Network problem on server after enabling Incoming Connection (VPN)

Hello,

I would appreciate any help with the following problem.

I'm running Windows Server R2 x64 at work, which is setup
as a file server. I tried to setup Incoming Connection
so I can login from home (PPTP VPN).

Once Incoming Connection is setup, the server can't access
the internet and I also can't view the list of network computers
under My Network Places.

The funny thing is, I can access the server from home (via Incoming
Connection), and am able to login to the server using Remote Desktop
through the VPN. But when I try to access local computers on the
server or try to access the web I am unsuccessful. (Just to be
clear, the latter problem occurs when I am either logged in to
the server physically or via Remote Desktop through the VPN.)

The Windows Firewall\ICS service is disabled. RRAS is also
disabled.

Any ideas?

Thank you,
Mike

That is what usually happens. As soon as a remote user connects, the
server acquires an IP for the internal interface (which is what the VPN
connects to). Your server is then multihomed, and you get all the old
multihomed server problems which go back to NT days.

To prevent this happening you need to disable Netbios over TCP/IP on the
internal interface. I don't know how you would do that with Incoming
Connections. (I would never use that on a server, so I can't help you
there). KB 292822 discusses the problem with regard to RRAS.

Mike H wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I would appreciate any help with the following problem.
>
> I'm running Windows Server R2 x64 at work, which is setup
> as a file server. I tried to setup Incoming Connection
> so I can login from home (PPTP VPN).
>
> Once Incoming Connection is setup, the server can't access
> the internet and I also can't view the list of network computers
> under My Network Places.
>
> The funny thing is, I can access the server from home (via Incoming
> Connection), and am able to login to the server using Remote Desktop
> through the VPN. But when I try to access local computers on the
> server or try to access the web I am unsuccessful. (Just to be
> clear, the latter problem occurs when I am either logged in to
> the server physically or via Remote Desktop through the VPN.)
>
> The Windows Firewall\ICS service is disabled. RRAS is also
> disabled.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thank you,
> Mike

Bill Grant wrote:

> That is what usually happens. As soon as a remote user connects, the
> server acquires an IP for the internal interface (which is what the VPN
> connects to). Your server is then multihomed, and you get all the old
> multihomed server problems which go back to NT days.

Thanks for the reply Bill. The problem exists even if no users
are connected. As soon as I enable Incoming Connection, I can't
access the local computers or the internet.

> To prevent this happening you need to disable Netbios over TCP/IP on the
> internal interface. I don't know how you would do that with Incoming
> Connections. (I would never use that on a server, so I can't help you
> there). KB 292822 discusses the problem with regard to RRAS.

When I enable Incoming Connections on my home computer (running
Windows XP Pro SP2) I have no problems whatsoever. NetBios over
TCP/IP works fine. It doesn't make any sense why it also shouldn't
work on Server 2003. :-(

Thanks for the input,
Mike


> Mike H wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I would appreciate any help with the following problem.
> >
> > I'm running Windows Server R2 x64 at work, which is setup
> > as a file server. I tried to setup Incoming Connection
> > so I can login from home (PPTP VPN).
> >
> > Once Incoming Connection is setup, the server can't access
> > the internet and I also can't view the list of network computers
> > under My Network Places.
> >
> > The funny thing is, I can access the server from home (via Incoming
> > Connection), and am able to login to the server using Remote Desktop
> > through the VPN. But when I try to access local computers on the
> > server or try to access the web I am unsuccessful. (Just to be
> > clear, the latter problem occurs when I am either logged in to
> > the server physically or via Remote Desktop through the VPN.)
> >
> > The Windows Firewall\ICS service is disabled. RRAS is also
> > disabled.
> >
> > Any ideas?
> >
> > Thank you,
> > Mike

The remote user doesn't have to be connected. What I said was "as soon
as the first user connects". Once it gets an IP it keeps it.

Mike H wrote:
> Bill Grant wrote:
>
>> That is what usually happens. As soon as a remote user connects,
>> the server acquires an IP for the internal interface (which is what
>> the VPN connects to). Your server is then multihomed, and you get
>> all the old multihomed server problems which go back to NT days.
>
> Thanks for the reply Bill. The problem exists even if no users
> are connected. As soon as I enable Incoming Connection, I can't
> access the local computers or the internet.
>
>> To prevent this happening you need to disable Netbios over
>> TCP/IP on the internal interface. I don't know how you would do that
>> with Incoming Connections. (I would never use that on a server, so I
>> can't help you there). KB 292822 discusses the problem with regard
>> to RRAS.
>
> When I enable Incoming Connections on my home computer (running
> Windows XP Pro SP2) I have no problems whatsoever. NetBios over
> TCP/IP works fine. It doesn't make any sense why it also shouldn't
> work on Server 2003. :-(
>
> Thanks for the input,
> Mike
>
>
>> Mike H wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I would appreciate any help with the following problem.
>>>
>>> I'm running Windows Server R2 x64 at work, which is setup
>>> as a file server. I tried to setup Incoming Connection
>>> so I can login from home (PPTP VPN).
>>>
>>> Once Incoming Connection is setup, the server can't access
>>> the internet and I also can't view the list of network computers
>>> under My Network Places.
>>>
>>> The funny thing is, I can access the server from home (via Incoming
>>> Connection), and am able to login to the server using Remote Desktop
>>> through the VPN. But when I try to access local computers on the
>>> server or try to access the web I am unsuccessful. (Just to be
>>> clear, the latter problem occurs when I am either logged in to
>>> the server physically or via Remote Desktop through the VPN.)
>>>
>>> The Windows Firewall\ICS service is disabled. RRAS is also
>>> disabled.
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>> Mike

I would suggest that you connect to a workstation on the LAN by incoming
connection and access the server through the LAN. That should avoid fouling
up browsing on the LAN.

Mike H wrote:
> Bill Grant wrote:
>
>> That is what usually happens. As soon as a remote user connects,
>> the server acquires an IP for the internal interface (which is what
>> the VPN connects to). Your server is then multihomed, and you get
>> all the old multihomed server problems which go back to NT days.
>
> Thanks for the reply Bill. The problem exists even if no users
> are connected. As soon as I enable Incoming Connection, I can't
> access the local computers or the internet.
>
>> To prevent this happening you need to disable Netbios over
>> TCP/IP on the internal interface. I don't know how you would do that
>> with Incoming Connections. (I would never use that on a server, so I
>> can't help you there). KB 292822 discusses the problem with regard
>> to RRAS.
>
> When I enable Incoming Connections on my home computer (running
> Windows XP Pro SP2) I have no problems whatsoever. NetBios over
> TCP/IP works fine. It doesn't make any sense why it also shouldn't
> work on Server 2003. :-(
>
> Thanks for the input,
> Mike
>
>
>> Mike H wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I would appreciate any help with the following problem.
>>>
>>> I'm running Windows Server R2 x64 at work, which is setup
>>> as a file server. I tried to setup Incoming Connection
>>> so I can login from home (PPTP VPN).
>>>
>>> Once Incoming Connection is setup, the server can't access
>>> the internet and I also can't view the list of network computers
>>> under My Network Places.
>>>
>>> The funny thing is, I can access the server from home (via Incoming
>>> Connection), and am able to login to the server using Remote Desktop
>>> through the VPN. But when I try to access local computers on the
>>> server or try to access the web I am unsuccessful. (Just to be
>>> clear, the latter problem occurs when I am either logged in to
>>> the server physically or via Remote Desktop through the VPN.)
>>>
>>> The Windows Firewall\ICS service is disabled. RRAS is also
>>> disabled.
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>> Mike