VPN and MN-700

Can someone please tell me: is VPN using MN-700 possible or not? I've seen some posts
that indicate limited success (couldn't maintain connection more than 2 to 15 minutes).
But, then I saw one post that indicated a fix from Microsoft would be necessary in
order to port forward the GRE protocol before VPN would be possible.

Our company uses IPSEC policy to implement VPN. I'm running XP and after setting up my
local IPSEC policy I can VPN to the companies LAN fine. The only problem is that it
works so long as I'm not using any firewall. I've tried XP's ICF, Norton's Internet
Security 2004, and now a new MN-700.

I've port forwarded ports: 500, 1701, and 1723. All of them are forwarded for both TCP
and UDP. It still doesn't work. Is there another port that I'm missing?

Or, is it true that it's just not possible at all right now, maybe due to the GRE
protocol, or other reasons? If that's the case, that would be alright by me, so long
as I know that Microsoft is working on fixing the problem through a firmware update.

Some of my co-workers, using other brand routers (mostly LinkSys), are not having any
problem at all. In fact, they can enable VPN with one setting, I believe they call it
VPN pass through. I would prefer very much to stay with the Microsoft MN-700 and will
if I can have some assurance that eventually I'll be able to successfully VPN to the
office. I only have 11 days left to return the MN-700 for a full no questions asked
refund.

Any help will be appreciated.

Joe


Joe Greene

Joe, there is really no assurance that anyone other than the developers at
MS can make that this will happen any time soon (or even at all). MVP's
don't have any way of obtaining this kind of commitment.

Joe Greene wrote:
> Can someone please tell me: is VPN using MN-700 possible or not?
> I've seen some posts that indicate limited success (couldn't maintain
> connection more than 2 to 15 minutes). But, then I saw one post that
> indicated a fix from Microsoft would be necessary in order to port
> forward the GRE protocol before VPN would be possible.
>
> Our company uses IPSEC policy to implement VPN. I'm running XP and
> after setting up my local IPSEC policy I can VPN to the companies LAN
> fine. The only problem is that it works so long as I'm not using any
> firewall. I've tried XP's ICF, Norton's Internet Security 2004, and
> now a new MN-700.
>
> I've port forwarded ports: 500, 1701, and 1723. All of them are
> forwarded for both TCP and UDP. It still doesn't work. Is there
> another port that I'm missing?
>
> Or, is it true that it's just not possible at all right now, maybe
> due to the GRE protocol, or other reasons? If that's the case, that
> would be alright by me, so long as I know that Microsoft is working
> on fixing the problem through a firmware update.
>
> Some of my co-workers, using other brand routers (mostly LinkSys),
> are not having any problem at all. In fact, they can enable VPN with
> one setting, I believe they call it VPN pass through. I would prefer
> very much to stay with the Microsoft MN-700 and will if I can have
> some assurance that eventually I'll be able to successfully VPN to
> the office. I only have 11 days left to return the MN-700 for a full
> no questions asked refund.
>
> Any help will be appreciated.
>
> Joe


--
Barb Bowman
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
MS-MVP (Windows)

Barb, are you confirming then that there's no way the current edition of MN-700 is
going to allow successful VPN?

Sometimes, developers read news groups. I thought that might possibly be the case
here. I just recently discovered this news group.

Thank you for your prompt response,
Joe

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed) says...
> Joe, there is really no assurance that anyone other than the developers at
> MS can make that this will happen any time soon (or even at all). MVP's
> don't have any way of obtaining this kind of commitment.
>
> Joe Greene wrote:
> > Can someone please tell me: is VPN using MN-700 possible or not?
> > I've seen some posts that indicate limited success (couldn't maintain
> > connection more than 2 to 15 minutes). But, then I saw one post that
> > indicated a fix from Microsoft would be necessary in order to port
> > forward the GRE protocol before VPN would be possible.
> >
> > Our company uses IPSEC policy to implement VPN. I'm running XP and
> > after setting up my local IPSEC policy I can VPN to the companies LAN
> > fine. The only problem is that it works so long as I'm not using any
> > firewall. I've tried XP's ICF, Norton's Internet Security 2004, and
> > now a new MN-700.
> >
> > I've port forwarded ports: 500, 1701, and 1723. All of them are
> > forwarded for both TCP and UDP. It still doesn't work. Is there
> > another port that I'm missing?
> >
> > Or, is it true that it's just not possible at all right now, maybe
> > due to the GRE protocol, or other reasons? If that's the case, that
> > would be alright by me, so long as I know that Microsoft is working
> > on fixing the problem through a firmware update.
> >
> > Some of my co-workers, using other brand routers (mostly LinkSys),
> > are not having any problem at all. In fact, they can enable VPN with
> > one setting, I believe they call it VPN pass through. I would prefer
> > very much to stay with the Microsoft MN-700 and will if I can have
> > some assurance that eventually I'll be able to successfully VPN to
> > the office. I only have 11 days left to return the MN-700 for a full
> > no questions asked refund.
> >
> > Any help will be appreciated.
> >
> > Joe
>
>
>

