I have users connecting to a PC via a PIX using Windows Terminal Services..

[rowleyt1]

They come from the internet through our T1, go through the PIX, and hit our PC via Terminal Services and are able to connect ok. They then bring up the Cisco VPN Client to connect out to a VPN concentrator via the same T1 they came in on. This VPN connection fails however and the user never gets prompted for a login/password. It just sits there saying "authenticating user" and never prompts the user for the login. One IMPORTANT thing to note however, is that I can go to the PC locally and connect using Cisco VPN Client via the PIX and T1. I just am not able to do this remotely.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone ever done something similar to this before? If so, did they have a similar problem?

2) What could be causing this? It is as if the windows terminal services connection is interferring with the VPN connection attempt..

Again, the VPN connection comes up if I initiate it locally from the PC going out through the PIX and across the T1.

Any help would be great!!

[hannelanesskog]

Hi !

The reason this does not work is that you loose connection with the terminal server the second the VPN client is operativ. The VPN client is denied local access and therefore the connection between the internet user and the terminal server is disconnected.. When this happens you should not be able to do any work on the terminal server until the client is dosconnected.

I use the same solution in my work (great for testing when installing VPN for customers). What I have done is this:

1. On the Terminal server install VMWare or Microsoft Virtual PC.

2. Install windows xp on as a virtual pc

3. Start the virtual windows xp and install the VPN client

4. Use the virtual windows xp and client when doing connections...

This works great !!

The reason this works, is that you no longer connect to the pc doing the actual VPN connection, but to a terminal showing the monitor of the client.

Best of luck !!

Jorgen Lanesskog

Ementor, Norway