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Site to Site VPN, file shares, DNS

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Jason G

New Around Here
Hey Everyone, I don't post to forums much, I can usually dig into the web and find the answers. After about 6 hours of reading (fun right) about the the many variables of my issue, I'm giving in, but atleast I understand what the issues are. I think I just need some advice. It will be greatly appreciated. I'll "try" to keep it short....

I have a relatively new client, a decent size veterinary clinic with a satellite location about 10 miles away.
I inherited the full operation and have been tweaking as I go, anyway.....They have a site to site VPN that ran for years, recently it started dropping randomly. After troubleshooting the network, ISP, etc, I determined the firewall tanked. I made the regrettable decision to let the client buy the replacement, basically a newer version of what they had. The firmware versions were so far apart that the config could not be imported so I manually set it up and the VPN was better but not stable. So I swapped the other side with the same unit and it solved that issue, but now it would soft drop I guess you would call it, it stayed up but would time out once or twice a week, they're running Impromed which is CSM/POS/Radiology/Prescriptions the whole shabang through the pipe so it wasn't going to do, but everything atleast worked.
They had purchased Netgear FVS318G firewalls, after learning they only spent $140+ I sold them better equipment. I picked up two Sonicwalls, TZ300 and 400, got them up and running, dealt with the expected port and network issues...now the fun part.
They remote desktop through the VPN to a server which runs part of the app which networks with the main server which has the data etc...(not how I would have done it, it is what it is)
So the girls up front haves to copy and paste records, maybe docs from other vets, xrays form 3rd parties, whatever from the local desktop to the remote desktop. Well it stopped working as well as a scan to Impromed printer, the shares for the pictures of the animals imploded...so I figured out it's a DNS issue. I can ping IP's but not Names. They don't have a DC or a DNS box and they are running the servers pretty hard already, no VM's.
So aside from launching a new DC, what are my options?
I added the WINS feature to the remote server today, and tweeked the server NICS, but before I go any further, will that hammer the VPN? I believe only local requests only and from the 3 or 4 things that arn't working will hit the WINS server. The sonicwalls have WINS feature so it ill pass through DNS but I'm not sure I want the entire place doing that......am I on the right track?
Should I just edit the LMHOST file on the few problems? If that will even work. Maybe an outsourced DNS?

The weird thing is those cheap butt Netgear pieces worked fine except for the occasional studder, why do the Sonics not work? What am I missing?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!! Sorry for the book.

JayG
XSi-
 
If you're talking about using network names vs IP address, that's netbios that's not working across the tunnel. This sometimes works and sometimes doesn't so I always map by IP address.

So your solutions are the following:
  • Get the Sonicwalls to get the netbios working across the tunnel
  • Redo all the network configurations where share names are used and replace them with IP addresses
  • lmhosts files as you mentioned
 
Hey Everyone, I don't post to forums much, I can usually dig into the web and find the answers. After about 6 hours of reading (fun right) about the the many variables of my issue, I'm giving in, but atleast I understand what the issues are. I think I just need some advice. It will be greatly appreciated. I'll "try" to keep it short....

I have a relatively new client, a decent size veterinary clinic with a satellite location about 10 miles away.
I inherited the full operation and have been tweaking as I go, anyway.....They have a site to site VPN that ran for years, recently it started dropping randomly. After troubleshooting the network, ISP, etc, I determined the firewall tanked. I made the regrettable decision to let the client buy the replacement, basically a newer version of what they had. The firmware versions were so far apart that the config could not be imported so I manually set it up and the VPN was better but not stable. So I swapped the other side with the same unit and it solved that issue, but now it would soft drop I guess you would call it, it stayed up but would time out once or twice a week, they're running Impromed which is CSM/POS/Radiology/Prescriptions the whole shabang through the pipe so it wasn't going to do, but everything atleast worked.
They had purchased Netgear FVS318G firewalls, after learning they only spent $140+ I sold them better equipment. I picked up two Sonicwalls, TZ300 and 400, got them up and running, dealt with the expected port and network issues...now the fun part.
They remote desktop through the VPN to a server which runs part of the app which networks with the main server which has the data etc...(not how I would have done it, it is what it is)
So the girls up front haves to copy and paste records, maybe docs from other vets, xrays form 3rd parties, whatever from the local desktop to the remote desktop. Well it stopped working as well as a scan to Impromed printer, the shares for the pictures of the animals imploded...so I figured out it's a DNS issue. I can ping IP's but not Names. They don't have a DC or a DNS box and they are running the servers pretty hard already, no VM's.
So aside from launching a new DC, what are my options?
I added the WINS feature to the remote server today, and tweeked the server NICS, but before I go any further, will that hammer the VPN? I believe only local requests only and from the 3 or 4 things that arn't working will hit the WINS server. The sonicwalls have WINS feature so it ill pass through DNS but I'm not sure I want the entire place doing that......am I on the right track?
Should I just edit the LMHOST file on the few problems? If that will even work. Maybe an outsourced DNS?

The weird thing is those cheap butt Netgear pieces worked fine except for the occasional studder, why do the Sonics not work? What am I missing?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!! Sorry for the book.

JayG
XSi-
Are you the network admin for the clinic?
if not they should hire a pro and deal with the issue. They make enough money I am sure they can afford it.
Don't kill yourself over making something work where you are not making any money and its just because you like tweaking with things. Just my opinion.
 

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