ip address and your corporate network uses 10.x.x.x then you can never route to your corporate network.

And what cab file is that? do you know if it's on the extended roms for the t-mo roms? Glad to see your making progress, keep it up.

It was a Cab file for the Tmobile settings. It either came from these forums or over at modaco, can't remember which.

VPN
I was able to successfully use the Movian VPN to connect to my work using my XDA2.Worked fine for 2 years. Apologies, but I can't help with the settings and my work migrated to an M-notes server so I was able to connect without a VPN.

WiFi and GPRS

For some reason I can connect to the internet very easily through GPRS (even when roaming), but at home with my own wirelss LAN, I can connect with no problem, but each time I try to access anything on the internet, I get a pop-up stating "Could not locate remote server". I don't have a router, I am using a desktop as the gateway, I am currently accessing the net with my laptop through the same means. All configurations for the LAN appear to be correct, but I must be missing something on the JAMin. In the WiFi settings, I see the LAN, almost full signal - Ad hoc Mode - status is connected - I'm assigned an IP ... seems like everything is in order.
Will one of you wizards point out what I've missed? I know it's probably simple, usually is.

If I'm having trouble connecting a device to a network that has previously been working ok, the first that I do is turn off all network security i.e WEP, MAC address filtering etc. Then reboot the wireless access point/router and your device. If you still can't connect, you can start to blame your device.

Don't think it's a network prob...
Thanks Matterhorn, but my laptop is still connected fine, no problems there... I get the feeling that the PPC's only recognising the GPRS as a valid network for internet access... it works okay when I login to a commercial WiFi network (when I'm in the States) but for some reason on my own network here at home, it logs in, just can't find a server for some reason. The first thing I thought of was the firewall, turned it off and still no luck.
Any other ideas? I thought maybe there was a setting for default AP or connection, but can't find it, nor can I find an appropriate reference in the manual. Ugh!

Resolved!
It would seem my JAMin was trying to access the internet not through the gateway, but through my laptop. As I don't have the laptop setup to share an internet connection, it would allow my JAMin to connect, but that was all. I went in the room where my desktop is, registered on the network there and bingo!
Too simple, should have tried that right away but it didn't occur to me at the time. Thanks for the help anyway Matterhorn!

VPN via 3G/HSDPA is still unresolved ?

Hi Everyone,
Having the Shift as my workhorse since some moths, there is still one annoyance I couldn't avoid: my VPN connections are interrupting the Internet connection when using 3G/HSDPA modem connecting to Internet in Vista/WM.
I was trying to search through all existing threads, but I still don't see anyone finding a solution.
I think the root lays in WM somewhere, since I cannot establish a PPTP connection in WM neither. In my case it is certainly not caused by the data provider, because I have checked it with them.
Let's try to put our knowledge together to sort this out !

This is normal behaviour I suppose
When connected to the VPN, the VPN must provide you with either a proxy or another internet gateway, otherwise you are just connected to a private network...
Maybe you mean something else, but from what I read it seems like you never got on the internet with VPN active.
If you did, and you are talking about intermittent network errors, then only high performance settings on your power settings may help.
If you could give more info I could help more. IP/Proxy/Gateway/ did it ever work yes no etc.

lucid said:
When connected to the VPN, the VPN must provide you with either a proxy or another internet gateway, otherwise you are just connected to a private network...
Maybe you mean something else, but from what I read it seems like you never got on the internet with VPN active.
If you did, and you are talking about intermittent network errors, then only high performance settings on your power settings may help.
If you could give more info I could help more. IP/Proxy/Gateway/ did it ever work yes no etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lucid,
Thanks for replying. I will try to explain it another way.
1. When I am connected to Internet via Wifi, I have no problem using my VPN connection. I get authenticated and connected to the company network and the connection stays active as long as I want.
2. Using 3G/HSDPA Internet, the following happens:
- I start the same VPN connection, and get connected.
- Than my 3G/HSDPA connection breaks up, and the PPTP dialin stays alive - it doesn't have any use this way of course.
- When I disconnect from VPN, the 3G connection comes back automatically.
I hope this is more clear this way, any hints are very welcome !