Yes, they read this newsgroup and from time to time I've sent info to them
FROM this newsgroup. We (MVP's) don't have any idea when there will be a
firmware upgrade and what fixes it will provide.

There are some people who have been successful with VPN and IPSEC pass
through. For some of the Cisco and Nortel gear, changing the IP addressing
from 192.168.2.x to 192.168.1.x resolves issues, for others, it does not.
From what I'm seeing here in this newsgroup, your situation looks similar to
what some others have reported that would require a firmware fix. You could
give product support a call to log your issue.

Joe Greene wrote:
> Barb, are you confirming then that there's no way the current edition
> of MN-700 is going to allow successful VPN?
>
> Sometimes, developers read news groups. I thought that might
> possibly be the case here. I just recently discovered this news
> group.
>
> Thank you for your prompt response,
> Joe
>
> In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
> says...
>> Joe, there is really no assurance that anyone other than the
>> developers at MS can make that this will happen any time soon (or
>> even at all). MVP's don't have any way of obtaining this kind of
>> commitment.
>>
>> Joe Greene wrote:
>>> Can someone please tell me: is VPN using MN-700 possible or not?
>>> I've seen some posts that indicate limited success (couldn't
>>> maintain connection more than 2 to 15 minutes). But, then I saw one
>>> post that indicated a fix from Microsoft would be necessary in
>>> order to port forward the GRE protocol before VPN would be possible.
>>>
>>> Our company uses IPSEC policy to implement VPN. I'm running XP and
>>> after setting up my local IPSEC policy I can VPN to the companies
>>> LAN fine. The only problem is that it works so long as I'm not
>>> using any firewall. I've tried XP's ICF, Norton's Internet
>>> Security 2004, and now a new MN-700.
>>>
>>> I've port forwarded ports: 500, 1701, and 1723. All of them are
>>> forwarded for both TCP and UDP. It still doesn't work. Is there
>>> another port that I'm missing?
>>>
>>> Or, is it true that it's just not possible at all right now, maybe
>>> due to the GRE protocol, or other reasons? If that's the case, that
>>> would be alright by me, so long as I know that Microsoft is working
>>> on fixing the problem through a firmware update.
>>>
>>> Some of my co-workers, using other brand routers (mostly LinkSys),
>>> are not having any problem at all. In fact, they can enable VPN
>>> with one setting, I believe they call it VPN pass through. I would
>>> prefer very much to stay with the Microsoft MN-700 and will if I
>>> can have some assurance that eventually I'll be able to
>>> successfully VPN to the office. I only have 11 days left to return
>>> the MN-700 for a full no questions asked refund.
>>>
>>> Any help will be appreciated.
>>>
>>> Joe


--
Barb Bowman
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
MS-MVP (Windows)

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed) says...
> Yes, they read this newsgroup and from time to time I've sent info to them
> FROM this newsgroup. We (MVP's) don't have any idea when there will be a
> firmware upgrade and what fixes it will provide.
>
> There are some people who have been successful with VPN and IPSEC pass
> through. For some of the Cisco and Nortel gear, changing the IP addressing
> from 192.168.2.x to 192.168.1.x resolves issues, for others, it does not.
> From what I'm seeing here in this newsgroup, your situation looks similar to
> what some others have reported that would require a firmware fix. You could
> give product support a call to log your issue.
>
I actually already have contacted support. What they provided hasn't helped. I will
definitely follow-up and let them know the issue is not resolved.

Now, I'm going to ask some questions that I hope you'll answer, but I will understand
if you don't (If you prefer, you may e-mail me at MSN), and I'm just looking for your
best feel on some of these, I know you don't have a crystal ball (I think :-)):

1. Do you think Microsoft is committed to this Networking hardware business?

2. Do you think they will eventually offer an easy set-up for VPN as other vendors
have? (Personally, I would think they would have to in order to stay competitive, if
the answer to number 1 is affirmative).

3. Do you think I would be better served to turn the MN-700 back in and get a LinkSys?

4. Does the LinkSys model that supports 802.11g have UPnP support and does it have the
VPN pass through?

Thanks again for your help.

