can't browse network accessed via VPN

[Gary Roach]

I'm connecting to a network over a VPN. the VPN is hosted by a machine
running server 2003. it's also running a WINS server. the machine is a
stand-alone server. on the vpn client machine, i get the WINS address of the
WINS server correctly and i can ping internal machines using netbios names.
however, i cannot browse the network using the vpn client. when i click
"view workgroup computers", i get the error:

workgroup is not accessible. you might not have permissions to use this
network resource.

the vpn client is running xp pro.

 

[Phillip Windell]

Do the workgroup names match? Is the network you connect to a Domain or
just a workgroup?

 

[Michael Giorgio - MS MVP]

If you don't have a domain in either location you will not be
able to get this to work. You cannot browse remote workgroups
without the presence of a DMB or domain master browser. The
PDC or PDC emulator (W2k or higher) by default is always the
DMB which is responsible for querying remote segments to get
their local browse list.

Having said all that if you have a domain in place attempt to map
to a share from the remote location to the W2k3 server and vice
versa. If the drive map fails post the exact error.

 

[Bill Grant]

I agree with Michael. This won't work with a workgroup. Apart from
anything else, you will find that the client will search for a browse list
by sending a <domainname 1b> request to WINS. This doesn't exist without a
domain, and the client just sits there until it times out. Browsing WANs
needs a domain setup.

 

[Gary Roach]

it's a workgroup i'm trying to browse. interesting that since i posted, a
windows 98 VPN client produced a browse list. it included XP clients from
the local LAN and the server that runs the WINS server but not the XP remote
client that's also connected via a VPN. the XP client still gives an error
when i try to browse, but i can connect to shares on the LAN using UNC with
netbios names.

 

[Gary Roach]

it's a workgroup i'm trying to browse. interesting that since i posted, a
windows 98 VPN client produced a browse list. it included XP clients from
the local LAN and the server that runs the WINS server but not the XP remote
client that's also connected via a VPN. the XP client still gives an error
when i try to browse, but i can connect to shares on the LAN using UNC with
netbios names.

Do the workgroup names match? Is the network you connect to a Domain or
just a workgroup?

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com

I'm connecting to a network over a VPN. the VPN is hosted by a machine
running server 2003. it's also running a WINS server. the machine is a
stand-alone server. on the vpn client machine, i get the WINS address of the
WINS server correctly and i can ping internal machines using netbios names.
however, i cannot browse the network using the vpn client. when i click
"view workgroup computers", i get the error:

workgroup is not accessible. you might not have permissions to use this
network resource.

the vpn client is running xp pro.

 

[Bill Grant]

You can sometimes get an (incomplete) browse list when you first connect,
but that is a fluke. When the browser settles down, it tells you (correctly)
that it can't find the browse master.

The remote clients will not appear in the LAN browse list. Browse lists
are built by broadcasts, and these don't normally cross routers or WAN
links.

If you were using a site-to-site VPN, browsing would be possible because
you would have a segment master browser at the remote site. But here again
it only works with a domain. Only a PDC can merge browse lists to give you a
network-wide list.

 

[Gary Roach]

what you're telling me is consistent with what i've experienced. i've been
doing tests on a test LAN on which i've got a windows server 2003 server.
this is why i tried to use WINS - because i had the ability to easily
install it. ultimately, the LAN i'll be connecting to is workgroup of XP Pro
machines with no WINS server (unless the router happens to have that
capability - i don't know yet). in this environment i won't be able to
resolve netbios names at all for the dial-up clients unless i can somehow
maintain hosts or lmhosts files on the vpn client machines. the only way to
do it automatically would be to enable global broadcasts to the vpn clients.
i tried adding the 255.255.255.255 route to the routing table but "route"
gave me an error saying this address is invalid.