Need help with a VPN Through Two Routers

self | 3/13/03 | Lafroste

[lafroste]

I am looking for technical assistance for a computer networking problem, to wit:

I set up a wireless network in my home to share internet access with family computers without running wires all over creation. My wife's office uses wireless connections. She needs to set up a Virtual private network (VPN) to her employer, but her employer only supports VPN using a Linksys router (not wireless). Her company supplied the Linksys router, apparently pre-configured to access the comapny's system.

Here is the problem: She must access the internet through the wireless router we already have (Seimens Datastream), but the Linksys router must also be present. We connected the Linksys router to the cable modem and were able to access the VPN. However, when we added the Siemens wireless router after the Linksys, she was able to access the internet from her computer, but not the VPN. Additionally, my computer (which doesn't need the VPN but was set up to test the interface) also now does not function. I may be able to work around the problem, but I cannot figure out how to access the configuration utility of the Linksys router (no documentation was supplied by her employer), and I cannot determine the IP address of the Linksys router, but do know the IP address of the Seimans wireless router (which, curiously, does not seem to have changed after the Seimans router was disconnected from the cable modem and connected to the Linksys router). I know this can be made to work and any suggestions on how to proceed are most welcome.

[SwinusMaximus]

>Although you don't hace to reboot to pick up a nnew net config or DHCP prodived address. Just do an IPCONFIG /RELEASE followed by an IPCONFIG /RENEW from a command window.

I hear ya, but this is one of those cases where I'd rather be a tortoise than a hare. Rebooting forces a rebuild of all the control blocks so there can't be any issues about crap being left behind.

In spite of what Big M says about not needing to reboot for this change or that (specifically under W2K and XP) subtle problems seem to go away when a full reboot is done.