jarbi said:
2. Using 3G/HSDPA Internet, the following happens:
- I start the same VPN connection, and get connected.
- Than my 3G/HSDPA connection breaks up, and the PPTP dialin stays alive - it doesn't have any use this way of course.
- When I disconnect from VPN, the 3G connection comes back automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly the same problem that i have had for over months - it just doesn't work and I can't see any way to get it to work - so much so, I don't use the Shift anymore - got a Tytn II and redfly and just remote desktop to a PC on the work lan!

jarbi said:
Lucid,
Thanks for replying. I will try to explain it another way.
1. When I am connected to Internet via Wifi, I have no problem using my VPN connection. I get authenticated and connected to the company network and the connection stays active as long as I want.
2. Using 3G/HSDPA Internet, the following happens:
- I start the same VPN connection, and get connected.
- Than my 3G/HSDPA connection breaks up, and the PPTP dialin stays alive - it doesn't have any use this way of course.
- When I disconnect from VPN, the 3G connection comes back automatically.
I hope this is more clear this way, any hints are very welcome !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The VPN that you are running is on VISTA side.(if yes try to see the routing table) by default the VPN get the default GW, and try to change it.
If this is the issue then you can go to the VPN connection properties -> Networking ->TCP/IP -> Properties -> Advanced -> IP Setings -> unchek the use the default GW on remote network.
regards

Is this a problem caused by this vista "feature", which disconnects the 3G Modem from Vista, as soon as an other network is being connected via WLan or via cable?
I think this is a stupid feature. Instead of that the users just should set the metrics for the networks manually and you can be sure, that Vista always uses the WLAN instead of the GSM/3G modem, if both where available.

alazarid said:
The VPN that you are running is on VISTA side.(if yes try to see the routing table) by default the VPN get the default GW, and try to change it.
If this is the issue then you can go to the VPN connection properties -> Networking ->TCP/IP -> Properties -> Advanced -> IP Setings -> unchek the use the default GW on remote network.
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alazarid,
Thanks a ton, the TCP/IP part did the trick ! Now my VPN has a use ).
cheers !

Ok guys heres the issue...
At first I thought this problem was associated with the fact that there may have been some software monitoring for other data connections, to disable the GSM modem when not needed...
After checking into everything, I found that there is probably NO software that does this...
Since WM handles the passthrough for the 3G connection, and ontop of that the actual endpoint for the data connection on the GSM connection is the WM side and not Vista, what happens is what when the VPN creates a connection and you opt-in to use the default remote gateway (I prefer to use it, because I require this for the work I do), the default gateway is updated on the 3G network interface.
I beleive that this update of configuration, then causes the WM side to stop the connection because either a) it doesn't know howto interprit this or b) retries to create the connection because it thinks there is an error.
I havn't played with this for a few weeks, and have my fair shareof other stuff I deal with, so I cannot remember if WM NATs the 3G connection, but the key thing breaking this is the WM side.
I beleive that IF you did want to hack up a configuration that uses the remote gateway, you could configure a VPN connection under Windows Mobile and have WM connect to the VPN, therefor the PC would be using that connection (but wouldn't be aware that its connected to the VPN), therefore giving the user access to the VPN, WITH the remote default gateway being used.
Again, as I mentioned its been a while since ive gone tech on my Shift, but I beleive this is correct. If anyone wants to add anything, please feel free.

A challenge for the Profs

I can`t go into the Web via T-Mobile after I went into the web via WLAN
My wlan configuration is as follows:
network: Broadcom 802 DHD etc...
IP: I must put it in
Subnet 255.255.0.0
Standardgateway 172.16.1.1
DNS 172.16.1.1
Only when I erase the configuration I can go into the Web via T-Mobile but then
I can`t go into the Web visa WLAN
Crazy

What I get is that there is a "DNS error" when I try to go into the web via T-Mobile....