Joe

Joe Greene wrote:
> In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
> says...
>> Yes, they read this newsgroup and from time to time I've sent info
>> to them FROM this newsgroup. We (MVP's) don't have any idea when
>> there will be a firmware upgrade and what fixes it will provide.
>>
>> There are some people who have been successful with VPN and IPSEC
>> pass through. For some of the Cisco and Nortel gear, changing the IP
>> addressing from 192.168.2.x to 192.168.1.x resolves issues, for
>> others, it does not. From what I'm seeing here in this newsgroup,
>> your situation looks similar to what some others have reported that
>> would require a firmware fix. You could give product support a call
>> to log your issue.
>>
> I actually already have contacted support. What they provided hasn't
> helped. I will definitely follow-up and let them know the issue is
> not resolved.
>
> Now, I'm going to ask some questions that I hope you'll answer, but I
> will understand if you don't (If you prefer, you may e-mail me at
> MSN), and I'm just looking for your best feel on some of these, I
> know you don't have a crystal ball (I think :-)):
>
> 1. Do you think Microsoft is committed to this Networking hardware
> business?
>
> 2. Do you think they will eventually offer an easy set-up for VPN as
> other vendors have? (Personally, I would think they would have to in
> order to stay competitive, if the answer to number 1 is affirmative).
>
> 3. Do you think I would be better served to turn the MN-700 back in
> and get a LinkSys?
>
> 4. Does the LinkSys model that supports 802.11g have UPnP support and
> does it have the VPN pass through?
>
> Thanks again for your help.
>
> Joe


--
Barb Bowman
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
MS-MVP (Windows)

that got away too fast

1. yes.
2. VPN should work transparently with no setup required. I'm sure this
is the goal.
3. If *I* purchase a product and it does not do what I need it to do
and if a fix is not immediately available AND another vendor's product
is known to work in a needed situation then I exchange it.,
4.Check the Linksys forum on DSL reports for information as to what
hardware version of their router and what firmware works and what has
issues.


On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:36:51 -0500, Joe Greene
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>
>1. Do you think Microsoft is committed to this Networking hardware business?
>
>2. Do you think they will eventually offer an easy set-up for VPN as other vendors
>have? (Personally, I would think they would have to in order to stay competitive, if
>the answer to number 1 is affirmative).
>
>3. Do you think I would be better served to turn the MN-700 back in and get a LinkSys?
>
>4. Does the LinkSys model that supports 802.11g have UPnP support and does it have the
>VPN pass through?
>
>Thanks again for your help.
>
>Joe

--
Barb Bowman
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
MS-MVP (Windows)

I've returned a Linksys router due to the VPN Issue. In
that case I later learned it was the Cisco VPN client and
a new version fixed the problem.

I too have a MN-700 wireless router and am experiencing
the same issue. The latest VPN Client didn't help in this
case. I would suggest that you work through your
companies IT dept, if one is available, otherwise we are
stuck until MS fixes the issue? Port forwarding also
didn't work and who wants to expose themselves to the
outside anyway!

Oh well at least it connects long enough to download and
synchronize with my local folders.
>-----Original Message-----
>In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
>> Yes, they read this newsgroup and from time to time
I've sent info to them
>> FROM this newsgroup. We (MVP's) don't have any idea
when there will be a
>> firmware upgrade and what fixes it will provide.
>>
>> There are some people who have been successful with
VPN and IPSEC pass
>> through. For some of the Cisco and Nortel gear,
changing the IP addressing
>> from 192.168.2.x to 192.168.1.x resolves issues, for
others, it does not.
>> From what I'm seeing here in this newsgroup, your
situation looks similar to
>> what some others have reported that would require a
firmware fix. You could
>> give product support a call to log your issue.
>>
>I actually already have contacted support. What they
provided hasn't helped. I will
>definitely follow-up and let them know the issue is not
resolved.
>
>Now, I'm going to ask some questions that I hope you'll
answer, but I will understand
>if you don't (If you prefer, you may e-mail me at MSN),
and I'm just looking for your
>best feel on some of these, I know you don't have a
crystal ball (I think :-)):
>
>1. Do you think Microsoft is committed to this
Networking hardware business?
>
>2. Do you think they will eventually offer an easy set-
up for VPN as other vendors
>have? (Personally, I would think they would have to in
order to stay competitive, if
>the answer to number 1 is affirmative).
>
>3. Do you think I would be better served to turn the MN-
700 back in and get a LinkSys?
>
>4. Does the LinkSys model that supports 802.11g have
UPnP support and does it have the
>VPN pass through?
>
>Thanks again for your help.
>
>Joe
>.
>

I may be late to the "party", but I'm using a Cisco VPN (Ver 4.0.2) with the
MN-700 (and Comcast) and I connect without a problem. when I have problems
with other VPN clients, I setup a Virtual DMZ that points/directs IP traffic
directly to my laptop. Once I disconnect, I delete the Virtual DMZ. Don't
know if this will help any of you, I wanted to say that the MN-700 works
with my Cisco VPN.

