VPN questions and answers

Paul's picture
5
2009

In this section I will try to answer questions posted by the members of this site.

Simply post your question as a comment on this page and I'll do my best to reply.

Paul's picture
VPN Question 1

Why is my internet connection slower when I am connected to my home network from my hotel ?

This is caused by a default setting in Microsoft Windows VPN, which forces the near end to use the Default Gateway at the far end (see figure below).
 
Advanced TCP/IP settings
 
So you are browsing the internet over the VPN connection, which is inherently slower. Unchecking the box will return the Default Gateway to the near end but this may require you to add Route to your Routing Table in order to tell the network where to find the far end, since it is no longer through the Default Gateway.
 
Note that VPN connections between Servers using Microsoft RRAS contain routing information which eliminates this issue.

Paul's picture
VPN Question 2

Why can I only establish one VPN connection at a time using Windows XP ?

This is a limitation of Windows Client Operating Systems. If you want to establish several concurrent VPN connections you will require third-party software or a Windows Server Operating System.

Administrator's picture
VPN Remote Desktop

If I want to establish a Remote Desktop session after I have successfully connected via VPN is it necessary for me to open Port 3389 in my Gateway?

Once you have connected via VPN your PC is essentially part of the remote network, so you are able to establish a Remote Desktop session to any PC on that network (subject, of course, to user authorization settings). Since the traffic for this remote session would pass through the VPN connection it is not necessary to open Port 3389.