Is the challenge to guess your Windows version, ROM and installed applictions, browsers etc?
There's a thread for Q&A's, this is ROM Development.

Windows version: WM 6.1
ROM: The original rom from HTC
browsers: opera and IE
Pls help me because all WLAN and T-Mobile codes seem to be right

Although you dind't specify anything about the ROM and OS version you have, I can tell you a little about the way IP addresses work and why you're not having internet.
Every computer on the internet has an IP address and that is used to identify it. However there are on a home network more than one computer, so you have a router that re-routes your internet through it's own range of IP addresses. Meaning you get an IP from your provider, which your router stores, and your router gives all computers in a network an IP address. This way every computer in your network can connect to the internet without the ISP having to give you more than one IP address.
Normally routers work with a technique called DHCP, dynamic host configuration protocol, which allows all computers in the network to communicate and share addresses. So without having to enter information manually a computer knows that the DNS is 172.16.1.1 (for example) and that it's IP is 172.16.1.*. If you disable this technique you must enter the information manually.
This isn't a problem until you need to connect to more than one network. Since every network has it's own set of IP ranges, it's own DNS, etc. So when you connected to your WiFi and manually entered information for your home network you disabled the ability to connect to T-Mobile yourself. Since the IP you get from T-Mobile isn't the same as you use in your WiFi network.
The other way around is the same, when you connect to T-Mobile your getting an IP address assigned automatically, howevery our WiFi network doesn't give you one automatically and thus resulting in no internet connection.
I hope that made sense to you, kept it as simple as possible. Also I hope you can fix the problem... normally you can do that by enabling DHCP in your router by logging in into the device. (You usually do this by entering the IP address of the default gateway into your webbbrowser.)
peter7 said:
I can`t go into the Web via T-Mobile after I went into the web via WLAN
My wlan configuration is as follows:
network: Broadcom 802 DHD etc...
IP: I must put it in
Subnet 255.255.0.0
Standardgateway 172.16.1.1
DNS 172.16.1.1
Only when I erase the configuration I can go into the Web via T-Mobile but then
I can`t go into the Web visa WLAN
Crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

KilZone - thank you so much for your kind answer !!!
I do only have an access point no router ?
Is this possible too ?

I think the access point functions as a router too, not sure about that, but you can try by entering the default gateway into your browser and see where you end up.
peter7 said:
KilZone - thank you so much for your kind answer !!!
I do only have an access point no router ?
Is this possible too ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

moved out of dev

Dupe thread.

remote desktop problem

Hi everyone,
I would like to connect to my laptop next room from local network. I can connect perfectly when I type in my IP address into the first textbox (Computer), but I can't connect when I type in my Computer Name (full computer name) instead. I tried MyPCName as Computer, \\MyPCName as Computer, forwarding port 3389 to my IP, leaving domain name empty, putting in my workgroup name as a domain, putting in my computer name as a domain, putting in myPCName\MyUserName as Username, \\MyPCName as Computer, still the same. It won't connect unless I put in the IP address. I would like to do this since my workplace assigns a different IP to my laptop then I assign at home, but naturally I have the same computer name at both places, so I would like to have a permanent setting for both places.
I'm running Windows 7 64 bit on my laptop and 1.66.405.2 ROM on my HTC HD2.
Many thanks in advance.

can you connect to it ok using another computer? might be a dns issue at a guess...

I can connect from other computers fine. Also on my HD2 I can see the host names of PC's under Resco Explorer and map them. However, remote desktop mobile refuses to work with the Computer Name. I can ping my Laptop's IP and also Computer name from pingbox2. Only in Remote Desktop Mobile there is a problem.

windows 7 by default blocks remote desktop connections from different versions of remote desktop. if you right click computer and select properties, then choose remote settings on the right hand side and select the middle option (accept connections from all verions of remote desktop). havent tried this my self but it solves most issues when using different versions of windows

OK, I sort of figured it but would still appreciate some help. Here is how I got it to work:
I had OpenDNS IP under DNS settings for wireless adapter. I deleted them. If I don't do this, pinging my computer name from HD2 always brings 67.215.65.132, which is opendns and not my true local IP, i.e. 192.168.x.x. I also had to disable the data connection (3G) and only have wireless. If I don't disable 3G, I can only connect with IP and not computer name. Only after doing these 2, when I pinged my computer name, I got the true local IP and I was able to connect with Remote Desktop Mobile using computer name. Now my question is:
1- I don't want to quit using opendns, is it possible?
2- I don't want to disable 3G connection every time, is it possible?
thanks in advance.

