RDP Connection problems on Windows 8.1

redtopia

I'm having some serious problems connecting to Windows Servers over my VPN. I can connect to the server no problem, but when I try to do anything in a web browser (on the server), I get connection problems. The RDP connection basically freezes and I can't do anything for a while. It will eventually try to reconnect, but not immediately. It's quicker just to quit RDP and relaunch the connection.

It's almost like the browser network connection (on the server) messes up the connection I have with the server over RDP.

Any ideas?

Traffic

redtopia wroteAny ideas?

Please see the Forum rules (top of page)

redtopia

Sorry I didn't post the configs... here's what we have setup:

SERVER SETTINGS:

port 1194
proto tcp
dev tun
client-config-dir clients
ca /etc/openvpn/certs/ca.crt
cert /etc/openvpn/certs/neutron.crt
key /etc/openvpn/certs/neutron.key
dh /etc/openvpn/certs/dh2048.pem
server 123.12.0.0 255.255.255.0
push "redirect-gateway def1 bypass-dhcp"
push "dhcp-option DNS 8.8.8.8"
push "dhcp-option DNS 8.8.4.4"
client-to-client
keepalive 1800 4000
comp-lzo
crl-verify crl.pem
max-clients 10
user nobody
group nogroup
persist-key
persist-tun
keepalive 10 120
sndbuf 0
rcvbuf 0
push "sndbuf 393216"
push "rcvbuf 393216"
verb 5
mute 20

CLIENT SETTINGS:

remote vpn.mydomain.com 1194 tcp-client
pull
tls-client
dev tun
nobind
ca ca.crt
cert cert.crt
key key.key
comp-lzo adaptive
persist-tun
persist-key
route 123.12.0.77 255.255.255.255 default default
route 123.12.0.21 255.255.255.255 default default
route 123.12.0.25 255.255.255.255 default default
route 123.12.0.1 255.255.255.255 default default
dev-node {3A1A4C3A-93D0-45A2-9488-023B30492D6B}
resolv-retry infinite
route-method exe
route-delay 2
keepalive 10 90

terrorfrog

CHeck your route with mtr or winmtr for paketloss.
also try to switch to tcp

does it work without openvpn?
try to make an pptp vpn diretly on the windows server and see if the problem persists.

Traffic

redtopia wroteSorry I didn't post the configs... here's what we have setup:

Please set --verb 4 in your configs and post your (sanitized) logs.

Also, include details of your --client-config-dir clients file.

redtopia

Sorry... I'm a newby to openvpn and VPNs in general. I'm a programmer and I have some experience configuring VPNs, but I'm not the most qualified person to dive in deep. I can get some help from my sys admin if I get stuck.

Here's what I think you are telling me to do... set verbose logging on the client, repeat the problematic behavior, then post the log results. If that's correct, what part of the log results do you need to see?

Do I need to set verbose logging on the server, and post server logs results too?

@terrorfrog - when I check my route, should that be done from the server since that's the network connection that seems to break my RDP connection? Also, I have no idea if it will work without openvpn... not sure how I would test that. Are you saying I should be able to create a VPN connection without openVPN using pptp? If that's the case, why would I be using openVPN?

terrorfrog

wasnt here for a while, and i know this post is ancient
in case you ever read this or someone comes with google here

first of a pptp is hardly a vpn, its the most unsecure way to make a conection and was ment just to double check source of error
not as a replacement or problem solution
yes you can do this by installing RAS role and create a pptp vpn server. dhcp isnt required, you can set an ip ppol in the pptp server.

about winmtr if possible always let it run from both sides - client to target - target to client
also make 2 traces parallel - one on the internap vpn ip one on the external public ip as far you can go (most of to the to the entry point/firewall) and let it run for at least 1000 pings

most of the time, if the rdp server works flawless in lan, it is either a very lossy WAN (internet) connection, bad firewalls/filter, faulty switch somewhere in between or - the most of all evils - provider packet filtering.
unfortunatly udp vpns often look like voiip commincation (many short packages) and thsoe get filtered by many telecom companys to reduce competition int he telephone field

now what helps against filtern is either increase mtu´s, go by tcpip instead of udp, and sometimes even switch the port to something very common if possible, like http or ftp. they usually hesistate to filter those but who knows