QuickVPN with WRVS4400n general not working

[c.huber]

Hello community, .. and hello Cisco support ... if available at all.

We today received a WRVS440N router to implement VPN Client and VPN Site2Site access.

Our experience with this box is now after a few hours of successless work simply disastrous. The client VPN connection is not working at all. The whole thing seems more to be a fake than a make!

First we received always the server certificate not known error at the client side, which can be ignored - well it took some time to discover this. Installing the certificate on the client didn't change anythin. The error still bails out. After coming over this "not error" condition we run into the situation that the cient connections hangs at the  "Verifying network...." screen and end with a timeout message. After playxing around a few hours going through several post we finally made the client to connect tot the route (after disabling firewal) but are not abe to access any local system on the target network. When disconnecting and trying to connect again, the "Verifying network timeout" appears again an suddenly the conenctin can be setup again.

In any case we are not able to get access to any remote system.

It seems to me that Cisco relay made good work, selling VPN routers that simply are not able to perform any VPN services!!!

Is ther someone who knows, if VPN works at all with this devices or is it better to throw the to the litter and get a solution from a someone knowing how VPN works?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Christoph

[mpyhala]

Hello Christoph,

Thanks for posting. I can assure you that QuickVPN works and works well. I personally own two Small Business routers and I can connect to my LAN devices behind them from anywhere. In the past year I have had a 100% success rate, including connecting from overseas. Unfortunately there are many little details that need to be worked out before you will have this kind of success. If you are able to connect to the router you are 90% there. I have a few questions for you regarding accessing your devices:

1. Do you have any firewall or antivirus software on the PCs you are trying to connect to?
2. Are you trying to connect to the computer name or the IP address? Can you ping the IP address?
3. After you connect, can you ping the LAN IP address of the router?
4. Do you have any devices that are not PCs, such as printers, print servers, etc. that you can try to ping?

Normally if you can't ping/access LAN devices after connecting with QuickVPN, it is because the devices themselves are blocking the request. I have found that I have to create a firewall access rule in Norton Internet Security and Zone Alarm Firewall for instance. Also, you must access the device by IP address only unless you edit the LMHosts file in the PC you are connecting from.

If you continue to have issues, I recommend that you call Cisco Small Business Support. It is helpful to have someone working with you that troubleshoots these issues daily. You can find the number to call for your locale at the following link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_small_business_support_center_contacts.html

[c.huber]

Hi, myphala,

thank you for your response.

Thank you for your response. Thnings are getting more and more confusing here. A client called me and ask, what I change that he suddenly is able to connect and do all the remote stuff. The funny about is that I didn't change anything. But my computers here still do not work.

but coming back to your questions:

> 1. Do you have any firewall or antivirus software on the PCs you are trying to connect to?

I not I have tried to access workstations or devices not having firwalls or av running.

> 2. Are you trying to connect to the computer name or the IP address? Can you ping the IP address

When trouble shpooting, I am not using name resolution. -> Ping is done with IPs

> 3. After you connect, can you ping the LAN IP address of the router?

For curiosity, yes. Pinging to the LAN IP of the WRVS4400n was successful.

> 4. Do you have any devices that are not PCs, such as printers, print servers, etc. that you can try to ping?

Have tried without success.

Is there a detail network communications flow decription, what is happening, when QVPN session are established? When are what network connectivites tested, what pings are issued, what ports used? I have done a some number of VPN configurations with different vendors and found the such information can often help to get the bug in the config.

BTW. the configuration we are currently struggling with is the first installation of three branches setup that should be connect Site2Site (what hopefully will work) and three mobile user. Size and volume are perfectly fitting the prospects of the WRVS4400n design.

Greetings,

Christoph

[ryszard.moron · Accepted solution]

QuickVPN is not best soluction for Win7 or Vista computers.

Sorry Cisco Crew - but its true.

I configure IPSEC for some computers with NCP, Shrew Crew or TheGreenbow VPN Client.

Detailed information on my website.

Best regards

[c.huber]

Ryszard,

thank you for the reply. It help me a lot. I have now the connections running with shrew soft vpn client. The only thing is that I am now using  site-to-site vpn licenses instead to VPN Remote user. Think of the fact the the WRVS4400n only has 5 Site2Sitetunnels  and 5 User Access tunnel is likely to cause a bottleneck in the site2site config. Are there solutions the are able to use the user access vpn of this router?

Thinking of the time we spent in solving problems the I would expect to have already been solved by the cisco team shows, that it realy might be worth thinking of building those boxes on my own. there are a lot of apliance solutions available the can be loaded onto  simple PC based box the offer IPSEC, PPTP and OpenVPN .. .and I guess will run smootly.

Anyway thank you for your help!

And for the Cisco engineers: Please ensure the your product are able to fulfill the promises accounced. Maybe the next release of Quick VPN will have some of those strange problems solved.

Cheers,

Christoph