For me it works with MyPCName in computer and empty domain, both for XP and 7.

Something seems strange with your phone's networking configuration. At a guess (and this is a long shot), I would check your VPN settings on your phone to make sure you're not connecting to a different domain over 3G as this might explain why it works when you turn off the data connection on the phone and why it works by IP address.
As I said though, it's a long shot and is the only thing I could think of that fits your particular symptoms...

ozkaya said:
OK, I sort of figured it but would still appreciate some help. Here is how I got it to work:
I had OpenDNS IP under DNS settings for wireless adapter. I deleted them. If I don't do this, pinging my computer name from HD2 always brings 67.215.65.132, which is opendns and not my true local IP, i.e. 192.168.x.x. I also had to disable the data connection (3G) and only have wireless. Only after doing these 2, when I pinged my computer name, I got the true local IP and I was able to connect with Remote Desktop Mobile using computer name. Now my question is:
1- I don't want to quit using opendns, is it possible?
2- I don't want to disable 3G connection every time, is it possible?
thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
about the open dns issues, I suspect that can be solved by making sure your router lets the incoming connection into your home network (you say it resolves to 66.whatever when open dns is used, shouldn't be a problem do long as you don't forget that will be your home ip address so that connection will neef to be allowed through the router and then forwarded by your routers virtual server (our whatever your router software calls out) to your laptops internal ip address.
as for the 3g it should use wifi over 3g by default..... mine certainly does, no need for me to disable it.

tomallen35 said:
Something seems strange with your phone's networking configuration. At a guess (and this is a long shot), I would check your VPN settings on your phone to make sure you're not connecting to a different domain over 3G as this might explain why it works when you turn off the data connection on the phone and why it works by IP address.
As I said though, it's a long shot and is the only thing I could think of that fits your particular symptoms...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're right, when the 3G is on (and also Wifi on), Resco shows computers from all around the country when I click computers near me and not my local network. When only wifi is on I can see my local computers. 3G probably has precedence over Wifi? How can I correct this?

samsamuel said:
about the open dns issues, I suspect that can be solved by making sure your router lets the incoming connection into your home network (you say it resolves to 66.whatever when open dns is used, shouldn't be a problem do long as you don't forget that will be your home ip address so that connection will neef to be allowed through the router and then forwarded by your routers virtual server (our whatever your router software calls out) to your laptops internal ip address.
as for the 3g it should use wifi over 3g by default..... mine certainly does, no need for me to disable it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the 66.whatever address is generic openDNS lookup IP and same for everyone. Are you suggesting me to route this IP to my local IP, i.e. 192.168.x.x? Oh, one more thing, I can also connect when 3g and wifi are both on, but only through computer's IP and not computer name. Can you connect with computer name while both are on and connected?

when your phone does a dns lookup on the name it resolves to the open dns assigned address (not the same for everyone, otherwise the open fns system wouldn't work) so to connect to your computer the phone sends its request to open dns who forward that request to your current actual address.at home that address is your home ip address BUT it isn't your laptops address it is your routers address.(stop reading here if you don't have a router).
so the router needs to be told "if you get a connection request in port (whatever the remote desktop port is) please forward it to (laptop ip address)
its called port forwarding in some routers, virtual server in others.

