I have a Windows 2003 Domain Controller that I have configured VPN access on – I have put the VPN port in my router – and when I connect from the outside it connects fine and I can ping all devices by IP only and not by name. I have tried to add the DNS IP to the VPN connection but it still doesn’t work. My router handles my DHCP and DNS is this why I can’t ping by DNS should I configure the Windows Server to handle this – I have tried to look for a solution on the internet by I haven’t been able to find one – I hope someone can help. Thanks

"I have tried to add the DNS IP to the VPN connection but it still doesn’t work. My router handles my DHCP and DNS is this why I can’t ping by DNS should I configure the Windows Server to handle this" Are you attempting to ping by full qualified domain name (computername.domainname.com), or netbios name (computername)? Also, ensure your VPN virtual adapter is at the top of your binding order. http://www.petri.co.il/change_the_b... If you are needing to connect via NetBIOS name, you may need to setup a WINS server and make sure your VPN clients get configured with the WINS server information. TECH-NO-LOGICAL ROMANCE! http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgs12.html

How many computers are you trying to connect to inside the domain through the VPN server? If it is only a few than you can add them manually to the workstation(s) connecting across the Internet to the VPN server.

How many computers are you trying to connect to inside the domain through the VPN server? If it is only a few than you can add them manually to the hosts file of the workstation(s) connecting across the Internet to the VPN server.

Most likely it's because the router is the DNS server and not the server itself. The router doesn't know what names your computers are inside your network because it's using your ISP's DNS servers. If you have a domain controller, the first DNS IP address that clients should use is the IP address of the domain controller. (Provided that you have DNS server installed on the domain controller.) Even the server should refer to it's own IP address as it'd DNS server. Then under DNS server settings, your ISP's DNS IP addresses should be listed under "Forwarders", so when a client wants to go to a host name outside your network, like www.yahoo.com, the server will forward that request to the outside DNS servers. This is how Active Directory is supposed to work. Doesn't mean that it won't work, but if your clients are not using the IP address of the server as it's first DNS address, funny things will happen like clients will log onto the domain very slowly, or sometimes not at all, and mapped drives will work sometimes or very slow to access. So make sure DNS server is installed on the domain controller, have clients use the DC as the primary DNS server, make sure your forwarder has the DNS IPs from your ISP, and then try having the VPN clients use the DC as the DNS server, and you should be able to ping by internal host names.