"bs Tried Linksys as well" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:6bfc01c40177$591d1270$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've returned a Linksys router due to the VPN Issue. In
> that case I later learned it was the Cisco VPN client and
> a new version fixed the problem.
>
> I too have a MN-700 wireless router and am experiencing
> the same issue. The latest VPN Client didn't help in this
> case. I would suggest that you work through your
> companies IT dept, if one is available, otherwise we are
> stuck until MS fixes the issue? Port forwarding also
> didn't work and who wants to expose themselves to the
> outside anyway!
>
> Oh well at least it connects long enough to download and
> synchronize with my local folders.
> >-----Original Message-----
> >In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
> (E-Mail Removed) says...
> >> Yes, they read this newsgroup and from time to time
> I've sent info to them
> >> FROM this newsgroup. We (MVP's) don't have any idea
> when there will be a
> >> firmware upgrade and what fixes it will provide.
> >>
> >> There are some people who have been successful with
> VPN and IPSEC pass
> >> through. For some of the Cisco and Nortel gear,
> changing the IP addressing
> >> from 192.168.2.x to 192.168.1.x resolves issues, for
> others, it does not.
> >> From what I'm seeing here in this newsgroup, your
> situation looks similar to
> >> what some others have reported that would require a
> firmware fix. You could
> >> give product support a call to log your issue.
> >>
> >I actually already have contacted support. What they
> provided hasn't helped. I will
> >definitely follow-up and let them know the issue is not
> resolved.
> >
> >Now, I'm going to ask some questions that I hope you'll
> answer, but I will understand
> >if you don't (If you prefer, you may e-mail me at MSN),
> and I'm just looking for your
> >best feel on some of these, I know you don't have a
> crystal ball (I think :-)):
> >
> >1. Do you think Microsoft is committed to this
> Networking hardware business?
> >
> >2. Do you think they will eventually offer an easy set-
> up for VPN as other vendors
> >have? (Personally, I would think they would have to in
> order to stay competitive, if
> >the answer to number 1 is affirmative).
> >
> >3. Do you think I would be better served to turn the MN-
> 700 back in and get a LinkSys?
> >
> >4. Does the LinkSys model that supports 802.11g have
> UPnP support and does it have the
> >VPN pass through?
> >
> >Thanks again for your help.
> >
> >Joe
> >.
> >

Joe,

I don't know much about networking but I manged to get VPN
working after playing around with settings. The setting
that worked for me was to set the DMZ on the IP address
for my laptop. I realize that means less security but at
least I'm connected!

Hope this helps and sorry if doesn't.

Robert

>-----Original Message-----
>Can someone please tell me: is VPN using MN-700 possible
or not? I've seen some posts
>that indicate limited success (couldn't maintain
connection more than 2 to 15 minutes).
>But, then I saw one post that indicated a fix from
Microsoft would be necessary in
>order to port forward the GRE protocol before VPN would
be possible.
>
>Our company uses IPSEC policy to implement VPN. I'm
running XP and after setting up my
>local IPSEC policy I can VPN to the companies LAN fine.
The only problem is that it
>works so long as I'm not using any firewall. I've tried
XP's ICF, Norton's Internet
>Security 2004, and now a new MN-700.
>
>I've port forwarded ports: 500, 1701, and 1723. All of
them are forwarded for both TCP
>and UDP. It still doesn't work. Is there another port
that I'm missing?
>
>Or, is it true that it's just not possible at all right
now, maybe due to the GRE
>protocol, or other reasons? If that's the case, that
would be alright by me, so long
>as I know that Microsoft is working on fixing the problem
through a firmware update.
>
>Some of my co-workers, using other brand routers (mostly
LinkSys), are not having any
>problem at all. In fact, they can enable VPN with one
setting, I believe they call it
>VPN pass through. I would prefer very much to stay with
the Microsoft MN-700 and will
>if I can have some assurance that eventually I'll be able
to successfully VPN to the
>office. I only have 11 days left to return the MN-700
for a full no questions asked
>refund.
>
>Any help will be appreciated.
>
>Joe
>.
>