OT: Connection Problems, I'm loosing it, big time!

["Rob Mouser" <rmouser@xxxxxxx>]

Sorry this might be a little of a long OT post. Are you sitting
comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Firstly my setup at home:

1)      Homehighway (ISDN).

2)      Eicon DIVA router which has DHCP and allows each machine on the
network to access internet.

3)      Analogue line 1 (Main number) is connected via the BT master
socket to home phone points and Comfort.

4)      Analogue line 2 is my fax line and the machine is plugged
directly into the HH box.

Everything works just dandy!



Our servers at work are protected by Checkpoint firewall. I have two
connection methods. One is the Checkpoint client that creates a secure
connection to our server across the internet using an encrypted key. The
other method is that the firewall is configured to allow PPTP
connections from my static IP provided by my ISP (Eclipse.) that I use
for my home connection and also the static IP I am assigned by our GPRS
provider.



Again until Sunday night everything worked fine, I could connect to the
servers at work from home NO problem. I tended to use the Checkpoint
client as it's a little faster because of the IP compression etc it
uses, but the PPTP connection worked fine too.



So along came Monday morning after 6 hours sleep. I try to connect to
the office on my main home office PC and nothing, it cant even see the
gateway. So I try PPTP, nothing again it can't see the IP address of our
firewall. OK, so maybe I had an internet connection problem? No, I can
access the internet, no problem. Name resolves etc are fine.

So then I think OK, it may be a problem with my home office PC. So I get
out my laptop and connect it via 56k modem to my home phone line, I get
an internet connection fine BUT again I can't access the work firewall.

So I then think, OK it may be a problem with my ISP or static IP,
perhaps a routing issue of some sort? Nope! I connect using the 56k
modem to freeserve, I can access the internet but again no connection to
work.



I can also connect to other VPN's provided by two other companies I'm
involved with. They both use ISA etc but PPTP connection, bang straight
in, no problem.



So getting desperate I phone our IT admin guy at work, rant and rave a
bit. He goes off and plugs in a laptop and heypresto everything works
fine. (Remember that the Checkpoint client does not use usernames etc it
relies on a key. I also don't get as far as authentication with PPTP it
just doesn't see the IP address of the firewall.). So I come to work on
Wednesday and take the same laptop I was using at home plug it into a
phone line in the office, connect to the internet, and I connected to
the work servers fine!



So then I get VERY frustrated and start to suspect my home phone line or
the things connected to it. SO....I disconnect Comfort and other house
phones and dial out to the internet using a 56k modem plugged DIRECTLY
into the BT master socket. I get the same failure.



NOW IT GETS REALLY WEIRD!



I plugged the SAME laptop, same modem into line two on the Homehighway
box and it works fine, connect straight away to the firewall at work.



WHY??????



In summary, connection via ISDN or analogue modem on line one results in
a perfect internet connection but a failure to connect to the IP address
of our work firewall.

An analogue connection on LINE TWO is FINE.

Connection to other servers (Different IP's) using PPTP works fine.



Our IT supplier says: Well it works on all other phones lines.

BT say: Well you can make calls and connect to the internet so no fault.



Both fair comments.



I'm beginning to go 'cold turkey' through lack of connection to work
email, files etc.



Can anyone shed any light on this?



Many thanks in advance. I live in hope!



Rob





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