Virtual PC Networking Problems...

[omfg karl marx]

Here's my problem. I purchased a new laptop for school (Dell XPS M1530) with Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit. Here's the problem. Penn State requires the use of a Cisco VPN client - the IPsec version which doesn't support 64-bit OSes and they have no plans to support 64-bit OSes. Now, I figured out a way around it. I installed Virtual PC 2007 on my laptop with Windows XP. I can access the internet from within the Virtual PC which is all great. I'd however like to get Vista online. Best way I can figure out to do this would be to create some sort of loopback adapter.

Basically here's what's going on:

Vista connects to the penn state wireless
XP uses passed wireless network connection to connect via Cisco client

If you guys have any more questions, hit me up on AIM/MSNM.

[Savage_Hobo]

So what is the VPN for? You've connected to the wireless without it right? So make sure your Virtual machine is setup to use a bridged connection and then just use Cisco VPN on the XP virtual machine assuming it's the 32bit version of xp

[omfg karl marx]

So what is the VPN for? You've connected to the wireless without it right? So make sure your Virtual machine is setup to use a bridged connection and then just use Cisco VPN on the XP virtual machine assuming it's the 32bit version of xp

The VPN serves as sort of an authentication system since we have to login. It's sort of a one way street to the VPC. I can't figure out how to bridge it back.

[Savage_Hobo]

so can you get internet access from the wireless without using the VPN?

[omfg karl marx]

No.

[Savage_Hobo]

So you try to connect to the wireless, you get connected but need to VPN to get internet access? Right?

[omfg karl marx]

That's right. The VPN client doesn't work with 64-bit Vista, so I'm using an copy of XP ran on Virtual PC to use the VPN client.

[Savage_Hobo]

I've used the Cisco VPN Profile before and ran into this issue. Does your Virtual machine workaround work? Can you get internet access from the Xp virtual machine?

[omfg karl marx]

Yes.

[Savage_Hobo]

hmm... it would be nice to let Vista use the internet instead of only running stuff from XP. I've never used it before but isn't there a "Share this network connection" option somewhere in windows networking? Perhaps you can use that feature.....

[omfg karl marx]

That's essentially what I'm trying to do. The VPN client won't connect over a bridged connection, but it seems to work with ICS, however, I can't make a connection from Vista to XP on the VPC.

[{CLR}geneSW]

Why not throw Xp onto a usb drive... Connect when you need to though the USB-XP stick, save what you want to save, and then use vista for whatever it is you are using it for. Will require a re-start, but the only other two options I can think of would be to continue using the Vmachine w/ XP, or simply loading Xp onto the dang laptop after you grab the 32-bit drivers and load them onto a thumb drive....

[DougBob]

I'm not understanding something. I have Vista on my laptop and use VPC 2007 to VPN back to work. Works fine as long as the Vista can establish a network connection, it can't just connect using VPC only it has to go thru the hosting NIC.

[omfg karl marx]

Why not throw Xp onto a usb drive... Connect when you need to though the USB-XP stick, save what you want to save, and then use vista for whatever it is you are using it for. Will require a re-start, but the only other two options I can think of would be to continue using the Vmachine w/ XP, or simply loading Xp onto the dang laptop after you grab the 32-bit drivers and load them onto a thumb drive....

XP on a thumb drive is an option, I suppose. I probably will still get better performance out of the VPC though. I'm not loading XP on here simply because I just spent a couple days situating Vista to my liking and I'd be wasting a gig of ram by going back.

I'm not understanding something. I have Vista on my laptop and use VPC 2007 to VPN back to work. Works fine as long as the Vista can establish a network connection, it can't just connect using VPC only it has to go thru the hosting NIC.

That's not what I'm trying to do. The VPC connects just fine to the VPN/Internet. I'm trying to set up a sort of bridge to allow the Host OS (Vista) to be authenticated too without the VPN client.

My next step is to ditch Virtual PC in favor of VMware. I think it might be able to do what I want it to do.

PS. Anyone want to help raise like $20k to update Penn State's network?

[{CLR}geneSW]

I'll update my foot into their arse if that'll help...