VPN and access to remote LAN

[gjf]

Hi All!

I want to setup my remote access to local network at my office.
The router used in my office is Asus RT-AC66U with latest Merlin firmware.
I've tried both PPTP and OpenVPN ways but with issues. So here we go.

1. PPTP VPN access.
This variant works OK and I can ping all systems in my office LAN using both IPs and network names. But I cannot see them in my Network Neighborhood at client PC. Anyway, I can access all systems in Windows Explorer using

\\Name_of_Resource

so it looks like the problem is caused server doesn't push WINS server parameter to me. Am I right? How to solve it?

2. OpenVPN access.
I have enabled both "Push LAN to clients" and "Advertise DNS to clients" options and disabled "Direct clients to redirect Internet traffic" because I don't want to redirect all traffic through my LAN.
By the way - it's a little inconvenient I cannot point the name of my remote router in ovpn file using settings, so I have to manually change IP to hostname in "remote blah-blah-blah 1194" parameter of resulting ovpn file.
So - I have connected to LAN successfully and can ping all systems inside it, but no network names. The problem with Network Neighborhood still exists and of course I cannot open resources using Windows Explorer because of not resolving my LAN network names.
So it looks like not only WINS, but DNS settings also didn't come to my client.

How to fix it all? I'd prefer to use OpenVPN, but it looks like it is more complicated problem with it in my case.

 

[bbsc]

1. PPTP VPN access.
server doesn't push WINS server parameter to me. Am I right? How to solve it?

Settings - VPN - VPN Details.
Connect to WINS Server automatically - No
WINS Server1 - router's IP, i.e. 192.168.1.1 or whatever you have there.

 

[gjf]

Yeah, looks like it is not WINS problem - the client receives proper WINS IP but anyway cannot display Neighborhood properly.

What about OpenVPN issue?

 

[gjf]

All right, looks like I found the problem with OpenVPN - it is necessary to use TAP interface, not TUN.

But it is a pity Merlin did not include WINS functionality in his firmware (I mean it generally, not only Media Server).

Because Network Neighborhood completely doesn't work on Windows 7 clients even with proper setting remote LAN WINS server in VPN settings.

 

[netware5]

All right, looks like I found the problem with OpenVPN - it is necessary to use TAP interface, not TUN.

But it is a pity Merlin did not include WINS functionality in his firmware (I mean it generally, not only Media Server).

Because Network Neighborhood completely doesn't work on Windows 7 clients even with proper setting remote LAN WINS server in VPN settings.

As you already discovered - just use TAP - less troubles and easy to config. I like TAP very much and use it since April 2013.

 

[RMerlin]

All right, looks like I found the problem with OpenVPN - it is necessary to use TAP interface, not TUN.

But it is a pity Merlin did not include WINS functionality in his firmware (I mean it generally, not only Media Server).

Because Network Neighborhood completely doesn't work on Windows 7 clients even with proper setting remote LAN WINS server in VPN settings.

WINS functionality can be enabled on the Network Place(Samba) page, same place where you configure USB shares.

 

[gjf]

WINS functionality can be enabled on the Network Place(Samba) page, same place where you configure USB shares.

But I don't use Media Server and didn't connect anything to USB. Does it mean WINS will work?

Actually as far as I understand it is part of Samba, but I don't use Samba in this case (without USB shares).

 

[RMerlin]

But I don't use Media Server and didn't connect anything to USB. Does it mean WINS will work?

Actually as far as I understand it is part of Samba, but I don't use Samba in this case (without USB shares).

Yes. The nmbd service will still start.

 

[gjf]

OK, but unfortunately it looks like OS issue, not network one.
For some reasons Windows 7 does not display network resources properly thru VPN.
I have a confirmation about that from some other people, so it is not cause by neither Asus hardware nor Merlin firmware.

 

[octopus]

OK, but unfortunately it looks like OS issue, not network one.
For some reasons Windows 7 does not display network resources properly thru VPN.
I have a confirmation about that from some other people, so it is not cause by neither Asus hardware nor Merlin firmware.

There is no problem if you use TAP interface then you are on same net as your clients. You need to have all on same subnet.