Linksys Network stops Working?

What kind of VPN do you have? What does the error message say?

If you're able to access the Web and not the VPN, there may be a problem with the VPN server at work. Check with the people who maintain the VPN server, and see if they're aware of any problems.

As far as settings are concerned, did you make any changes to network/firewall settings before the VPN access problems began?

Jim

Of course I can't even get the error message now...it just hangs at the "contacting the gateway" message.

However, if I hook the ethernet cable directly into my laptop, I proceed quickly through.

The folks at work say it is not them ,although they have been working on the VPN.

I have played around with proxy settings at times..perhaps that is it?

error message finally came up....."Failed to establish a secure connection to the security gateway"

Thanks,

 

I'll forward this to my help desk.  We have had layoffs so they are undermanned....

That error message means that the VPN client was able to contact the server, but was unable to establish a secure tunnel. The initial VPN connection setup is done via UDP port 500 (isakmp). After that stage completes, VPN traffic is normally encapsulated in an IP packet called ESP, for Enhanced Security Payload. This traffic needs special handling in a NAT/proxy environment, and may require "VPN passthrough" settings on the router and/or "NAT transparency" settings in the VPN client.

So your thought that proxy setting changes may be causing the problem is a good one. While I agree that the problem's likely on the client end, I'm surprised that your VPN administrators don't have some notes about setting up the client software in a NAT environment.

Jim

Hmmm...that might take a while. Maybe we should try a few more troubleshooting steps.

You said the connection works when the laptop's plugged directly into the Ethernet cable. Was the Ethernet cable connected to the Linksys, or directly to the cable/DSL modem?

You mentioned proxy settings. If the ISP requires PPPoE authentication, that should be done in the Linksys, not the laptop. See Appendix A - Troubleshooting of the Linksys manual for how to disable proxy settings. There's some advice about troubleshooting VPN problems in that Appendix as well.

Enabling PPTP pass through for VPN operation is discussed on Page 39 of the Linksys manual.

Jim

Yes it will take  a while, I'm not on their priority list!

 

Yes, the cable I used was the one from the router to the base PC.

 

I will look into the PPPoE issue

Yes, the cable I used was the one from the router to the base PC.

What's the "base PC"? Do you by chance have "Internet Connection Sharing" installed somewhere? If so, you should remove it, since it's not needed with the Linksys.

Jim

Thanks fo all your help.  I went back to the proxy settings and after reviewing the user manual, again, I realized that the settings on my laptop pointed to an IP address..it should have been pointing to "automatic".

 

Thanks again!

You're welcome! Thanks for posting the solution! That will help others who have a similar problem.

Jim