Dual Internet Connections

[nextbillgates]

Hello fellow techies,

Question for those more experienced than I....

I am a consultant and we typically use Windows Live Messenger to communicate. Well, I'm at a client who blocks IMs...

I usually use their connectivity via their ethernet cable. However, I have a Sprint broadband card. I'd like to somehow use the Sprint card to do nothing but somehow provide a local proxy on my PC, then I can port IM to use a localhost proxy to get connected. All other connectivity should flow through the LAN.

Any ideas on how to do this? WinXP Pro.

Thanks

[nextbillgates]

Or, is there a way to have a VPN connection for only some data, while other connectivity flows unrestricted through the LAN? I could VPN to my home office and use messenger through there...

[nextbillgates]

anyone?

[johnwill]

When a VPN is active, the normal security settings prohibit all other network traffic. Unless the VPN is configured to allow it, that's not going to happen. Since it's a giant security hole to allow a network connection while you're on the VPN, my guess is the client is not going to be willing to do that.

[nextbillgates]

true, I can see your point.

What about having the two internet connections? One via Sprint card and the other via LAN (no VPN). Anyone ever done that?

[efuenteso]

you need to specify at the route table the default gateway for your im trafic. If you are working at Xp, you should do this.

1.- check the network properties, the windows route table takes as a default router the network card with the most speed avalible. if you are at the clients network at eth0 try to set you sprint adapter to an higer speed than your ethernet card.

2.- go to cmd.exe and try

route -p add <network adress> mask 255.255.255.0 <gatewayspring> metric 1


good look!

[nextbillgates]

Well, it seems that everytime I connect to the Sprint network while on the client's LAN that Windows makes Sprint's Gateway the default gateway. I run "route print" right after connecting and it says Default Gateway: <SprintGateway>

Then, everything tries to route through Sprint, which messes up all my client connections, mapped drives, etc.

I don't see a way to tell Windows my Sprint device is slower so that it doesn't give it priority...actually, it IS slower, so it shouldn't default it anyway...

Oh, and the Sprint connection shows up as a dial-up connection in Windows Networking.

[FutureBoy]

At the risk of sounding silly... have you tried using the web version of Messenger, or is that blocked too?

[nextbillgates]

Hey, it's always good to ask! But yes, it's blocked...they block everything here! I can't even get to my personal mail. Even alternates like meebo are blocked.

[johnwill]

This is pretty normal for any VPN that I've worked with.