Multiple VPN Connections

Ally77

Hey people!!
Basically i started working this week as a systems engineer and have a quick question regarding VPN connections. My currently assigned project is to roll out MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager) 2005 to our clients. This simply allows us to be instantly alerted to any problems that may arise.
I simply connect to a share on one of our servers that holds visio diagrams of our clients networks, and use VPN/RDP to gain access and install the software.
The files have to be downloaded first from our server which can take up to 1 hour and this is where my question is leading. I can have multiple RDP sessions to a number of our clients but if i must VPN into a client network first before using RDP i can only have one active VPN connection (if one is already active it is disconnected). I dont understand why? Can anyone explain please
Thanks

darkuser

you have to be more clear .....

do you mean more than one vpn to a client site ?

or more than one vpn orignating from your home location .

the client site should be able toterminate more than one vpn tunnel.

BUT

if you are trying to use a broadband connection with a home networking firewall
linksys , whatever

the home firewall can not support more then 1 ipsec tunnel at a time.

Ally77

Yeah sorry iv not been too clear, long day!! I am basically using XP Pro from my work. A t the 1 time i could have maybe 4 or 5 RDP connections to different sites. Some sites require me to VPN first then connect to the local DC with RDP. This is where im kinda of limited. If i am using a VPN connection to one clients network i cant establish a VPN connection to another clients site without the first VPN connection being dropped!! Just wondering why this is??

ubergeek

Exactly how many sites have ipsec tunnels? Is it L2L or remote? check if it is an isolated case, it is a possibility that when you connect to a certain vpn network and rdp to it that you get disconnected to the site due to the vpn might not have split-tunneling enabled. By the wat do you have any idea what platform/equipment is creating those vpn tunnels?

rossonieri#1

darkuser and ubergeek answered your Qs...

do you use a single xp box to do multiple VPN?

sprkymrk

Ally77 wrote:

I am basically using XP Pro from my work. A t the 1 time i could have maybe 4 or 5 RDP connections to different sites. Some sites require me to VPN first then connect to the local DC with RDP. This is where im kinda of limited. If i am using a VPN connection to one clients network i cant establish a VPN connection to another clients site without the first VPN connection being dropped!! Just wondering why this is??

When you establish the VPN connection, it probably sets up routing tables on your computer saying "Send all my data through this tunnel, because I am virtually on that network". When you try to establish a VPN connection to ANOTHER site, it does the same thing. Since these are "Virtual" networks, it is like you physically picked up your computer, drove to the customers site, and plugged it in there. So now if you establish a VPN connection to another site, you again picked up your computer and drove to THAT site and plugged it in. This is what the "V" in VPN is all about. Hope that analogy helps out.

Mark

Ally77

Sorry guys have not been about for the last week or so as been very busy. Thankyou all for your replies, as usual the infirmation has been very useful
Thanks