vpn status stuck in Connecting under Linux

[sdack]

Hello,

I am trying to connect to a VPN server using SoftEther under Linux, but any server I try it gets stuck at connecting and never reaches a connected status.

I am using a dual-boot machine with Linux and Windows Vista. Under Windows does it work great and I get a connection. So there does not seem anything wrong with my ISP, my router or the server I am trying to connect to.

I have made sure my Linux kernel has got the TUN driver built in and forwarding and tunneling options are also configured:

CONFIG_TUN=y
CONFIG_NET_IP_TUNNEL=y
CONFIG_INET_TUNNEL=y
CONFIG_IP_ADVANCED_ROUTER=y

I can create a NIC with vpncmd and I can see it with ifconfig:

root# vpnclient start

user$ vpncmd
2
localhost
niccreate
0
niclist
NicList command - Get List of Virtual Network Adapters
Item |Value
----------------------------+-----------------------------------
Virtual Network Adapter Name|0
Status |Enabled
MAC Address |00AC13CC1356
Version |Version 4.10 Build 9473 (English)
The command completed successfully.

accountget sweden1
AccountGet command - Get Setting of VPN Connection Setting
Item |Value
-----------------------------------------------------+------------------------
VPN Connection Setting Name |sweden1
Destination VPN Server Host Name |109.228.157.249
Destination VPN Server Port Number |995
Destination VPN Server Virtual Hub Name |vpngate
Proxy Server Type |Direct TCP/IP Connection
Verify Server Certificate |Disable
Device Name Used for Connection |0
Authentication Type |Anonymous Authentication
User Name |vpn
Number of TCP Connections to Use in VPN Communication|1
Interval between Establishing Each TCP Connection |1
Connection Life of Each TCP Connection |Infinite
Use Half Duplex Mode |Disable
Encryption by SSL |Enable
Data Compression |Disable
Connect by Bridge / Router Mode |Disable
Connect by Monitoring Mode |Disable
No Adjustment for Routing Table |Disable
Do not Use QoS Control Function |Enable
The command completed successfully.

accountlist
AccountList command - Get List of VPN Connection Settings
Item |Value
----------------------------+----------------------------------------------
VPN Connection Setting Name |sweden1
Status |Connecting
VPN Server Hostname |109.228.157.249:995 (Direct TCP/IP Connection)
Virtual Hub |vpngate
Virtual Network Adapter Name|0
The command completed successfully.

Here the status remains as "Connecting". I believe it should say "Connected" and judging by the speed it connects under Windows should this happen with in a few seconds, but this is not the case.

user$ ifconfig
...
vpn_0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:AC:13:CC:13:56
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:500
RX bytes:0 TX bytes:0

What am I doing wrong? ... I was trying to attach my config file, but it appears to get stuck in uploading. So please let me know what you need before I copy&paste any files here.

Regards,
Sven

[sdack]

No, not yet, sorry. I wish if somebody could post a working configuration then at least one could try using it, knowing that it is working for somebody. Right now can I not even tell if I am doing something wrong on the Linux config, SoftEther config, or if the problem is external.

[thisjun]

Could you see the log of SoftEther VPN client?

[rollingscissors]

Softether is quite a mediocre and downright lame VPN for clients using Linux. One needs expert skills to make it work. Specifically, the user needs to manually change the routing for his internet traffic and direct it through the SoftEther vpn interface. Manually. So the average user doesn't have a chance to enjoy SoftEther without possibly mangling his system unless he uses Windows.

Look into using the commands for adding and changing routes in Linux: ip route add... ip route default... and so on.