I am using Secure Computing Routers at our main site and one remote office...
using IPSEC to communicate between the two sites...and that has been working
fine.

These routers have the plus of allowing PPTP VPN logons as well, which I have
been using to connect with the HP3000 from home. With the PPTP link, I find
I can access the HP and our Windows Server with Remote Desktop.
I can't access the Internet while the VPN access is active, with the exception
that when I am using Remote Desktop, I can access the Internet via the
Windows Server.

Then, the other day, our 2nd site user could no longer send email using our
domain over our ISP's mail server. Something about reverse DNS entries?
He could receive his email, but not send it. Come to find out that our ISP is no
longer supporting someone from one ISP saying he is from a different one.
And yes, I do understand that this is related to spammers. In our case,
we couldn't use the same ISP for both locations...the main site uses a
cable hookup whereas the second uses a wireless connection.

In searching for a solution, I was experimenting with my work PC, disconnecting
from our domain network and then using a dialup account so that I was connecting
to the Internet from outside our network...and then using VPN to connect to our
network. I wasn't expecting a solution that way, but when I got into my email, I was
able to send and receive just fine, because I was actually connecting via our network
Internet connection.

So then I decided to try this out at our 2nd site. I set up a PPTP VPN link on it and
activated it, so then I had both PPTP and IPSEC running at the same time...I set
up the email client to use the PPTP connection only. Then I tried it, and could send
and receive just fine, because it was working through the Internet connection
on our main site. The 2nd site is set up as a workgroup...not a domain. So now
I have email working again, but I don't know why it works.

I tried at home, which is also a workgroup like site 2, but as usual, when I connect
via PPTP VPN, I have no access to the Internet on Site 1 unless I use Remote Desktop
to get on our Windows Server and do it from there.

I'm glad that the the 2nd site is working again, but I'd like to know what is going on.
My search for a common thread has come up with nothing. Used IPCONFIG /ALL and
could find no significant differences. Any of you network gurus know? Thanks in advance.

Tom

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