Hi.
I have some strange issues when using my phone on both sides of an already established VPN bridged connection (not at the same time of course).
Standard setup - both networks are behind home routers, one desktop on one network is used as VPN server, one desktop on the other network used as client. Both networks use 192.168.11.0/24 subnet so I can have one integral broadcast/multicast capable big network. I use it for DLNA purposes. There is one DLNA server on both the client machine and the server machine.
ALL devices are set to static IP addresses on both sides. I reserved for the server network addresses from 11.1 to 11.127, and the client network 11.128 up to the end.
DHCP on server side is turned off.
This is my setup - worth better than thousand words.
This setup works brilliantly always, until .... read along.
My problem is when I move with my phone (the big center phone on the diagram) from the server network to the client network and then back. I use DLNA control point to connect to DLNA devices on both sides. Windows 7 Enterprise on both sides.
When I leave the client network (the left one) and one hour later I enter the Wifi range of the server router just to start the DLNA app, I cannot see the client's DLNA nor the TV as renderer. At this point I have NO ping to the client machine (to 192.168.11.129) - request timeout, but I can ping perfectly the remote phone and remote TV (11.132, 11.136).
I close my phone's DLNA app, then precisely 5 minutes later the ping to 11.129 returns and pongs as long as I don't start the dlna app (upnp, multicast you know) again. ping -t continues and stops the moment I start my DLNA app again. I still can ping the other remote devices (phone, TV) but not the ovpn client machine (11.129).
I tried the same IP (static) on my phone for both networks (11.10), yet different gateways (11.1 for the wifi network at home where the server is, and 11.128 for the client's side).
Now, if I disconnect and reconnect the VPN (for example using VNC from the server to client), everything works again with absolutely no issues.
Is this some MAC address issue? I checked arp tables and they seem to relate somehow, maybe the fact my phone has one single MAC that the VPN once saw on one side of the VPN, then one hour later it appears on the server's side. I don't know. I tried arp -d * on the client side, no joy.
Again, as long as I haven't used/registered my phone on both routers networks, the setup works perfectly, for hours and days. Once I register my phone with the client's Wifi then I go back and register with the server's router WiFi, the problem is there until I eventually restart the vpn connection from the client machine.
I'll be happy if someone could point me to a possible resolution. I suspect it's something with MAC addresses or VPN getting confused by the same device appearing on both sides of the connection at different times.
Thanks.
