VPN over Cellular Line - can't see shares

[SlapHappy]

Hi,

I'm trying to get access to files on my home network through my Treo 700wx Windows Mobile 5 phone while connected via the Cellular Line, not Wi-Fi. I'm really close, but something is just not right.

I have successfully connect to Verizon's EVDO network. I can surf and even establish a remote desktop connection to my Windows XP Pro SP2 machines at home. No problem there.

I have successfully established a PPTP based VPN connection from the phone to one of the machines on my home network. I just used the built in VPN in WM5, no 3rd party VPN installed. Took a while, but that now works. I can see the incoming connection show up when looking at Network Connections on the XP machine. It is called "RAS VPN Line 0" inside the phone.

I can even ping the phone from the home machine and ping the home machine from the phone using the internal IP's. They are really connected to the same internal network at this point (192.168.0.x). I can't ping using the names of the computers on the LAN, but maybe that is normal.

But, I can not see or connect to ANY of my shares!?! The closest I've gotten is by using a program called PocketLAN http://www.z2software.com/PocketLAN.htm. Using the ScanIP tool with all the options checked (like the 3rd image on the page I linked to) all of my home LAN computers show up, the actual names of the machines and my workgroup name. That means even NetBIOS is working though the router VPN, right? And again, I can ping the IP of all these machines that are auto detected with the ScanIP tool.

When I move to the Share Folder Management screen in PocketLAN and click the "..." button it brings up the Browse Shares tool. I can see all of my networked computers in there by name (not by IP address). But I can not open any of them with a double click (or by clicking the folder icon). I just get an error "The network path was not found." I can not browse any of the computers on the LAN. I even try hand adding some of them in using their internal IP, same result.

So, to troubleshoot I disabled XP's built in firewall completely and even put the machine where the VPN connects into the DMZ (firewall bypass) in my D-LINK DI-524 router. So, no firewall at all, no change. Still can't see any shares (and I have lots of them).

All machines on the local lan have the same username and password and that is the username and password I used in the VPN setup box on the Treo.

The only thing that looks strange is when I run the IP Config utility in PocketLAN.

It shows my Cellular Line as having a very normal IP & Gateway of 70.211.x.x. It has two DNS servers listed. Shows DHCP is Not Enabled. Shows WINS as None. And a Subnet Mask of 255.0.0.0

Now, when I switch it to show me the "RAS VPN Line 0" info it shows an IP & Gateway of 192.168.0.116. There are no DNS servers listed, DHCP not enabled, no WINS, and a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.255.

That is what looks strange to me. Why a Subnet mask of 255.255.255.255? I thought that was an illegal mask?

The PocketLAN software allows me to edit the phone's routing table, but unfortunately I don't know quite enough about this to even attempt "fixing" it or if there is even anything about it that needs to be fixed?

I've been obsessed by this for almost a week. I think I'm close. Does anybody see anything I can try? PocketLAN can produce all kinds of reports that I could post (taking out sensitive info, of course).

Help me please before I pull all my hair out!!

Thank you!!

[chicagotech]

1. subnet mask 255.255.255.255 is by design. Check this link.

tcp/ip settings for vpn
Why does my VPN server or client PPP adapter have 169.x.x.x IP Why my XP VPN client's subnet mask is 255.255.255.255 Why my XP VPN client's IP is the same ...
www.chicagotech.net/vpntcpipsettings.htm

2. Sounds like name resolution. However, you also mentioned "I even try hand adding some of them in using their internal IP, same result". I can access sharing by using IP?

[SlapHappy]

Thank you for responding.

1. subnet mask 255.255.255.255 is by design. Check this link.
tcp/ip settings for vpn
Why does my VPN server or client PPP adapter have 169.x.x.x IP Why my XP VPN client's subnet mask is 255.255.255.255 Why my XP VPN client's IP is the same ...
www.chicagotech.net/vpntcpipsettings.htm

Ok, I'll address some of these:

"Why does my VPN server or client PPP adapter have 169.x.x.x IP" - I do not have that problem, my VPN server (192.168.0.15) and VPN client (192.168.0.16) get proper IPs, as expected.

"Why my XP VPN client's subnet mask is 255.255.255.255" - Ok, that is what I get also, glad that is normal.

"Why my XP VPN client's IP is the same as default gateway IP" - I'm getting this as well, so that is ok.

"Unable to contact a DHCP server - Event ID 20169" - I don't know if I'm getting this or not, but I do know that if I don't specifically tell the VPN server to use certain IP's (instead of telling it to use DHCP) then I do not get a correct IP assigned to the VPN client (phone). And also, I'm not getting any name servers assigned to the VPN client. Is that ok? My router does have DHCP, it is turned on and works correctly for local computers on the lan.

2. Sounds like name resolution. However, you also mentioned "I even try hand adding some of them in using their internal IP, same result". I can access sharing by using IP?

Right, even if I use internal IP's I still can't browse any of the machines. But I find it so strange that PocketLAN finds them perfectly fine, but can't browse them. It not only finds them, they show up by machine name and even the workgroup name is identified and associated with the machine.

Do I need to somehow set a workgroup name for my phone to match? I know that with a standard lan if the workgroups don't match you can't browse, right? But usually I only see options for setting a domain, not a workgroup name in the phone.

Forgot:

Found this in the PocketLAN FAQ:
http://www.z2software.com/FAQ-PPL.htm

I get "Network path can not found" error when I try to browse the network resource with PocketLAN. How to fix it?

You would need to change the network card connect to "Work" instead of "Internet".

1. On z2 PocketLAN, click "IP Config"->Settings->Network Adapters and change "My network card connects to" to "Work".
2. Disconnect and reconnect your network.

Unfortunately I think this is referring to when you are connected via an actual network card or wifi. I checked my setting and it was already set to Work.

[chicagotech]

We should focus on the IP access first. If the IP doesn't work, then name resolution or workgroup name doesn't work. Do you have an option to run command line?

[SlapHappy]

We should focus on the IP access first. If the IP doesn't work, then name resolution or workgroup name doesn't work. Do you have an option to run command line?

Command line from the phone? Hummm... I don't think so. The OS is Windows Mobile 5.0. But I have access to all the typical tcp utilities and things. What is it you'd want me to run via command line? Maybe I can obtain the same info another way?

I have these 2 programs installed, and you can see what it can do:
http://www.cam.com/vxutil_pers.html
http://www.cam.com/vxipconfig.html

And, of course PocketLAN, like I mentioned.

I'll attempt any suggestions or troubleshooting you suggest. I really appreciate it.

Thanks again.

[chicagotech]

What I like to test is using net command to check the system error, for example net use \\remotexpipaddress.

[SlapHappy]

What I like to test is using net command to check the system error, for example net use \\remotexpipaddress.

The only program that will show me an actual error code when I try to connect to a share is Total Commander CE. I connect to EVDO, then connect to the VPN (I can see on the home XP machine that it is connected) and then I try to connect to brows a share and it says "Error 53 while connecting!"

I downloaded Wireshark (used to be Ethereal) to watch packets coming in. When I ask PockeLAN to look for computers on the LAN, all kinds of activity comes into the XP machine while I'm watching Wireshark in real time. But when I double click to actually browse one of the found machines, nothing at all comes into the XP machine.

Same thing when using Total Commander CE when I get the Error 53, no activity at all comes into the XP machine. It is as if when I'm trying to browse the phone is trying to look for it on the Internet connection instead of the VPN connection.

[chicagotech]

It could be the routing issue too. But I don't know how to check it without command line.