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HomeHomeDNN Open Source...DNN Open Source...Provider and Extension ForumsProvider and Extension ForumsAuthenticationAuthenticationNeed help with VPN accessNeed help with VPN access
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3/26/2007 2:55 PM
 

Hi folks,

I am using DNN 4.4.1 in an Intranet setting with additional network access through a VPN. I have been doing AD authentication for a while now and have pretty well got intranet auto-authentication working on my production portal. On my development portal, where I test new functionality, I have had good success with auto authentication and auto login especially in the intranet realm. Where I am encountering issues is when I try to make all this work with myVPN from SonicWall (SSL-VPN appliance). It uses the NetExtender client and once configured, allows auto-login using AD network credentials. But there are a few glitches that need to be worked out to be ready for the production server.

A. First, the auto-login seems to timeout after 60 minutes, even when I extend the timeout period to something much longer in two places in the web.config file. Beyond that time, The windows Server pop-up authentication dialogue requires me to log into the server again. I understand that this is handled by a cookie but I can't seem to find a way to extend this period.

 

B. Second, If I log out of the website after auto-login, the cookie seems to reset itself to unauthenticated and trying to authenticate against AD generates an error and no longer works unless the cookie is deleted. Accounts such as admin and host plus any manually registered work fine however.

 C. A third issue I have encountered is that the Auto-login seems to auto authenticate to one particular AD account, even if I log out, delete the cookie, restart the computer , reconnect across the VPN with a different account and even use a different account on the workstation. Is there something in DNN that keeps track of the network card on instance of windows and reverts to a default account even if the log-in is to another account?

Looking forward to any possible help :>)

Hal

 

 
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3/27/2007 2:18 PM
 

I use the built-in VPN function of the Windows Server, so I don't run into those issues, but it sounds like you're not directly connected.  In that I mean that your VPN box is acting as a middle-man instead of simply a gateway, and is not passing the correct authentication packets (at least in a timely fashion).   Since I have not worked with that particular unit, all I can do is to recommend looking at the setting of that closer, and figure out why it is timing out.

Another option you can do, if you can authenticate to "other" computers, is to do a Remote Desktop session to a computer on your Intranet and use that one for accessing your website.  I do that all the time to access my desktop computer from home.

 
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3/28/2007 1:26 PM
 

Hi Dan, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately with over 300 potential VPN users a remote desktop solution would not work. What do you mean by "built-inVPN function of Windows Server"? What I am wondering is whether the problem lies in the VPN setup or in the website setup.

Does anyone know how the cookies for login work who could explain how to extend their expiration? There are two places in the web.config file where this can be set as well as in IIS. I have tried all of these without success in extending the time.

 
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3/28/2007 2:42 PM
 
hssaville wrote

What do you mean by "built-inVPN function of Windows Server"? What I am wondering is whether the problem lies in the VPN setup or in the website setup.

If you are running Windows Server (which you must be if you are running AD and DNN), you already have VPN access.  It's called Routing and Remote Access, and is installed on almost every server by default.  All you need is a secondary network card in a server, and set it up to allow VPN access.   You only really need an external VPN box like that if you are running a non-Windows network.

I strongly suspect that your VPN box isn't doing proper authentication, which is why you're running into these problems.  While it may "authenticate" to the server, it isn't really passing the complete information, and thereby making authentication to other servers (like DNN) difficult.   Play around with the cookies all you want, but if that box is blocking the packets it won't make a difference.

 

 
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