Problem:

I have two VPN networks I should be connected to at all times, but I can only get one of them to work at one time


I recently setup a Win7 VM inside VirtualBox to run VMWare on occasion.
I now need that Win7 VM to run a VPN that is independent of the host VPN


One VPN network is a connection to my company file servers, mail,git etc and the other is to the client for testing environment of the software we develop.

Company file servers are configured through PPTP(VPN) while the client requires Cisco Mobility Client. To my amazement, the thing actually ran after I downloaded a shell script and ran it, but it blocks out all other Internet traffic and I can't have that.



My hardware specified in the attached image

RAM is 20GB, so that shouldn't be a problem for a VM inside Slack.
I'm not sure my Wi-Fi and LAN adapter are one physical device or not, but I do know that to use LAN, I have to use the USB-to-LAN adapter since I have no LAN port on the laptop.

Network router supports a lot of different options, and I'm able to edit those settings as well, if need be.


Desired goal:


I need to be able to have either both VPN running at the same time, or at least not to have my Internet blocked by the client VPN, albeit giving up at least temporarily the company file servers.
Suppose the Internet-blocking VPN can run better wihtin Windows, but it doesn't have to be a requirement.


Not posting to general Linux since I learned by now that Slackware is specific since it doesn't have the "modern", "apt-get lemme get that for you" attitude which I appreciate more and more with every day (Just to be clear, I appreciate the lack of the quoted attitude )

Not required: I can reinstall with a Win10 too, it's not an issue if it will help in resolving this problem. Win7 is just my less-hated-than-win10 M$ O$. Also open to XP.

Attached Thumbnails

 

My tip would be to use "Bridge mode" networking for your VM, so that it gets its own IP address from the router. This will enable it to function as a completely independent machine.

Do you control the servers at the company? If so, it might be worth setting up an OpenVPN server.

2 members found this post helpful.

Tried that and it works like a charm.


I might have some influence over the PPTP VPN and admin running those servers, but as far as the other one goes, I have 0 access/influence to servers.

Sub-question while I'm at it: Would two VM be impossible to run separately from each other, one for each VPN, leaving out my slack free to use the web as I normally would?
(Since win7 is happy to run at 25-30GB per system partition, I can spare the memory off my linux partition for this purpose, and also provide more-than-sufficient 6GB RAM for either VM, and still have my main slack running pretty without any chop with the remaining 8GB)

In a strict sense a VPN shouldn't allow any other connection.

In most cases a VM is to be treated like a physical machine that is connected to (in this case) a virtual router.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thank you both!

Marking the thread as solved;


Will report how and if, two VMs function to circumvent two mutually exclusive VPNs. I would love not to have to dual-boot to windows but still have the benefits, the best of both worlds.

You can run as many VMs as you like. You're only limited by the resources of your machine. I'll be very surprised if this doesn't work for you.

With Bridge mode, they'll all get their own IP addresses and behave like independent machines on your local network. None of them should affect the host in any way.

If you start them in 'headless' mode, you can leave them running and log in via RDP using krdc, you just need to ensure that your user has remote access. This will only work if you have Pro or higher versions of Windows. It doesn't work on the Home editions.

Like clockwork!


I still don't like running windows, even in VM, to run my business, but that still beats having to give up either company file servers or my WWW from time to time.
( And it wouldn't be remotely possible were it not for light-weight distro I run and love to continue to run )

Thanks again

1 members found this post helpful.