Layer 3 newbie problem
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:52 pm
I have been using OpenVPN for several years (probably close to 10) as a bridge between my house and my cabin, but for various reasons I had problem making that work on my new setup, which is a pair of Windows Server 2016 Datacenter on server cards with Xeon CPU's. I work as a freelance translator and can in principle work anywhere I have a broadband connection, but since it's very typing intensive I need a good chair, a desk, a dual monitor setup and my Matias Ergo Pro keyboard. I have those at both places, and the only thing I need to bring with me when I go from one place to the other is my Surface Pro, which is hooked up to a docking station I have at each location. That means that I can start a job, find out that I want to go to the cabin because the weather's nice and just bring the Surface Pro to keep on working there. All work files are on the cabin server (with 300/300 fibre, UPS that runs for 8 hours and full real-time backup solutions). With the bridge it doesn't matter where I am, I always open the file from the same location.
But since I have spent a month trying to get OpenVPN to work reliably I figured I'd give SoftEther a chance. I have been running my own Windows Server computers for a long time, ever since Windows Server 2000. So I know about the terminology and routing and all that, I'm just a newbie on SoftEther. But I find the UI easy to understand, and I thought I followed a "howto" perfectly. But obviously I did not... This is the one I used: https://www.softether.org/4-docs/1-manu ... Routing%29
My networks are Hjemmeserver (home server in Norwegian) on 192.168.0.1 and Hytteserver (cabin server) on 192.168.2.1.
So on the cabin server (which I am using as the VPN server because I plan to keep that for the rest of my life, while I'm not as sure about the house) I have created two virtual hubs, "Cabin server" (local with a local bridge to the network card that covers the internal network) and "From House server" (which the house server connects to).
On the cabin server I have also defined a layer 3 switch which connectes the two virtual hubs "cabin server" (with a Virtual interface 191.168.2.2) and "From house server" (with a Virtual interface 191.168.0.2). On the same switch I defined routing tables 192.168.0.0 with the 192.168.2.2 virtual hub as gateway and 192.168.2.2 with the 192.168.0.2 virtual hub as gateway.
On the home server I have installed a SoftEther with the standard bridge virtual hub and the correct setup in cascade connection.
Finally I have made static routes on Routing and remote access on both sides. On the cabin side I have destination 192.168.0.0 with virtual hub 192.168.2.2 as the gateway, and on the house side I have destination 192.168.2.0 with virtual hub 192.168.0.2 as the gateway.
I can connect the home server bridge to the cabin VPN server without problems.
From the cabin server side I can ping both the virtual hubs and the home server, but I can not ping any other computers on the home server side. From the home server side I can ping both the virtual hubs and the home server, but I can not ping any other computers or other devices on the cabin server side.
From other computers than the servers on both sides I can ping the server on the other side, but I can't ping any other computers or other devices on the same network.
Finally I can not ping anything with the network name, only IP address. So there is no DNS that is being transfered over the Layer 3 bridge.
If there is a step I have forgotten here, I would very much like to know.
But since I have spent a month trying to get OpenVPN to work reliably I figured I'd give SoftEther a chance. I have been running my own Windows Server computers for a long time, ever since Windows Server 2000. So I know about the terminology and routing and all that, I'm just a newbie on SoftEther. But I find the UI easy to understand, and I thought I followed a "howto" perfectly. But obviously I did not... This is the one I used: https://www.softether.org/4-docs/1-manu ... Routing%29
My networks are Hjemmeserver (home server in Norwegian) on 192.168.0.1 and Hytteserver (cabin server) on 192.168.2.1.
So on the cabin server (which I am using as the VPN server because I plan to keep that for the rest of my life, while I'm not as sure about the house) I have created two virtual hubs, "Cabin server" (local with a local bridge to the network card that covers the internal network) and "From House server" (which the house server connects to).
On the cabin server I have also defined a layer 3 switch which connectes the two virtual hubs "cabin server" (with a Virtual interface 191.168.2.2) and "From house server" (with a Virtual interface 191.168.0.2). On the same switch I defined routing tables 192.168.0.0 with the 192.168.2.2 virtual hub as gateway and 192.168.2.2 with the 192.168.0.2 virtual hub as gateway.
On the home server I have installed a SoftEther with the standard bridge virtual hub and the correct setup in cascade connection.
Finally I have made static routes on Routing and remote access on both sides. On the cabin side I have destination 192.168.0.0 with virtual hub 192.168.2.2 as the gateway, and on the house side I have destination 192.168.2.0 with virtual hub 192.168.0.2 as the gateway.
I can connect the home server bridge to the cabin VPN server without problems.
From the cabin server side I can ping both the virtual hubs and the home server, but I can not ping any other computers on the home server side. From the home server side I can ping both the virtual hubs and the home server, but I can not ping any other computers or other devices on the cabin server side.
From other computers than the servers on both sides I can ping the server on the other side, but I can't ping any other computers or other devices on the same network.
Finally I can not ping anything with the network name, only IP address. So there is no DNS that is being transfered over the Layer 3 bridge.
If there is a step I have forgotten here, I would very much like to know.