samsamuel said:
so the router needs to be told "if you get a connection request in port (whatever the remote desktop port is) please forward it to (laptop ip address)
its called port forwarding in some routers, virtual server in others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're mixing up things a bit - he's not using dns but the computer netbios name. The point is that he has wifi on and connected as well as 3G, thus with an "intranet" ip address on Wifi... so the program/phone should be looking up the name on that connection, where it would find it, instead of looking up over the 3G connection. As the netbios protocol is not routable, it has no chance of finding the computer name over 3G/internet and back home, even with port mappings.

kilrah said:
You're mixing up things a bit - he's not using dns but the computer netbios name. The point is that he has wifi on and connected as well as 3G, thus with an "intranet" ip address on Wifi... so the program/phone should be looking up the name on that connection, where it would find it, instead of looking up over the 3G connection. As the netbios protocol is not routable, it has no chance of finding the computer name over 3G/internet and back home, even with port mappings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're totally right, I have a router and its port is forwarded to my laptop IP, but this is only good (and works well too) when I want to connect from Internet to my local network. I tried OpenDNS exceptions for VPN and defined an exception named as MyComputerName but it didn't work. Then I tried a dyndns solution, but it only works for external connections and not local network, i.e. it can't map local IP's. What I need is a dynamic client which can update my local IP.
I also tried to edit hosts entry in the registry with MyComputerName. It works for a single IP, but I'm not sure if I can write multiple IP adresses (my work and home local IP) into that. If I could maybe everything would be OK.

I've just tried a couple of things and it really works fine for me. If I connect Wifi only, I can remote desktop with the computer name. If I then connect data connection, it still works. Disabling wifi and obviously it doesn't work anymore. Re enabling wifi, it doesn't work at first, but does again after ~30 seconds once the netbios protocol has done its host lookup procedures.
There simply shouldn't be anything special to do.

kilrah said:
I've just tried a couple of things and it really works fine for me. If I connect Wifi only, I can remote desktop with the computer name. If I then connect data connection, it still works. Disabling wifi and obviously it doesn't work anymore. Re enabling wifi, it doesn't work at first, but does again after ~30 seconds once the netbios protocol has done its host lookup procedures.
There simply shouldn't be anything special to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you very much for your time, I appreciate it. You're right in that waiting a bit resolves the issue (it's a bit more than 30 secs for me that's why I thought it wasn't working when 3G is enabled) but only when OpenDNS is not used. I assume you don't use OpenDNS, right? Once I put that one into equation, it takes over NetBIOS protocol and returns its IP instead of the local IP(192.168.x.x). As far as I understand, DNS lookup has precedence over NETBIOS and if the name is not found in DNS it consults NETBIOS protocol. However OpenDNS has this nice "feature" where it finds the name with its own IP. There are several posts about this on its webpage and they say to either disable the typo correction or put exceptions for Netbios names, but sadly none of them works for me right now.

Nope, no OpenDNS, never actually heard of it.
How does it work? Do you enter their DNS server address in the network settings of your pc/phone, or is it an app you run?

you click Start/Settings/All Settings/Connections/Wifi/First Button/Switch to Network Adapters tab/Select Broadcom 802.11 DHD Network Adapter/Switch to Name Servers Tab/Type in 208.67.222.222 for primary DNS and 208.67.220.220 for secondary DNS, click OK. that's all. Could you try if it's not so much trouble? Thanks.

OK, remote desktop doesn't work either with the OpenDNS servers in.
I'm pretty sure it must be a limitation of the remote desktop app itself, as resco explorer can still navigate and/or discover the network shares of my other PCs with no problem. NBTStatCE also finds everybody.
Wouldn't even surprise me, as that Remote desktop mobile has always been troublesome. I don't remember exactly, but in the WM5 days it was pretty much impossible to use on a local network due to a weird handling of names... if I remember well all "local" (NetBIOS) addresses without a '.' entered in the remote desktop app would be redirected to the "Work" connection, while "remote" ones with a period would be directed on the "Internet" connection. As a network card can only be defined as one of them, if you wanted it to work in both cases through Wifi you had to switch the card from Work to Internet and back all the time. And of course when it's on Work it breaks some other things that use the default system handling like mail.