VPN troubles - Help?

At work I frequently have to create a VPN connection to a remote webserver, and every time I do so, all other connections are dropped. I get disconnected from MSN, IRC and everything else I'm using. Which is driving me nuts.

It seems that the VPN connection gets priority over the regular NIC, so all existing connections are dropped, and then attempted reestablished over the VPN.

Do anyone have any clues for how to prevent this from happening?
This is on Windows XP, btw

 

I think this is normal to be honest. When i connect to my works VPN this happens, you are effectively logging on to the works network through your broadband connection. So your web browsing is actually being done through the network/ISP at your work.


This is my understanding anyway, but i could be wrong

Please feel free to correct me, but as no one else had answered this thread i thought i would attempt an answer.

 

YES! I assume this is a builtin Windows VPN client right? The problem is the standard configuration reroutes ALL the internet traffic over the VPN. In a corporate world that is a good idea, that way everything goes through any corporate wide antivirus, anti spyware, anti-whatever software and you aren't inadvertently providing a "back door" through their security. However there is a way around that.

You need to look in the "control panel | Network connections" and right click on your VPN connection and select properties. Got to the networking tab, select TCP/IP and select properties. Click advanced and then de-select the "Use default gateway on remote network". Reconnect the VPN and Voila', now ONLY the domain traffic for that VPN will be directed over it. All the other tcp-ip traffic will take it's normal route to the internet.

As an aside, I have two versions of my VPN connection to my domain. One with this setting off and one with it on. 99% of the time I use the "off" one. But when I am out of town and need to use Outlook, my ISP will allow me to receive email but I can't send it. This is because they close the SMTP outbound mail port to any machine not attached directly to their network. (Which would be me when connected from a hotel somewhere.) But, if I first make a VPN connection back to my domain with the gateway switch ON, then all the SMTP traffic gets routed back through my domain which IS on their network and SMTP works great.

Gary

 

Ooo, thanks. At home now, but will give it a try when I get the chance.

 

I am just an intern at my workplace but I use VPN occasionally and this seems normal to me too. When I use and used VPN on my personal computers, my chat clients would disconnect and then reconnect whenever I disconnected from VPN...on Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X Tiger.

via Touch

 

Nice tip. I always wanted to know how this was done. Rep up Thanks

 

It IS the norm, it just doesn't HAVE to be the norm, at least not with the Microsoft built in Vista client. It is a lot faster to have the gateway switch turn off, because with it off only the domain traffic goes through the VPN. All other traffic goes direct to the internet.

Gary

 

I see,...but I use a Cisco VPN client, and for my notebook with Vista, this "experimental" Vista version VPN client...it works fine but its called experimental to keep XP users away or something...

 

It worked! Thanks a bunch!

 

be careful if you turn on traffic splitting between VPN and rest of the world. it can potentially cause one's job and other liability claims from damage in a corporate environment as this effectively turn your machine into a router/bridge between the protected network and the cloud. It may be violating corporate policy.

 

Which is PRECISELY why, in my initial reply, I said:

Gary